Sunil Gupta’s Exhibit Spans Five Decades of Rare Queer Images
Exhibited for the first time in this exhibition, “Memorials” (1995) is a poignant series that commemorates the victims of homophobic hate crimes; while “Reflections of the Black Experience” (1986), illustrates aspects of black people’s experience in London, with the resulting exhibition of the work leading eventually to the formation of Autograph – the Association of Black Photographers, an organization devoted to contesting the discrimination of marginalised photographers in the UK.In the series “Exiles” (1986-1987), commissioned by The Photographers’ Gallery, Gupta returned to Delhi to visualise the hidden realities of gay men living in India before the decriminalisation of homosexuality, which was punishable with up to ten years in prison until September 2018. Similarly, his series “‘Pretended’ Family Relationships” (1988) explored the UK’s notorious “Clause 28” law passed in 1988 by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government, which restricted positive representations of same-sex relationships
Image: Sunil Gupta Untitled #22, 1976 From the series “Christopher Street” Courtesy the artist and Hales Gallery, Stephen Bulger Gallery and Vadehra Art Gallery © Sunil Gupta All Rights Reserved, DACS 2020
Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Advocate Contributors
