Shilpa Gupta

The central work in the exhibition is a new sound installation titled Listening Air. This in-motion installation includes suspended microphones, each counterbalanced by a dimly lit light fixture, orbiting throughout the darkened gallery and between visitors. Subverting their connotations, the microphones-turned-speakers make audible words that have traversed landscapes of fields, forests, streets, and universities.

Interested in the potential of language, the artist brings together voices that have been passed on and persisted through generations. Throughout history, songs and poetry have been used as powerful critique against systems of control or as uplifting carriers of hope in times of struggle. Transcending borders, the variation of voices and languages in Listening Air create a collective sense of resilience. A song sung by the women rice weeders of the Po Valley in Italy in the 1940's, to the farmers sit down protest in New Delhi in 2020; a folk and labor song which journeyed through the tobacco farm workers in Charleston, South Carolina, onto the streets during the civil rights movement, further onto North Korea, Beirut, Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and beyond echo throughout the space. The deliberate and constant movement of the microphones mirrors the energy and formation of individual voices. Different forms of speech challenge the structures of recognized languages and intertwine against systems of erasure, creating a disparate yet harmonious experience.

In the upstairs gallery, a cabinet with 100 glass bottles stands as a reimagined library. Into each, the artist has spoken a poem by a poet who has been imprisoned for their words. The work expresses an adamant belief in individual voice through the perseverance of poetry. Challenging the hegemony of language wielded by those in authority, ultimately returning it to the individual, the work fosters reflections on the scope of imagination, the possibility of dreams, and the privacy of the body. A collection of drawings installed throughout the gallery echo the journey of a few of these poets. By removing the outline of their body, Gupta represents their censored voices and missing bodies.

StillTheyKnowNotWhatIDream consists of two flapboards, mechanical devices commonly found in transit stations used to display precise information, such as schedules or destinations. These flapboards have undergone a transformation and instead display poetic phrases that deliberate ideas of loss, power, and truth. This work fosters a dialogue between the two boards, creating a conversation that delves into connections and detachments. It serves as a reflection on our relationships with and understanding of others.

Shilpa Gupta’s practice poetically explores our perception of the ‘other’ and how constructed ideas about the world are taken as knowledge. She subverts these notions by inviting the viewer to understand our shared thoughts, dreams, fears, and desires.