JOIN USFor anyone who hears of Swati Gupta’s experiences, it will be hard to guess her age. A graduate with double degrees and double minors, the twenty-something Gupta completed her Honours research in Electrical and Computer Engineering where she learnt to develop new programming language. While in Economics she worked on education and micro-finance in her final year.
A person may have to traverse different boundaries in their lifetime, but for Gupta, “too much happened in too little time.”
Inspite of her experience as an engineer, Gupta remains passionate about art. Born and brought up in Delhi, Gupta studied at Carnegie Mellon University, United States. “I was also the youngest teaching assistant in my time. I taught students much older to me and learnt a lot in the process. I conducted some fun classes too – glass blowing, industrial design, acting, etc,” she tells Metrolife.
“My association with paints has been special since childhood. And at the age of 14, I pursued a diploma in fine arts from the Bangiya Sangeet Parishad. I owe my accomplishments as an artist to SS Kukkal, under whose aegis I grew and matured my style and form,” says Gupta.
“I always wanted to return to India. The question was when. My love story was a total filmi one, after which I came back to Delhi and got married. Currently, I work in the construction field on specialised construction projects for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), such as aircraft hangers, bunkers, etc.”
“I am very motivated with my art and took it more seriously after returning to India. I carry a small sketchbook, paints and tools with me always. I usually paint while travelling long distances for office work. It’s a form of meditation for me. Clears my head, helps me grow as a person.”
Gupta’s first exhibition was Vritti, which was hosted by India Habitat Centre, “After much persuasion from my teachers and family, I applied to IHC and got selected for my first exhibition,” she says.
Gupta recently exhibited her artwork at IHC. The exhibition concluded on April 25. ‘Vritti’ as she says was “a condensation of my internal whirlpool of thoughts, represented through visual narratives in the form of paintings and photographs.” Her works are based on the premise of human tendencies to not take things at their face value, and succumb to the surreal powers of the heart and mind. Her art shows keen observations that are imbued with social, emotional and geographical trajectories that influence our subconscious. Gupta’s work, which includes paintings and creative photographs, are largely rendered in acrylic, watercolour, ink and mixed media.