A mindful practice

Rhea Gupte’s creative process encompasses her varied interests, and through it she explores different facets of human emotion

What does it take for an artist to find a voice?

RG: I feel finding your voice as an artist is a lifelong pursuit. It is not something one arrives at, but is closely intertwined with your growth as a human being. The more one reads and learns the more they know about the world and themselves, so the pursuit is then to have that reflected in your art in a way which is authentic to you. With developing your style, it is about practice and being mindful of spatial, esthetic, narrative choices that resonate with you. I feel it develops gradually and a large part of it can also be subconscious. I think my work puts as much emphasis on negative space as it does on the subject. I have always enjoyed playing with color and I think how I use it is one of my strengths.

How did your tryst with writing begin?

RG: I began writing poetry at the age of seven or eight and have written since. It was not something I thought of doing, but always came as a bout of needing to write. Playing in a playground, I’d suddenly, frantically search for a piece of paper to write something down. As a teenager I wrote several chapters of novels, never to complete any. Writing was always a form of self-expression to me and many of my writings had imaginary characters and fantastical plot-lines, while always being rooted in emotions and feelings. For a while now I have been trying to develop my writing into a consistent practice and to slowly get my work published. I have a particularly long way to go in this department.

Tell us about your creative pursuits during the lockdown.

RG: This is the longest period of time I have spent at home, without traveling for work to other cities, so I am trying to make the most of this strange reality that we are living in. I have been working on a few art series at a steady pace. I began my ‘Compost’ series before the lockdown and have continued it at a weekly cadence. The series is a compilation of images of my wet waste photographed in the form of still life installations. I started my ‘Isolation’ series as a way to express and explore what being in isolation means. I have been exploring and learning some 3D software during this time too.