Author Description

The first monograph dedicated to one of today's leading and thought-provoking Indian visual artists Shilpa Gupta is internationally known for her profound and socially engaged multi-faceted practice. Her work is an ongoing exploration of how human actions and interactions are subjected to a range of external and internal biddings, from socio-political constructs to personal relationships and technology. The synaesthetic nature of her practice is rooted in the post-liberalizing city of Mumbai in India, where she grew up in the 1990s, and the complex political landscape in South Asia. Gupta's work has been championed by many art luminaries and high-profile curators, including David Elliott, Massimiliano Gioni, Geraldo Mosquera, and Hans Ulrich Obrist. She is the first artist from the Asian sub-continent - a region with a booming art scene - to be chosen to be profiled in the Contemporary Artists Series. A keen observer of the everyday, Gupta creates videos, interactive installations, sculptures, and participatory performances, stimulating in the viewer a reflection on how places and people are defined and the meaning of belonging. This is the first comprehensive monograph of her work.