Spooning

The works of Subodh Gupta, conceived using everyday objects, can be disconcerting because of their size. Whether they are enormous piles of steel pots and pans or his huge tables made from sushi conveyor belts, there is an instant confrontation between the viewer and the monumental dimensions of the work.

His sculpture Spooning consists of two spoons almost three metres long, lying on the ground like two lovers. With this spectacular transformation of scale, the artist gives the cutlery a particular aura and transcends its initial simplicity. While it inspires love and sensuality, we can also see a reference to the excessiveness of economic growth in India and by implication, the country’s disenfranchised people, for whom eating constitutes a daily battle. The Indian artist’s work often addresses socio-political issues linked to globalisation and his native country.

Spooning, part of the Pinault Collection, was shown at the Punta della Dogana in Venice at the "Eloge du Doute" (“In Praise of Doubt”) exhibition (2011-2013).