Q&A with Dipali Gupta - The Fragile Power of Drawing

We invite you to engage with the work of our resident artists by visiting The Fragile Power of Drawing - a virtual residency exhibition, presented as part of the 2020/21 Drawing Research Program.

Join Dipali as she shares her research from her studio in Malaysia, while virtually transporting us to the Paris studio-museums through this Q&A series with curator Rahma Khazam. ​

What attracted you to Ossip Zadkine's sculptures of Venus?

Venus is the goddess of love in Roman mythology. Ossip Zadkine’s sculptures of Venus encouraged me to investigate perceptions of love, its connotation as goddess in our current society and the relationship of love with sexuality. My own art practice incorporates some of these explorations. Through the materiality of sex toys which I associate as a symbol of female sexual liberation, my art deliberates notions of female sexuality and female sexual pleasure. I was curious to explore re-interpretations of the goddess of love just like Zadkine had done in his time with his expertise.

When one thinks of the Birth of Venus one cannot help but think of the creation by the famous Italian artist Sandro Botticelli in 1480s. The colourful painting representing the goddess of love arriving to shore, in full nudity flanked by Zephyr, the god of wind on one side and the goddess (hora) of spring on the other. Zadkine’s Birth of Venus is very dissimilar to this original representation. Zadkine as a sculptor casts his representation in bronze.  The change in medium from painting to sculpture brings about a shift in forms and textures. The artist’s interpretation of the idea based on the strength of his skill and the conviction of owning his concept despite the limitations that he may encounter inspired me to attempt several versions of my own.  

Donna Haraway ends her essay, The Cyborg Manifesto with the line “… I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess.” Here she is referring to the idea of women existing in the world as cybernetic assemblages of human and machine in order to subvert global androcentric mechanisms. This tension between becoming cyborg which is an integral part of my art practice and the goddess of love which has been extensively decoded by famous artists attracted me to reinterpret Zadkine’s Venus. 

These are two almost opposite approaches to drawing. One is a more figurative charcoal drawing, while the second is more abstract and experimental. Could you explain this contrast and relation between the two? 

'Absent at Zadkine’s Birth of Venus' was an attempt to interpret Zadkine’s bronze sculpture through my computer screen. I chose to recreate it as a classical charcoal drawing,  given the long history of the medium starting with cave paintings 2000 years ago to its prominence during the Renaissance period. Since I was unable to see and feel the sculpture in real life due to the Covid-19  travel ban, I was trying to imagine the textures, the shapes and forms, values and tones through the image on my screen. The medium of charcoal is prized for its ability to produce an interplay of light and shadows which I attempt to capture in this artwork. Details are lost in the shadows of my computer print as I seek out smooth and rough textures. Despite the fact that the original piece created by Zadkine is a sculpture, my two dimensional research via a computer screen immediately flattens the object to a somewhat abstracted form of shapes and imaginative textures. It is like the advice that Zadkine dispenses to his pupils "In front of nature, look constantly, study incessantly – but know how to choose as - in any case you can't see everything, and on the other hand you mustn't keep everything". ​

Absent at Zadkine’s Birth of Venus, Dipali Gupta 2021 

Divergent to the traditional charcoal drawing (of Absent at Zadkine’s Birth of Venus) is a more buoyant reinterpretation of Ossip Zadkine’s Venus Caryatid, 1914. Amiably titled 'Cyborg Venus' created in black Chinese ink and Chinese water colour, this artwork foregrounds Venus as a cybernetic being lacking a human form. While the starting point of both artworks is similar, what remains is the idea of love which in Cyborg Venus breaks away from the conventional thinking of heteronormativity, subjectivity and male gaze. By taking away the figurative aspect of the body, the Cyborg Venus is becoming an open being that conforms to creating new desires. And since it is about new desires, there are no norms to follow, no lines to track, no principles to adhere to, but becoming free flowing, simply enjoying the fusion of body and machine. Cyborg Venus is more processual in its nature unlike the charcoal drawing which is steeped in convention, patriarchy and substantially invested in the beauty of its end result. The use of Chinese materials to create the Cyborg Venus de-westernizes the concept of goddess of love bringing it to a more universal level. ​

Cyborg Venus, Dipali Gupta 2021

What is special about drawing for you?

In today’s fast paced virtual lifestyle, Drawing allows me to slow down and move slowly through time bringing me into the present in both mind and body. It creates space for me to observe intently and transpose my interpretations onto paper. The movements of the hands are different as compared to the constant typing on the keyboard, a refreshing break from mundane virtuality. The feel of materials on the dermis of my palms and the marks created through gestures and movements feel far more satisfying than the constricted sitting postures performed in front of cold blue LED screen of my laptop. 

There is also a special feeling drawing with machines (referring to my vibrator drawings). It is like action drawing where the control is limited, and a lot is left to chance. The end result is not more important than the process of creating the work. It is performative in nature as the movement of body in fusion with the device creates marks that are open to interpretation, breaking conventions and creating space for new imaginations. 

About Dipali Gupta

Visit the exhibition online for more video and text conversations with the participating artists.​