Radhika Gupta-Buckley is a New York-based artist of Indian origin, and her artwork has seen her travel all over the globe, including some exciting new events.
Her journey in her career comes with a wealth of experience, insight, and knowledge of the human condition across multiple cultures and sub-cultures to be brought to her work.
Reflecting on her life experiences that have influenced her work, Gupta comments, “Coming from a family of art collectors, my keen interest in art started at an early age. I have always been very creative and aesthetically inclined. I started painting when I was about six years old, perhaps earlier, and continued with it. Constantly traveling and being exposed to different cultures allowed me to experience new ideas and influences, and my art became a secret language I would use to communicate with myself.”
Coming up for Radhika, her artwork “Brush Your Teeth” is being auctioned at The Glass House 2023 Summer Party in Connecticut on June 10. Following this, Radhika will be in Berlin for a group show at Schloss Gorne, Berlin (Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery) from July 8-9. However, her trip worldwide continues; on September 23, for four weeks, Radhika will have a solo show at Band of Vices in LA.
She derives inspiration from various people, such as her grandfather, who “was an exceptional lawyer, righteous, and always in service of people.”
Though she has been painting since she was old, her early career path started with a Law Degree from Oxford, leading to her practicing law at the Indian Supreme Court and the UN in The Hague. Frustrated by the bureaucratic barriers to facilitating change and highlighting the plight of those suffering injustice, Radhika reverted to art to inform, educate, and enlighten on cultural issues, from equality, gender bias, sexuality, race, and prejudice across nations and cultures, she aims to use her art to be a voice for the silenced and oppressed.
Her efforts in bringing visibility to the underrepresented have seen success and encouraged her to move forward: “I held my first exhibition in 2017, inaugurated by the Cultural Minister of India. I displayed almost 30 pieces – my life’s work! The response was hugely positive, and I’ve never looked back.”
Her exhibition in Delhi gave Gupta the confidence needed to pursue her art career, with other career highlights being her first solo show in Los Angeles in October 2021 and participation at Art Basel in Miami in 2022.
Gupta’s creative process begins with inspiration from her native country of India. But on a more personal level, Gupta says her creative process involves “resolving the various contradicting parts of my personality or sometimes egging them on really inspires me. There’s always been an internal tug of war, the more reserved creative against the version pushing my boundaries to claim the things I like aloud without the fear of judgment.”
Her new artwork evolves as she continues to grow as an artist: “As I learn to be more fearless, I adopt a more vulnerable and overt way of interacting with the world, which shows in my work. Earnestness is a privilege and something to work towards, and I’m constantly striving to achieve that in my art.”
Regarding how she navigates life, Gupta lives by the motto: “Always remain defiant and challenge the status quo.” She continues, “I am a risk-taker and have always been.”
Her artwork, including her newest Technicolor Dream collection, can be accessed from her website here.
