President Ram Nath Kovind unveils Satish Gupta’s Roaring Sea-Still Mind

Honorable President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, unveiled Satish Gupta’s Roaring Sea — The Still Mind on Wednesday, Januray 15, 2020 at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi. In a burst of inspiration, India’s celebrated painter, sculptor, poet, writer, printmaker, skilled draftsman, muralist, designer, calligrapher, and ceramicist, Satish Gupta created this work in just 90 magical minutes! “This work was especially created for liver institute to give some moments of peace and hope to the patients and their families who come to the hospital with anxiety,” shares Gupta.

This monumental canvas titled Roaring Sea — The Still Mind is 31 feet high and 18 feet wide was created live in the lobby of the institute on January 12. Gupta created this gestural calligraphic work after meditating for a long time in silence while the audience watched and went about their daily grind. It was then that the curated music of thunder and lightning, the sound of the roaring sea and then stillness and calm all occurred at once, as the meditating figure emerged from the chaos, serene and tranquil. When asked how he made the artwork so swiftly, Gupta replied, “Actually it took more than 50 years – the essence of my artistic journey and 90 minutes!”

One can traverse zen and mysticism through Gupta’s larger than life work. Roaring Sea — Still Mind is brought to life using multifaceted artistic renditions – a multitude of colour, form, material, words, and brushstrokes, materializing timelessness in a flood of sensations. “Creating this artwork has been an enriching and almost a spiritual experience! Roaring Sea — Still Mind is influenced by the theory of the five elements – fire, water, metal, wood and earth – these are a recurring theme when I work across mediums. While making art I am deeply in touch with my inner self and with the Divine. It is tremendously liberating. It is this tryst with zen that I wish to bring forth with this painting,” shared Gupta, who is revered for his monumental copper sculptures.

The work of this master artist has been exhibited at more than 37 solo shows at coveted art galleries within the country and across the world. The versatile artist won the Sanskriti award early in his career. In 2016, a film on his works was screened at the Estampa art fair in Madrid and at the Asiatica Film Mediale in Rome. Most of Gupta’s art is created at his studio Zazen on the outskirts of Delhi, surrounded by a zen garden of his own design. His copper sculpture, ‘Surya’ is displayed at the International Airport in Delhi and ‘The Buddhas Within’ a 23ft copper sculpture is in the permanent collection of The Prince of Wales Museum (CMVS) in Mumbai. His works were exhibited at the Venice Biennial in 2017. Gupta has also made a painting “MA” which was 1.6 kilometre long on the beach in Puducherry. Many dancers interpreted the five elements and danced along with him as he painted the canvas – perhaps the longest in the world. Mahesh Vinayakram created live music to inspire the artist.