the shrinking river
Hosted by
Ditsong Museum of Natural History, Pretoria,
South Africa,
Indian High Commission, South Africa
Incredible India
unsung hymns of clay
if you consider me sacred, I'm pure
else, mere water that flows
मानो तो मैं गंगा माँ हूँ
ना मानो तो बहता पानी
MAIL TODAY
a metaphor for earth
into a droplet of water
The artist has also taken his analogy from the Ganges. The sacred river of India has dedications that have always poured on it in many ways.The opening lines of the lyrics of an old song from an Indian movie speak about the dichotomy of perceptionIt conveys, ‘ if you believe, then I am sacred, or else mere water that flows…’ Given today’s world of current complex issues of treatment and perception of women as well as earth (referred to as mother earth in many quarters of Indian spirituality ) the artist draws a cross spectrum reference of eroding human values. The pollution of the rivers, the shrinking of water and its availability and such other climate change issues have been in the artist’s ethos of work since beginning.
Rekindling the significance of earth and water.
the shrinking river.
The sacred Ganga and its rich heritage of nurturing and sustenance was highlighted by educating school students, the intelligentsia and the public. Educating children – the local communities in Africa, was a beautiful and most satisfying experience of not only taking our heritage offshore but kindling interest on a global issue among young minds through Indian metaphors.
In order to connect with local communities, I invited local schools , explained the concept and then the same was translated on the spot by their teachers so that the students can see and understand the local to global relevance of the message and the metaphor I created with the earthen lamp
One of the vital actions that I was building it all up for took place. People from foreign lands, sat down and meditated by just sitting beside ‘the Ganga’ that I had created, absorbing the power of eloquent silence that the installation evoked.
Here you see a leading Professor from UNISA University and his colleague sit beside the Ganga and absorb the power of the message that the artist’s idiom conveyed.
People from that part of the world came , saw and the artist made the ‘diya’ conquer their hearts. Intrigue and curiosity was kindled. Respect and reverence happened. It brought India’s heritage to foreign shores to create a place in their hearts. They understood the feeling, the message, the conversation, and the relevance of bringing environment consciousness, by deploying the earthen lamp as an instrument of change.
INSTALLATIONS
The earthen lamp taken from the everyday use of rural Indian pottery transformed as a droplet of water , converted to a river laid out in the foreign Museum with the artist’s unique deployment of the concept to highlight how an Indian earthen lamp can teach us the value of environment consciousness.
Inter disciplinary practices | Dialogues at the waterfront:
Dual Channel Video Installation
ONE MINUTE FILMS on environment consciousness, climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development, commissioned by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government. of India, for broadcast as public service messages, being played in loop on site.
Sculpture: ‘zen’ - earth and the universe. Umbra Penumbra.
PAINTINGS
Talks/Lectures.
Dialogues at the waterfront. Series of sharing of artist’s vision and talk on the Shrinking River and Earth as highlighted idioms of the show.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Series on Indian pottery clicked by the artist while creating mega installation
A gallery of moments from the potter’s life and his produce and making captured by the artist while researching on clay and pottery, accentuating what the rural can teach the urbun population by creating from earth rather than destroying
Thought Experiments
Triple Channel Video Installations
Triple Channel Video Installations
Conceptualised in 2009
Dual Channel Video Installations
ONE MINUTE FILMS on environment consciousness, climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development, commissioned by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government. of India, for broadcast as public service messages, being played in loop on site.
zen | earth
“At a time when many artists turn to the west in desperate need for a brainwave, Gupta has universalised the diya – an inevitable fraction of Indian Culture – to draw attention to a contemporary issue. The installation is a metaphor where the earthen lamps signify earth.”
zen
earth
Photographs
five elements
Sacred
If you believe.
It lies
wrapped
in a heap
of nothingness.
Unsung, unlit, unheard.
Till the end of time.
At an alter
sometimes,
Flames peep out
of it’s earthen palms.
An iridescent arch
woven by moonbeams.
Vanquishing all darkness.
My soul sings my desires
Filling me with abundance.
manav
Series on Indian pottery clicked by the artist while creating mega installations. A gallery of moments from the potter’s life and his produce and making captured by the artist while researching on clay and pottery, accentuating what the rural can teach the urbun population by creating from earth rather than destroying
Series on Indian pottery clicked by the artist while creating mega installations. A gallery of moments from the potter’s life and his produce and making captured by the artist while researching on clay and pottery, accentuating what the rural can teach the urbun population by creating from earth rather than destroying
'Gupta's Green Trilogy'
“At a time when many artists turn to the west in desperate need for a brainwave, Gupta has universalised the diya – an inevitable fraction of Indian Culture – to draw attention to a contemporary issue. The installation is a metaphor where the earthen lamps signify earth.”
MAIL TODAY
'Rainforests and the Circle of Life'
Rainforests and he Circle of Life… a travelling trilogy of paintings,installations, films and performance opens in Pretoria.
Rainforests and the Circle of Life… by the eminent Indian artist ManavGupta, was opened on Thursday 21 February by His Excellency VirendraGupta, the Indian High Commissioner at The National Iluseum of Cultural History in Pretoria.
The Indian High Commission has extended the exhibition to March 31,2013 in the light of the BRICS Summit in Durban as the exhibition focuses on sustainable development. It explores the human responseand role towards climate change and environment consciousness across boundaries, while simultaneously engaging with respect and recognition for the humble and the nondescript to achieve peace,security, development and cooperation – some core issues of the BRICS agenda.
It particularly takes forward the 4th Brics Summit’s Delhi Declaration of March 29, 2012 in general, and more specifically the second point in the same, as quoted on “concerns of sustainable development and climate change which take on greater relevance….”
“Using long prevailing cultural and spiritual idioms in India | have used the earthen lamp as a metaphor to create minimalistic installations of contemporary art that raises thought provoking questions on some of the key global issues that form the BRICS dialogue. It seeks to contribute significantly to the softer dimensions of human psyche to build up of sensibilities towards development of humanity and establish a more equitable and fair world that respects earth and the equitable and responsible use of its resources,” commented the artist Manav Gupta about the exhibition. ‘Itis indeed a pleasure and an honour for me to be adding my drop in the ocean of South Africa and India’s rich legacy of cultural history and building more bonds between the two countries in the extraordinary commonalities of profound cultural heritage of the two countries,” he added.
Gupta currently works in New Delhi and is best known for his pioneering collaborative art as performances and mega murals. He won international acclaim for the first-of-a-kind, six storey high, (6000 sq f tin facade and 10000 sq ft of total painted surface), commissioned mega mural at the headquarters of leading telecom corporate giant in Gurgaon: he pioneered co-creations with his “Jugalbandis” (Collaborations) with leading musicians, poets and dancers, including Dr L. Subramanium, Shubha Mudgal, Anup Jalota and Rahul Sharma where he translates a performing artist’s oeuvre live on stage onto canvas: his works have been sold by Christie’s Christie’s, Bonhams, Philip de Pury and are in leading permanent public collections around the world ; he has co-authored a book of poems and paintings with former President of India Dr APJ. Abdul Kalam, published by Penguin India.(2002-2005): he delivered guest lectures on art, environment and collaborative public art practices at the San Jose State University and the ICD, Berlin in 2010 and he creates single edition functional sculptures and public installations with varied media including iron, steel, wood, discarded roots of trees, glass, recycled scrap metal and clay for interior and exterior corporate and private spaces.
The exhibition Rainforests and the Circle of Life is on view at The Museum of Natural History, 149 Visagie Street, Pretoria and is open till 31 March 2013. The museum — telephone 012 324 6082 – is open daily from 08:00 to 16:00. Admission is free.
Paintings
"Gupta's Rainforest's: A Hit!'
SUNDAY TIMES, SOUTH AFRICA
'Kaleidoscope of Creativity'
Diane de Beer, ARTS EDITOR, PRETORIA NEWS
'Quest for Life'
Classic Feel
'All for Earth'
“Gupta employs a contemporary artistic language used to spread a message about environment conservation”
The Pioneer
Lectures, Talks, Workshops
Department of Visual Arts, Pretoria University, South Africa
27th February, 2013
UNISA, Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology, Pretoria, South Africa
March 8th, 2013
News
Bibliographic Index
BBC, Ganga using Diyas and Chillams, December 15, 2014
Exotica, Manav Gupta’s unsung hymns of clay, August 2013
Architecture+Design Magazine, Art feature, June 2013
Essay by Pavan K. Varma, Manav Gupta’s “unsung hymns of clay”, April 13, 2013
Mail Today, Gupta’s Green Trilogy, Friday April 26, 2013
The Pioneer, All for Earth, April 15, 2013
Sunday Times, Gupta’s “rainforest art” a Hit, February 24, 2013
Tonight Art, Kaleidoscope of Creativity, February 28, 2013
Artslink, Rainforests and the Circle of Life, March 15, 2013
Biz Community, Rainforests and the Circle of Life exhibition in Pretoria, February 28, 2013
The Times, Small wonders, February 22, 2013
Classic Feel, Quest for life, August, 2013
Whats on!, South Africa, Leading international environmental artist, speaks out. July 2013
Classic feel, Environmental Art – Unsung Hymns of clay June 20, 2013
SABC News, Feature on Brics : Manav Gupta’s Clay River.
Expresso News, Renowned artist Manav Gupta’s acclaimed exhibition
Get it Pretoria, Art focuses on Nature, March 14, 2013
Record, Spectacular India Culture hits the stage, 8 March, 2013
Curtain Call, Rainforests and the Circle of Life, February 19, 2013
Media Update, Exhibition extended to the end of March, March 15, 2013
A Quest for Light
Classic Feel | 2013
The work of the leading Indian artist, Manav Gupta was introduced to South African art lovers earlier this year at an exhibition titled Rainforests And The Circle Of Life. Classicfeel took the opportunity to speak to the artist.
Light is a common preoccupation among visual artists. Painters and photographers alike are always seeking to find light that illuminates their subjects in just the right way and to capture it – somehow to trap within the physical confines of their medium. For Manav Gupta, however, the concern with light goes beyond the problems of the medium to become the subject itself. ‘for me it has always been a quest for light.’ he says. ‘I seek light -in gaps, in crevices and ventricles of the rainforests.
For me light is hope. It seeks you out amidst the darkness. So the process of seeking out and finding the way forward with that single streak of light has been the journey of my life and work.’
The works on display during Gupta’s exhibition in Pretoria earlier this year were clear expressions of this ongoing preoccupation with light. The centerpiece of the exhibition, which also included several of the artist’s paintings, was an imaginative installation called Unsung Hymns of Clay Forming the heart of this site specific work is a large mass of small clay pots called diya- used as lamps in various Indian religious occasions –innovatively reimagined as the contours of a drying riverbed. These simple earthen bowls, when filled with oil, augmented by a cotton wick and lit. become spiritual instruments. With the addition of a tiny flame, these common, disposable pieces of clay become links to the divine. A small bit of light thus elevates the profane towards the sacred
Unsung Hymns of Clay is the third in a trilogy of exhibitions called Rainforests and the Circle of Life. which, aside from the ongoing exploration of the qualities-both empirical and spiritual – of light. also explores environmental consciousness as the central theme in Gupta’s work. The fresh and minimalistic treatment of the lamps laid out on the floor remind the viewer of a dried up riverbed. This links to discussions around water and its increasing scarcity in some places around the world, which speaks to wider issues of natural resources and the environment. Which are also matters of deep concern to Gupta and have occupied his thoughts since before his career began.
Born and raised in Kolkata, India, the birthplace of the Nobel Prize for Literature laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Gupta’s own versatile repertoire comes from writer and scholar parents who made a point of exposing him to art and culture during his formative years.
“I was exposed to prose and poetry from a young age.’ he says, ‘as well as music, theatre and dance. I also grew up in the lap of nature because my father was the director of the national library, which is situated on this patch of green, complete with lush, budding trees. Which can almost be described as an island in the middle of the city.’ Combining with the strong influences of culture and nature were ideas about spirituality and transcendence.’ I had a guru, when I was a child .who had spent a lot of time in the forests and so on and he taught me the soul of art and the essence of nature. All ofthese things made a very strong impression on how I grew up and how my work evolved.’
While he learned about ‘the soul of art’ from his guru, Gupta was taught ‘the grammar of art’ at Kolkata’s renowned Academy of Fine Arts.
After completing his education ,he did not go straight into a career in the arts_ ‘I worked for a while-I had to support my mother_ I was doing very well, I had a good job, I was secure. But one day I decided to take the plunge. Everyone said I was crazy- art will never pay the bills! But I knew that if I didn’t do it then, I would never do it. ‘Gupta’s first solo exhibition was extremely successful and brought him an invitation to show in the Indian capital, where his works drew the attention of the wife of the US Ambassador to India, who bought some of his works and hosted his exhibition at Roosevelt House_ The environmental themes in his work introduced him to members of the Indian government, which led to his work being displayed in the Ministry of Culture. commissions by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, a collaboration with former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam (Gupta illustrated a book of poetry by the former head of state and a mural commissioned to mark the long friendship between India and Bhutan.
Perhaps Gupta’s most famous work -thus far -is the 11000 square-foot. six-floor high mega-mural .The Tree of life, which adorns the New Delhi headquarters of the multinational telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel. The creation of this work was unique in itself, with Gupta employing four creative processes. for the first time, in its making -namely conceptual. performance. collaborative and site specific. He invited the company’s employees to share the experience of painting with him in the first phase using what was created to weave a composition on a six-floor high staircase, while the organization’s employees watched. ‘How I saw it was you have 4000 employees who are going to be watching me work every day. So I thought, why don’t we make this a collaborative process? I opened up to all these non-artists. They would be there doing their job and then on their coffee break they could come and add a brushstroke here and there. It was exciting as well as challenging, especially as I was conceptualizing spontaneously without any blueprints. I juggled between the micro environment of helping the office workers paint and the larger role of creating a cutting edgeartwork.’ This massive undertaking resulted in the giant work of art that has seen the Airtel building being granted museum status.
Gupta’s first trip to South Africa took place at the invitation of the Indian High Commission in Pretoria. Unsung Hymns of Clay, together with a number of earlier works, went on display at the National Museum of Cultural History. The response to the exhibition-from the public. collectors and the media alike-was very favourable.
Manav Gupta is an artist quickly growing in international renown and his works are recognised by collectors as excellent investments both for artistic and economic reasons. But, contrary to the misconceptions propagated by popular culture, the achievement of fame and recognition does not signify a destination. For Gupta. the effort to expand consciousness and create awareness. And most importantly, the quest for light. continues. CF
Museum Director, Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
March 19, 2013
Dear Manav
It is such a pleasure to host your exhibition entitled ” The Unsung Hymns of Clay, the 3rd edition of the series ” Rainforests and the Circle of Life” at our National Museum of the Cultural History in Pretoria, South Africa. The popularity it has gained and its relevance given the environmental issues globally has made the two parties, the museum and the High Commission of India, to suggest an extension of the show until 31 March 2013.
An exhibition comes from India, and it is perceived as a prelude towards the culmination of India’s history and contribution that will be shared at the BRICS in Durban, South Africa.
Neo Malao
Director DNMCH
Date: 19/03/2013
Kaleidoscope of Creativity
IOL.co.za | Diane de Beer, ARTS EDITOR, PRETORIA NEWS
He first discovered art when he found it tough to deal with his emotions. He turned to his earlier happier life, revisited the environment that offered safety and warmth and drew on all of that to create his beautiful paintings. Manav Gupta, who trained in Kolkata at the Academy of Fine Arts under Rathin Maitra and under his guru Vasant Pandit and currently works in New Delhi is exhibiting Rainforests and the Circle of Life, hosted by the Indian High Commissioner, Virendra Gupta.
It is a travelling trilogy of paintings, installations, films and performance on display at Pretoria’s National Museum of Cultural History in Visagie Street until March 10. “This was long before people were talking about climate change,” he says. But even as a young man, he knew he was connected to nature. And this was how this travelling exhibition was first developed, because of his wish to spread the message in a different way. “People talk on many different levels about the climate and their concerns but sometimes the softer dimensions of the environment is lost.” That’s what he hoped to capture with a series of promotional films, paintings large and small, performance art and installations. Because of logistics, mostly out of his control, the full breadth of the exhibition isn’t possible in the current showing, but if you can catch the artist on the premises, he will talk you through the work, a rewarding experience. For an outsider, the references are there and one or two of the bigger works have an Indian feel, but it is the use of Indian philosophy and spirituality that centres rather than dominates the work. The approach is contemporary. There’s a universal quality about his work that would make it difficult to pinpoint the continent it comes from.
Light, and thus hope, is what drives his work in a metaphorical and practical sense. “It seeks you out,” he says, and that is what inspires his quest for light. Colour also comes into play. Something, he says, nurtures the soul, and has many different levels. He had many cross-cultural influences as a child as his parents, who were both scholars, introduced and surrounded him with this richly diverse world. But more than anything, nature is the one single element that nurtured him most. He cannot paint cosmetically, he explains. “I can only try to convey what I have experienced.” And perhaps that’s why his paintings leave one with an emotional rather than intellectual response. But that’s only part of it. The fullness of his work only becomes clear as he talks about his performances which he derived from an ancient Indian experience called jugalbandi which means collaboration but in the past it was always a conversation between two musicians. “I wondered why an artist and musician couldn’t do the same?” And this is where his live drawing started. Some of his country’s most respected musicians have come on board and while they perform a particular piece of music, he will paint something in response to what the music says to him. “I have always loved music and it made sense to me to try something like this,” notes Manav, whose curiosity keeps propelling him into new worlds of consciousness.
Scale doesn’t scare him even though most of the work displayed locally is almost postcard-size. One of his biggest challenges was painting a mural on a six- storey building, a corporate affair, expansive in scale. “They wanted to create something that would make the building live,” he explains. And what he came up with is simply brilliant. He invited all the employees of Airtel, one of India’s largest telcom companies, to participate. “I used their work simply as colour and went from there,” he notes. What he created is similar to the movie Tree of Life. This is the tallest and largest three-dimensional indoor staircase mural by an artist – it covers about 464m2 of visible frontage through a glass façade and 928m2 of total painted surface. Working on a 360° platform of canvases, video installations and performances he has also collaborated with dance troupes and audiences in public art projects besides his performances and exhibitions at different venues.
Gupta’s works have been sold by Christie’s, Bonhams, Phillip de Pury and are in leading permanent public collections around the world including the Parliament of India, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Royal family of Oman, Indian embassies abroad, Chitrakala Parishad and Birla Academy museums. He has co-authored a book of poems and paintings with former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, he also creates single edition functional sculptures and public installations with varied media including iron, steel, wood, discarded roots of trees, glass, recycled scrap metal and clay for interior and exterior corporate and private spaces. But don’t expect it to stop there. If he latches on to a new idea that’s intriguing, that’s what he’ll do. “It’s all about the learning experience,” he says. Not only will he grow, so do those who experience his work. If you want to see how he reflects the light, first contact the artist, and see if he can walk you through the work – on site.
Songs of Clay
Exotica | Navneet Mendiratta | August, 2013
As artist Manav Gupta prepares for the London leg of his third travelling trilogy, Rainforests and the Circle of Life, wetake a look at the premiere of his works at the National Museum in South Africa earlier this year.
Nature moves him. So much that he sways to tunes and attempts to capture and re create all that he clicks with the eyes of his mind.” For Manav Gupta his art is a contemplation of spiritual and the natural communion. Medium does not restrict him. So he plays with a wide range- from the conceptual to multimedia, installations to ambient spaces, the canvas to sculptures- as he puts it to fresh creative tasks. Technically he is sound. And therefore when the High Commission of India, Pretoria, launched ‘Unsung Hymns Of Clay’, the third edition of his travelling trilogy- ‘Rainforests And The Circle Of Life’- in South Africa ,earlier this year, he added many more accolades to his kitty and very effortlessly at that.
His installations and conceptual works on display brought to fore the physical interface of globbal warming- man’s interference with earth’s natural ecosystems and disregard to environmental consciousness. It is not as if that the idea struck Gupta all of a sudden. Much before climate change became drawing room conversation and awareness gathered momentum, Gupta has been inculcating his concern and respect for the environment in his works since the very beginning.In his own words he draws his own spiritual strength from the nature. “When I paint what transcends on the canvas are the hope and the power of the eternal truths of the nature’s enblematicsymbols.” he says adding, “ Light for me is hope and colour and the Universe in which it exists.” This is when for him the world loses its meaning and the larger one takes over…..and I paint,” he states.
His installations presents the complexities of the relationship between nature and man’s use of it. His works create a sense of calm, connectedness and quiet contemplation, rather than invoking agitation. Perhaps for this reason the impact is unexpectedly strong.
In his installation, the shrinking river in clay, he has used the earthen lamp or diya as a metaphor to explore the issues of environment consciousness. “ We recognize and respect earth only when we use its resources without reverence. Having been a part of religious rituals for many years and having grown up and lived this practice in India for years , I have been affected by this whole symbolic circle of life. The diyas in my installation explore and raise questions on environmental consciousness,” he shares. The artist has also taken his analogy from the sacred river Ganga and drawn inspiration from the opening lines of the lyrics of an old song from an Indian movie that speaks about the dichotomy of perception – “ If you believe, then I am sacred or else mere water that flows….’ He has tried to address the issue of pollution of the rivers ,the shrinking water and it availability and other climate change issues.
With a minimalistic approach, the srtist depicts his philosophy in understanding tones that touch deeply and reverberate, lingering in the mind long after the visual engagement ends. And it stays there.
Environmental art
By Sulger Buel Lovell | Lovell Art Gallery | June 20, 2013
International environmental artist, Manav Gupta speaks out about climate change and sustainable development at Lovell Gallery and National Arts Festival.
He speaks in poetry and visual metaphor through installations and through paintings layered in watercolour, acrylic and oils, communicating in light and colour and lyrical form, all that he perceives in nature and how it relates to his soul. As audience, when ‘green issues’ are mentioned, we are coming to expect to be lectured or made to feel guilty. Manav’s approach is the opposite. He presents nature to us, its beauty and vulnerability. His “unsung hymns of clay” installation presents the complexity of the relationship between nature and man’s use of it. His work creates a sense of calm, connectedness, and quiet contemplation, rather than invoking agitation. Perhaps for this reason the impact is unexpectedly strong.
Proclaimed “fresh, minimalistic, innovative and original” by Architecture and Design (June 2013), in this latest installation the artist inverts thousands of Indian earthen lamps to transfigure them into a river of clay. As Cultural Commentator, Pavan K Varma explains: “the earthen lamp is a part of every home in India. It is a utilitarian vessel at one level, but a powerful vehicle of reverence at another …. Manav has elevated this humble piece of clay to an artistic pedestal with remarkable finesse. Its simplicity is breathtaking, but its meaning is multi-dimensional. For him it is the bridge between the individual and the divine. It is prayer incarnate, yearning personified. It represents the soil, mother earth, the pact with nature. Its very fragility is a pointer to both the environmental crisis we are facing and the need to do something about it.”
Coined the ‘master of light’, Manav Gupta is one of India’s leading contemporary artists and is listed by Financial Times among ten contemporary Indian artists whose works would fetch good returns. His works have been auctioned and sold at Christie’s, Bonham’s, Philip de Pury, and are represented in private and museum collections worldwide. Best known for his mega murals and as a pioneer of collaborative art practices, his record six floor high ‘ Tree of Life’ fetched Museum site status for Airtel Campus, by the Limca Book of Records 2012 and 2013.
‘Unsung hymns of clay’ forms part of the third edition of Manav Gupta’s global exhibition: Traveling Trilogy III – Rainforests and the circle of life, which has toured the US, Europe and South East Asia prior to coming to South Africa. After premiering in Pretoria, the exhibition makes its Cape Town debut at a special preview on Saturday 22nd June, a selection of miniatures then travel to the National Arts Festival, and return for the exhibition’s month long run from July 9th to August 10th at The Lovell Gallery in Woodstock.
Unsung Hymns of Clay
Architecture + Design | Art Feature | June, 2013
Art Feature
Unsung Hymns Of Clay
The third edition of the travelling trilogy ‘Rainforests and the Circle ff Life’ by renowned artist Manav Gupta was recently hosted by the High Commission of India, South Africa, at the National Museum,Pretoria. The site specific installation, Unsung Hymns of Clay, using earthen lamps explores environment consciousness. Architecture + Design brings you a glimpse of the concept and treatment, which is fresh , minimalistic, innovative and original…
The earthen lamp is woven in the cultural-religious fabric of India from time immemorial. Once home ,only at the time of worship,they are used as a tool at the altar. Oncde the prayer ends,it is discarded again to be immersed in the Ganges.Itslife is strange at the way of the world and the circle of life, like the unsung hymns of clay.
By using the earthen lamp as the metaphor,the artist explores glaring issues of how perception and context interplay with each other. The installation touches upon issues of equality,respect, treatment toward objects,situations,people and the essence of life beyond manmade boundaries.The pollution of rivers,the shrinking water and its availability and such otheclimate change issues have been in the artist’s ethos of work. In this installation. With the minimalistic approach, the srtidtdepicts his philosophy in understated tones that touch deeply and reverberate, lingering in the mind long after the visual engagement ends.
All for Earth
The Pioneer | April 15, 2013
He is known for kingsized murals. The six floor high 5000 sq. ft. in façade and 10000 sq.ft.in painted surface of a mural at the Airtel Headquarters in Gurgaon,is among his more prominent works. Gupta employs a contemporary artistic language used to spread a message about environment conservation.He rearked, “ I respect and love the earth and the nature. And I have always tried to create awareness concerning environmental issues. I have worked in this field for many years. I grew up with nature and this reflects in my work.”
Gupts’s latest exhibition is called the Unsung Hymns of Clay, Currently showcasing in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, it features a large installation called River of Clay which uses earthen lamps as metaphors for Indian spirituality, conveying how we use the earth to our advantage.
Manav explained, “While growing up I saw earthen lamps lying in heaps. They always seemed non-descript. But the same lamps when lit at the altar for prayer,took on different meaning.They are considered sacred,but we discard them after their purpose is served.I used them as a metaphor for Earth.We connect to her but damage and exploit her too.” He added, “ It is believed when you use diyas for worship of the lord,you do not have to purify the mud bowls with the holy Ganges water because they already are pure. Oil is poured and the wicker lit is holy. But when the prayer is complete the lamp is discarded. So the title , Unsung Hymns of Clay.” He also references the pollution done to the river Ganga.
The installation with over hundreds of earthen lamps appear as flowing water from the distance.The inverted lamps are arranged in neat,but flowing sequences. In its entirety it can fill the Tate Turbine Hall. “I have given a language to the lamps, which is minimalistic yet dramatic,” he added.
Manav just returned from South Africa after the High Commission of India hosted the premiere and launch of the third edition of his travelling trilogy at the National Museum there, after two successive previous editions in recent years in US, Europe and the Middle East,
It was extended by the Federal Museum as an outreach during the BRICS Summit. “As the exhibition focuses on sustainable development, human response to the environment and man’s role in climate change and other environmental hazards faced, the duration of display has been extended,” informed Gupta.He took over an year to complete the installation and plans to show it in India too.
Gupta’s Green Trilogy
Mail Today | Friday , 26 April 2013
Much before climate change and sustainable development became topics of global conversation, artist Manav Gupta has dedicated his craft for the cause. After rightfully finding a place in the Limca Book of Records for the first of its kind six-floor high mega mural at the Bharti Airtel Headquarters Gurgaon and the 18 ft. canvasses depicting Indo-Bhutan relations, Gupta’s latest ‘Travelling Trilogy’ has crossed borders many times to adorn gallery spaces in US, Europe, Middle East and South Africa.
Though the trilogy consisting of a video installation and two sculptures will not reach India until May 1, Gupta says that they are already a hit in the National Museum, Pretoria ( South Africa ),where the trilogy premiered,
The installation Unsung hymns of clay ,is a metaphor where the earthen lamps signify earth. The fact that both of them are respected only when they are in use, motivated Gupta. “I made earthen lamps and arranged them to form the contour of a river,” the artist explains. The number of earthen lamps used in the installation varies from the venue of display. “ From 6000 to one lakh, I make them according to what the space demands, ”Gupta says.
At the time when many artist turn to the West in desperate need of a brainwave, Gupta has universalised the diya- an inevitable fraction of Indian culture.- to draw attention to a contemporary issue, Gupta’s video installation of the Rainforest and Zen- yet another sculpture made of earthen lamps , were part of the show extended by the Federal Museum as an outreach of BRICS Summit. “ Sometimes I let the visitors trample the earthen lamps. It is to see the shock on their face and make them realise that they care about the lamps only because they are a part of the coveted display,” the nature lover elaborates.
In India ,Gupta plans to exhibit his trilogy at the Visual Arts Galleries in India
An exhibition by New Dehli based contemporary Artist Manav Gupta at the Cultural Museum
SABC News | March 25, 2013
Morning Live is playing features on the Brics members to give some insight. We look at India. We look at an exhibition by New Dehli based contemporary Artist Manav Gupta at the Cultural Museum in Pretoria.
Manav Gupta at the National Museum of Cultural History, Pretoria
Expresso Partners | March 5, 2013
The High Commission of India in Pretoria is hosting one of India’s lauded artists, Manav Gupta, and his acclaimed exhibition of artworks titled “Rainforests and the Circle of Life”. The exhibition is currently running at the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History until the 10th of March, 2013, and serves as a celebration of the Indian Diaspora in South Africa.
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