Revolutionary art by Shilpa Gupta conquers Lübeck's art scene!

Revolutionary art by Shilpa Gupta conquers Lübeck's art scene!

Today is December 5th, 2025 and the Kunsthalle St. Annen in Lübeck presents the impressive installation “Still They Know Not What I Dream” by Shilpa Gupta. The artist, who was born in Mumbai in 1976 and now lives there, has achieved international recognition with her installations. Even as an art student, she was fascinated by installation and conceptual art and was inspired by the works of the conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth. Gupta is known for her ability to question the boundaries between art and society and her works often address social trauma and political tensions, particularly in the context between India and Pakistan.

The exhibition in Lübeck, which represents Gupta's first major solo exhibition in Germany, was awarded the Possehl Prize for International Art 2025. Various installations can be seen on the four floors of the art gallery, which, among other things, address censorship and restrictions on civil liberties. A central work in the exhibition is a ball of hand-woven yarn that, at 1,188.5 miles long, corresponds to the length of the border fortifications between India and Pakistan. This symbolic work illustrates the conflicts and divisions that characterize the societies of almost all countries.

Insights into the installations

Gupta creates an atmosphere of intimacy and theatricality with her display board, which displays ever-changing lines of type. Her works invite self-questioning and develop a poetic and dramatic power. The drawings, which were inked with pigments from marijuana plants from Bangladesh, are particularly impressive and thus incorporate cultural contexts in a complex way. The sculpture, which shows everyday objects such as scissors and pliers, symbolizes the contradictions between state regulations and the reality of everyday life.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a sound installation that functions as an instrument of resistance. In parallel, the light installation element that shows the sentence “I live under your sky too” in English, Urdu and Hindi is particularly highlighted. Originally presented on Bandra Beach in Mumbai, this message has found new meaning in Lübeck.

Artistic engagement and awards

Gupta has participated in numerous international biennales, including the 58th Venice Biennale 2019 and the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2018. Her works are represented in renowned institutions such as Tate Modern, the Museum of Modern Art and the Center Pompidou. Additionally, her anthology “For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit,” which she co-authored with Salil Tripathi, was published in 2022, and her self-publishing work for young people, “Artivities,” saw the light of day in 2021.

Shilpa Gupta's art is not only a reflection of individual and collective trauma, it also creates a dialogue about power and identity in an ever-changing world. Your current exhibition in Lübeck shows the enormous potential that art has as a medium and as a mirror of society. Those interested should not miss the opportunity to experience this impressive display, which not only delights but also makes you think.

For more information about Shilpa Gupta and her work, you can check out the coverage on the taz as well as that Goethe Institute visit.