A R T b l o g: Sunil Gupta's New Pre-Raphaelites

The New Pre-Raphaelites: 12 ink-jet printed photographs of cross-dressing Indian men and women, who imitate the classic poses of 19th-century sitters, on display at the Grosvenor Gallery (London). Gupta's subjects are all very obviously gay. Homosexuality has been a recurrent theme in Gupta's work for the last 30 years. The Grosvenor Gallery also featured his series Mr. Malhotra’s Party in 2007, the subject of which is again Indian gays and lesbians, who "stare defiantly into the camera.” This motif reminds me of the work of African-American abstract expressionist artists from the '60s and '70s, who centered upon similar themes, but about Blacks. Gupta’s photos are brimming with self-avowal, sexuality, culture, ethnicity, and color. He’s put an innovative twist on the art of the 19th century greats (many of whose sexually has or had been speculated over at one time or another) in a way that’s relevant in the 21st century.