Like a monk

Artist Satish Gupta's latest exhibition, 'Zen Space', is a culmination of the experiences of a lifetime

It was in 2004, at the time when the tsunami struck Sri Lanka, that Satish Gupta was in the Dambulla Rock Temples. Suddenly the world around him was thrown into turmoil, and yet the Buddha sculptures stood there in front of him - serene, timeless and reassuring. This one moment inspired him to create his iconic work, the life-size The Buddhas Within, which has a sleeping Buddha's head reclined at an angle. On the inside of the large head, there are 1,500 micro Buddha sculptures - 500 each for the past, present and future. This towering work forms the centrepiece of his latest exhibition, "Zen Space", which features a collection of 10 sculptures, eight paintings and 72 haikus created in the past 25 years. Gupta's latest exhibition is being presented at the Visual Arts Gallery by Mumbai-based Gallery Art & Soul.

As an artist, Gupta refuses to be labelled by genres. His creativity transcends forms - be it sculpting, painting, ceramics, calligraphy, murals or poetry. "I don't see duality in any aspect of life - it's just one big flow. I am very conscious of the very fact of being alive and want to celebrate that," says Gupta, who works out of his studio, Zazen, in Gurgaon. This, perhaps, stems from a life-changing experience that he underwent in 1994 when he had to get a tumour removed from his brain. "Luckily, it was benign and I could put that experience behind me and learn from it," he says.

Be it his sculptures or paintings, each is imbued with a certain sense of tranquility. His palette is composed of minimalistic and delicate hues of blues, moss green, lilac pink and earthy brown. There is a lyrical flow in each creation. Take "Surrender", for instance, which is an aerodynamic Garuda, done in copper with patina, stainless steel with gold and mirror finish and measures 12 x 16 x 9 ft. Then there are "Shunya" and "Meditations" on a Mandala, which Gupta describes as kinetic sculptures. "They change every instant, just like life," he says.

His works are a huge favourite with collectors and art connoisseurs. Gupta created a 13-feet-high "Surya" sculpture in copper for the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, and has also done a 30-feet-long mural for the Bengaluru International Airport. His sculptures, murals and paintings can be seen at The Leela Palace, New Delhi and the Ritz Carlton in Bengaluru. The Jindal Centre in Delhi too houses a five-piece metal sculpture weighing over 10,000 kg. "I have seen his work from the sketch to the final sculpture and I can just say that a client gets more than what he expects," says Tarana Khubchandani of Gallery Art & Soul, who has known Gupta since 2005. "Also, he isn't here for the numbers. He lives and works like a monk. He is truly zen at heart."

To most, it is his journey that is most remarkable. Art scholar-columnist Uma Nair has been following his work for more than 30 years now and finds his evolution fascinating. "His brilliance lies in the different journeys he embarks upon with so much ease and silence. I am deeply stirred by his tranquil islands of peace that he seeks through his sculptures," she says.

'Zen Space' is on display at the Visual Arts Gallery, New Delhi, till March 31, 2016