Culinary Art by Subodh Gupta
“The [Sun] cooks everything in this world, by means of the days and the nights, the fortnights, months, seasons and years. And this [Fire] cooks what has been cooked by that [Sun]: He is the cooker of that which has been cooked, for he cooks what has been cooked.”
– Charles Malamoud, Cooking The World (quoting Satapatha Brahmana)
Subodh Gupta, born 1964, Khagaul, India, lives and works in New Delhi, India. For Art Basel ‘Unlimited’-2017, Gupta creates an installation using interaction along with mixed medium to put on a cooking and eating performance. Food is prepared by the artist, consumed by the visitor, all presented in a collective shelter of aluminum utensils. Representing the artist’s aspiration to retain a line of rudimentary rituals and a crude human nature to eat and survive. This installation revolves around the ‘idea’ of sharing.
Structured in a formidable wholeness, each and every utensil hangs delicately from a single wire. Through the elevation one is able to notice the worth of these worn vessels discarded by their former user. Showcasing a state of disrepair, as well as representing the history of an individual. A glimpse offered to the past utility and its significance. Inevitably, a new collective ritual space is born by the assemblage of one man’s discarded trash that is another man’s treasure.
Offering to share a meal acts as the strongest indicator of inclusion and acceptance into any community. Sharing food relates to bonding among souls. Subodh Gupta is trying to share his art with everyone by bringing a deep rooted relevance between food and art.
This expressive piece of installation is purely a creation art. Subodh is trying to produce a show – How the world is cooking and the world is being cooked?!
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