‘The ordinary world has given me everything’ | Subodh Gupta’s monumental ‘A Fistful of Sky’ is at NMACC

“Every artist creates their own language and within that language they experiment with the why and what,” says Subodh Gupta, of his latest show, a monumental exhibition entitled A Fistful of Sky. “Think of it like several short stories, interwoven through my experiences and life journey.” The Hindi title, Ek Mutthi Aasman, is drawn from Kishore Kumar’s 1973 song, evoking the dreams of the common man.

Curated by Clare Lilley, the former director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and mounted by Nature Morte, the exhibit is spread across four floors at the Art House at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC). It is the largest show the artist has done in India at a private institution, with 11 works on display: four paintings and seven installations, almost all of which are new.