Second Coming

On the cusp of his first show in India in over 10 years, the award-winning photographer Sunil Gupta talks to NEVILLE BHANDARA about his craft and why he'll never stop doing what he does

- NEVILLE BHANDARA

OF MEMORIES AND MOMENTS

Saleem Kidwai And Me, Qutb Minar', from the series Towards A Gay Indian Image, 1983. Opposite page: Lake Pichola, Udaipur', from the series Towards A Gay Indian Image, 1983

The last time Sunil Gup-ta showcased his work in India was in 2012, when his series Sun City & Other Stories, a fictional narrative loosely based on the 1962 film La Jetée, was exhibited at Alliance Française in Delhi. “We had finished installing it on the day of the opening,” Gupta, 68, tells me on Zoom from his home in London, which he shares with his husband Charan Singh, “and left the venue for a few hours in the afternoon. We didn’t realise we’d left it unlocked.” When Gupta returned, it was to a shock: “Someone had photographed every picture and gone to the local police station to lodge a complaint. So, mid-opening, the cops turned up and began ordering us to take down the photos.”

‘Red Fort #3’, from the series Delhi - Tales Of A City, 2004

Now, over ten years later, Gupta is preparing to show Cruising at Vadehra Art Gallery in the capital, which will contain some of his biggest works including Christopher Street, Delhi: Tales Of A City, Towards A Gay Indian Image, and Exiles, as well as a new offering on the present refugee crisis titled Arrival, which is a collaboration with Singh, and the never-before-seen series