Making arth of earth
Showcased at a city exhibition, artist Manav Gupta’s innovative art installations highlight the importance of environment conservation and connecting with nature
People say they get intoxicated by rain. So I say, don’t do drugs [and] let’s get drenched in rain,” says artist Manav Gupta. It’s nature that plays a crucial role in all his works. Even in his ongoing show, Gupta uses pottery to create innovative environmental art installations namely Beehives Garden, Rain, Time Machine, Ganga Waterfront, and more.
“The entire ethos of Arth is about engaging people, the silent, eloquent ways in which art can make a difference, and how we can make a change. This is also an ode to Mahatma Gandhi, because he believed in being the change oneself,” he says.
He has been working on Arth for past two decades. In the Devanagri script, ‘arth’ means ‘wealth’ and ‘meaning’. The artist explores both, in the context of earth and its resources as our true wealth, and urges us to stop a while and lead a life being environmentally conscious.
The installation called Time Machine explores the concept of time. Another called Rain discourages the use of drugs, and the one that the artist refers to as Bed of Life shows creation of life through a man and a woman, and the installation Waterfront embraces nature and architecture.
“You can actually do a Shah Rukh Khan
[pose] with the
Rain installation,” he jokes. He adds, “Our city needs rivers, and Delhi needs trees desperately. Therefore, I have used the Arjuna and neem trees [in this work]. The rain embraces trees and nurtures it.”
Talking about the Beehive installation, Gupta, who has been artist-in-residence at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, explains, “We need humanity to preserve and develop our ecosystem. So, the beehives are in different shapes.”
“The idea [for this show] is to absorb the five elements and talk about them,” sums up Gupta, who has always considered himself as “a child
of nature”.
“One can’t talk about any art form unless it comes from within. That’s how my entire journey shaped up in clay. ,” says Gupta, who will host an evening titled Dialogues at the Waterfront on Monday, September 17. This will have panel discussions, and a Kathak performance on Gupta’s poetry by Shinjini Kulkarni, granddaughter of Pt Birju Maharaj.