A line in the sand: an artistic response in support of humanitarian efforts in Gaza

About the artwork

“My series Wildflowers is inspired by the act of rewilding in nature and in our lives, an ode to regenerative practices and going back to the soil. Moving away from the commercialisation of beauty the subjects in these artworks grow free and wild in my neighbourhood. Goa, where I live, has been affected dually by the ongoing climate crisis and severe deforestation due to aggressive government policy. This series celebrates the natural ecology of Goa by shining light on these native flowers photographed over a span of months, one artwork at a time, to be respectful of their growth cycles and short lives. Holding our attention to observe and notice the beauty of these naturally growing flowers on the sidewalks is an act of meaningful nothingness in a world which constantly asks us to ‘do’ and deprives us of time for beauty and poetry. To me it is an act of resistance in this attention economy. Wildflowers bloom against all odds in unexpected places, thriving in a community, sharing themselves and adding wonder to mundane spaces. I feel we have much to learn from them.”

About the artist

Rhea Gupte is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Goa, India whose body of work spans across digital art, photography, graphic design, videography and writing. Thought provoking, her work has been exhibited across the world and is often featured in major publications including Atmos, Re:Generate by Kiss the Ground, ELLE India, Vogue India and VICE amongst others. A storyteller at heart, her work explores the vulnerabilities and strengths of human emotions through the mundane, transient and often inanimate. At the heart of Rhea’s practice is an evocative play of colour and a visceral combination of objects, spaces and words. Through her art Rhea consciously creates a space for introspective reflection, her work acting as a catalyst for conversations around environmental justice, social change, intersectional feminism and self-growth. Intrigued by colour, mixing and combining it in unexpected ways and inspired by fluid forms appearing in nature, she sees beauty in the everyday. She believes in creating from waste and natural resources, in ways which cause minimum negative impact to our planet. Her work is rooted in love for the earth, self-care, growth, community, and the importance of pause and reframing as a form of resistance in the attention economy.