Indian artist Shilpa Gupta challenges national identities through poetic fragments and disrupted forms in her debut Los Angeles exhibition, reframing nationalism as a construct that is inherently arbitrary.
In the midst of a rapidly changing world, where national identities are being constantly reevaluated and challenged, Indian artist Shilpa Gupta has brought her unique perspective to the Los Angeles art scene with her debut exhibition ‘Some Suns Fell Off’ at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Through a series of poignant and thought-provoking works, Gupta reframes nationalism through poetic fragments and disrupted forms, laying bare the inherent arbitrariness of our ideological constructions.
Shilpa Gupta is a prominent Indian artist known for her thought-provoking installations and performances.
Born in Mumbai, India, she gained recognition with her piece 'Ghuski', which allowed viewers to enter the gallery through a hole in the wall.
Gupta's work often explores themes of identity, language, and cultural exchange.
She has exhibited globally, including at the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The Ephemeral Nature of National Symbols
Gupta’s exhibition features a group of compelling visual and installation works that transform ephemeral elements such as light, sound, and symbols into metaphors capable of carrying broad societal and political messages. One of the standout pieces is ‘Sound on My Skin,’ ‘a fragmented poetic flow of evocative phrases in constant transit’ , which serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of events and information. The classic mechanical Solari board, once used in airports and train stations to announce arrivals and departures, makes a nostalgic return here, functioning as a metaphor for the fragility of national symbols.
Challenging National Identity
Through her work, Gupta challenges viewers to reconsider the symbols and structures that define nationhood. Her exhibition invites the audience to navigate shifting cryptic messages in the way one might approach a poem, requiring them to pause, observe, or listen to phenomenological experiences that only emerge through sustained engagement with both medium and message. This process of critical examination is at the heart of Gupta’s artistic practice, as she seeks to prompt reflection on how political construction can evolve into systems of control and repression.
National identity refers to the shared characteristics, values, and beliefs that define a nation's sense of self.
It encompasses a country's history, culture, language, and customs.
According to a Pew Research Center study, 77% of Americans consider their national identity to be an important part of who they are.
National identity can also be influenced by factors such as politics, economy, and geography.
Understanding national identity is crucial for social cohesion and nation-building.
The Nation-State Construct: A Fragile Entity
Gupta’s work also interrogates the nation-state construct, highlighting its arbitrariness in visual representation. Her installation ‘Map Tracings’ outlines the U.S.’s geopolitical form as something familiar yet clearly artificial and inherently fragile. This precarious form is defined by artificially imposed borders, a theme that Gupta has explored in various works over the years.
Investigating Truth and Censorship
In her exhibition, Gupta investigates the mechanisms through which truth is established but also distorted and manipulated. Her series of delicate drawings titled ‘Nothing Will Go On Record’ removes the outlines of human figures, suggesting the erasure and silencing of censored voices obscured within the labyrinthine mechanics of bureaucratic systems. Similarly, one installation places a lone voice at a standing microphone in a darkened room reciting the names of 100 poets from different countries and eras along with the years they were detained and incarcerated by their respective states.
Censorship has been a contentious issue throughout history, with debates surrounding its impact on truth and free speech.
On one hand, censorship can be used to suppress 'misinformation' and protect vulnerable groups from harm.
However, it can also be employed to conceal government secrets, silence dissenting voices, and limit access to information.
According to a 2020 report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, over 300 journalists were imprisoned worldwide for their work.
The relationship between 'truth' and censorship is complex, with each side influencing the other in a delicate balance.
A Call to Action
Ultimately, Gupta’s artistic practice is an invitation to move beyond the over-mediated images that populate our screens. Engaging with the real world’s layered complexity, her work reflects the contradictions and ambiguities of today’s global condition, translating them into multisensorial metaphors that distill the fragmentary essence of both individual and collective human experience.
The exhibition ‘Some Suns Fell Off’ is on view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Los Angeles through March 29, 2025.
