Sakshi Gupta

Once Upon A Time

This tree is somewhere standing majestically in the Cubbon Park of Bangalore. As I enter this place, I feel each of those twisted and crooked branches reaching out to me. I sit under one of them, suddenly aware of the glaring sun which had been following me until now. The tree, its leaves and the branches together start whispering one of the thousands of stories they witnessed through the centuries as I slip into a sweet slumber in that shade. I wake up after a few minutes, wondering if I should too, maybe share more stories I’ve been collecting as I age through this life. Maybe, I too could give someone the gift of a sweet dream.

A Love Letter

This painting explores the changing relationship between a daughter and a mother as they both age with time and experience. There are times I see my mother boldly and quietly crossing the boundaries of her definition of what it is to be a woman, accepting of and supporting my views and perspectives. There is fear in her eyes that I might bruise badly, but then she is convinced that I need to try. There are times when I notice my biases with which I measure her work and love, trying to put her on a pedestal, thus making her movement impossible. I try to correct myself as much as I am conscious of, and in doing so, I become more like her – kind, capable of love and strength. 

Sakshi Gupta is a self-taught artist who has been using oil paints to narrate her version of the stories around. Her paintings depict experiences that are helping her grow both as a  woman and an individual. She works as a Software Engineer in Bangalore, India.