Subodh Gupta's studio kitchen has much more to offer than alliterative coincidence with his name. It’s an ever-widening canvas of the artist’s mastery over his craft. It’s here that he elevates ordinary kitchen tools to the level of high art. He set up the studio, situated in suburban Gurugram, in 2012. And then the ‘kitchen’ came along, aided by a growing predilection towards food merging with his art.
Entering Studio Kitchen, the façade of the building doesn't really prepare one for what’s in store. Over 10,000 square feet of space hold striking enormous sculptures. The soaring ceilings and walls adorned with an array of pots and pans in every imaginable shape, size, and dimension create a truly mind boggling visual.
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Taking in the sights and sounds of this creative cauldron, it’s hard to resist the aroma wafting in from the vast kitchen counter. Dapper, dressed in a Japanese label, Gupta approaches the counter with the nimble ease of someone clearly well-versed in the ways of the kitchen. No gloves, no apron, no other paraphernalia. His sway in the kitchen is palpable.
With just two well-trained assistants in tow, he takes centre stage. From menu to presentation, all’s sorted as he gets ready to host an intimate dinner gathering. Tonight, it’s a multi-course Bihari supper—
harking back to his roots—in gourmet style. Dal pitthis, littis wrapped in varq (edible silver foil), mashed aubergine, fresh chilli garlic pickle and a mean mutton nihari. It’s a Michelin-star meal with a touch of folk.
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“I like the whole concept of the Japanese style of dining—small and elegant portions served in courses. What you see is a takeaway from that style—although the food is all Bihari,” he breaks into a hearty laughter.
He dons the apron in his family. Cooking and entertaining are more than just hobbies for him. He enjoys every bit of it, churning up fine meals for his wife, contemporary artist Bharti Kher, and two children. Their favourite? The mutton curry, always. Food and the kitchen are a strong motif in his art—a reflection of his childhood. His first food performance in Paris, circa 2006, comes to mind. The venue was a soup kitchen that was steeped in controversy in the day over rumours of the presence of pork in the soup hurting religious sentiments. He showcased his landmark sculpture Very Hungry God—over 3,000 kitchen utensils assembled into a giant human skull. In the kitchen above, he prepared lentil soup, serving over a thousand, much to the delight of the attendees.
The son of a Railway officer, Gupta grew up in Khagaul, on the outskirts of Patna, Bihar. “I wanted to break out of that cycle. But art was nowhere on my radar.” By the time he grew up, his interest in theatre grew more intense. His circle of friends in Delhi was mostly theatre folk, including Tigmanshu Dhulia, Raghubir Yadav, Jitendra Sharma, Saurabh Shukla and Manoj Bajpayee. The motley group would get together over decadent dinners whipped up invariably by one of the boys.
“Raghubir used to make these thick rotis that would take a long time to cook, and by the time they were done, they were like crispy biscuits, and we relished them with mutton curry. And while the roti was being prepared, Ragubir would entertain us with his singing," he recalls.
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His memories of his early childhood mainly revolve around a large family home with three-four courtyards, four expansive verandahs and two separate kitchens—one for vegetarian and the other for non-vegetarian food. “I grew up in an orthodox setup. Despite having two kitchens, my grandmother would still cook in her own private verandah on the days she observed a fast and no one could go around that area on those days.”
But accompanying his mother to the kitchen was a common practice for the young Gupta. “Everyone thinks their mother is the best cook, but I have to say that mine was simply exceptional,” he shares, fondly recalling her pointed gourd stew. He admits to trying his hand at it in his early teens, but the results always fell short. “I could never match that perfection.”
Come September, Gupta will exhibit a huge kitchen at the upcoming Bukhara Biennale in Uzbekistan, where his art and food will be showcased together. While his art takes him to global platforms, his roots clearly anchor him even today. He recently closed a retrospective of his works at the Bihar Museum.
Beneath the veneer of his prestige and stature as a richly-awarded artist, he is a man of simplicity. Just like that silver-coated litti that releases spurts of rustic piquancy redolent of home when you eat it. Bite into it, and you’ll know.
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