Lot 54: Sunil Gupta , Chelsea, New York/ Albert Embankment, London from the series Homelands archival ink-jet prints edition 4 of 5

archival ink-jet prints edition 4 of 5

measurements 48 by 72 in. alternate measurements 121.9 by 182.9 cm.

executed 2007
'...I have been engaged with a kind of cultural politics deliberately, highlighting issues of race and gender and sexuality. And trying to unpick the notion that there's a universal art, that is enshrined in the canon of art history, which seems to be genderless and colourless and so on. But we know that's not the case.' As an artist, curator, writer, and cultural activist, Sunil Gupta has made a significant contribution to contemporary art practice and discourse around the globe. Through his work he challenges stereotypes and questions beliefs, by exploring issues of race, gender, and sexuality, and related issues of access, place, and identity. Gupta's photographs are autobiographical, drawing on his experiences as a gay man of color living with HIV who moves fluidly within the landscapes, traditions, and cultures of his native India, and his adopted homes in Canada and England. The color and narrative of the Bollywood films of Gupta's childhood inform his photographs, which are usually presented in series. Images are combined with text or with other images, sometimes digitally, as in Homelands. His work has a characteristic insight and humanity.