Comment | Sunil Gupta’s intimate photographs show how art and activism can work together
The images in the British-Indian artist’s retrospective at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, England, are both tender and powerful
Sunil Gupta's photographic exhibition From Here to Eternity, currently on display at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, masterfully intertwines personal storytelling with powerful social commentary. Featuring six diptych photographs, the series chronicles Gupta's journey following his HIV-positive diagnosis in 1995. Depicting himself in moments of vulnerability and isolation, the intimate self-portraits are paired with striking urban landscapes, capturing the ambience of clandestine queer clubs and saunas during daylight hours.
As a person living with HIV, Gupta felt alienated from the LGBTQ community, and these photographs reflect his complex emotions—mourning the loss of his pre-diagnosis freedoms while grappling with his own mortality. The title of the exhibition, "From Here to Eternity," encapsulates this duality, representing both a longing for connection and the harsh reality of a world increasingly hostile to those affected by the disease.
The artist's ability to fuse personal experience with broader social issues is evident throughout his body of work, from early projects like Friends and Lovers, which showcased his assimilation into Canada's gay liberation movement, to later series like Exiles, which delicately portrayed gay men cruising in Delhi. Gupta's use of photography as a medium allows him to embody desire and yearning, creating a unique bond between viewer and subject.
His work serves as a testament to the resilience of the LGBTQ community and a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggles faced by those living with HIV/AIDS.
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