Subodh Gupta and others at a public sculpture show in Shanghai- I

Sculptures by world-renowned creators are currently on display in a Shanghai public park as part of an International Sculpture Project Biennial. The organizers provide an insight into the participating artists, which we share with our readers: 

Subodh Gupta: Making ordinary items artistic and aesthetic

An internationally acclaimed contemporary artist from India, he is best known for incorporating everyday objects into his creations. By making ordinary items artistic and aesthetic, he expresses his sympathy for the vulnerable and his reverence for traditional Indian values. In his work ‘Ray’, the artist captures the tensions between urban and rural, rich and poor, and traditional and modern, reflecting on the social breakdown that India has experienced on its quest for modernization against the backdrop of globalization.

He works in a wide array of media such as painting, sculpture, installation, photography, films and performance. He brings his observations and experience into play by addressing schisms between urban and rural areas, tradition and the present, the poor and the rich, also referring to the current confusing state of the country’s shifting society owing to globalization. His works elevate the status of daily utility items especially in rural areas to meaningful works of art that express the artist’s concern for the disadvantaged as well as his care for traditional values.

Wim Delvoye: To him, any ornate decoration is pointless

A Belgian artist known for his inventive projects, his recent works feature extravagant ornamentation, which commands almost all of the audience’s visual attention. With a conviction that any ornate decoration is pointless, he just uses them as a means of unraveling the secrets of human nature, yet the artist manages to make these ‘meaningless’ objects delightfully aesthetic.

Kim Byong-Ho: Incorporates integrated electronic components

The South Korean artist uses modern electronic technology to produce sculptures and installations equipped with acoustic devices. He skillfully incorporates integrated electronic components to produce vibration that has a frequency at which birds chirp. He has created an organ using sophisticated materials, which produces a sound that invites the audience to hum along.