Quoting Art Critic Sumati Maheswari ‘The true essence of Gupta’s creation lies in the wonder and awe that it evokes, of art imitating nature. Right from the first glance that the viewer has – as a first panoramic perspective encounter, the moment he/she has rain in sight, right up to the point when one stands amidst the falling rain hanging from tree branches. This immersive encounter allows viewers to appreciate Gupta’s skilful portrayal of the simple yet profound phenomenon of rain. The effect created by Gupta’s installation is akin to the visual experience of an object placed between parallel mirrors, evoking a sense of fascination and immersion. Interestingly, this sensation surpasses the intoxication typically associated with the chillum itself. Gupta encourages his audience to metaphorically “get drenched in the rain,” enticing them to fully embrace the artistic encounter.

Rain, his work comprising chilum -the traditional smoking pipe of clay associated with intoxication – strung meticulously into thin wires, succeeds in creating a poetic depiction of rain. The viewer can feel the flow of drops. The pitter-patter is tapped in a drenching fall in the remarkable use of one element to depict another. Clay for water. Diyas arranged most cleverly on wires define the sense of play in his own understanding of rain and its geometry. “Each strand is important. Each string is important,” he adds.

He catches the flow in broken geometry. He arrives, very close in his work, at the inner texture of the falling rain. It is understood and experienced best when one walks through the strings of clay chilum falling from tree branches. It is while standing between the falling wires studded with the chilum when Gupta’s fine handling of the most simple activity in nature and season, that of rain, arises distinctly. The effect is similar to what a viewer would experience when he sees an object kept between parallel mirrors. This, in particular, is more intoxicating than any intoxication associated with the chilum itself. “I tell my viewers – get drenched in the rain of chilum,” he says.

It is fascinating how his work grows and develops for months after he has put up the installations – out in the open. “Trees are my laboratory”, he says. Gupta has used fallen trees for sculptures in the past. In the current display, the falling of rain in Rain from tree branches has a symbolic significance. Rain needs trees, and trees rain. Rain invites life. Worms, insects, birds, creepers, climbers, and seedlings live and play on and around this installation.’

Swarajya magazine continues to point out ‘No other artist has used clay and pottery in public art like Manav Gupta. His works on nature and climate change are extensive, in harmony with themes and sites he chooses, and soul stirring. In the back drop of the recent Kerala floods, his series, ‘Arth’ (meaning), stands as the most gentle and revolutionary expression of art exposed to rain, trees and sunlight. Depletion of natural resources, recreating and sustaining, are at the core of the series. Gupta relies on architecture and nature to produce installation works out of material, which, if not meticulously blended into his philosophy and thought, would mingle in surroundings – as any other mundane clay object meant for use, as dust. In his art work, these objects become more than mere ‘useful’ kiln-burnt pieces of utility. They acquire meaning. They become grains of a flow – moments in a story and chapters in Arth, the continuing series of works dedicated to nature and environment. They transform into remnants of an element, beaded together. Assembled together, woven into various patterns with the help of thin wires and knots. “Weaving happens differently. For softer flow, I use chilum,” he adds

It is remarkable how Gupta’s artwork continues to evolve and transform over months as the installation remains exposed to the elements in outdoor settings. He considers trees as his laboratory, having previously utilized fallen trees as sculptural elements. In the current display, the symbolism of rain falling from tree branches holds significance. The interplay between rain and trees further deepens the conceptual layers of Gupta’s artwork. Human presence is pleasant disturbance. Parakeets fly in and out of the Beehive Garden project – one of the most fulfilling works. Parakeets leave feathers behind as temporary mementos on clay on the beehives. The cuckoo continues the dialogue with trees. Other birds visiting the trees discuss their daily lives, swinging on the raindrops of clay in ‘Rain’, once in a while. Crows grumble nesting issues.

“Arjuna and neem trees are being lynched for their medicinal values. They have to be nurtured. It is a reverse process. We have to nurture trees and, therefore, rain,” he adds. The act of weaving, beading, threading knotting, tying untying, assembling dismantling – the fundamental fabric of Indian textures, lives and traditions, is the basis of his unique use of clay. Nature begins to twine around the numerous units of clay in his work. But clay, the medium, itself, remains detached and unnerved by continuing activity around it. It stands in the music of bird song and rain.
He has to dismantle “each and every unit” for the travelling museum. The reassembling of the units swirls up a new cycle of recreation every time, every display, every site. Earth to art to metaphor and back. “Dust to dust”. No one uses baked clay for public art like Manav Gupta and nothing scrubs the soul better than clay.’