Kwantaeck Park

3 questions for Shilpa Gupta

1. When you were doing "threat" piece, I assume you were aware of Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Janine Antoni's work.  How do you decide to what extent you use previous art historical reference in your work?

2. What's the difference between your way of documenting installation and 

Shilpa Gupta

I TRIED VERY HARD TO CUT THE SKY IN HALF, ONE FOR MY LOVER AND ONE FOR ME. BUT THE SKY KEPT MOVING AND CLOUDS FROM HIS TERRITORY CAME INTO MINE. I TRIED PUSHING IT AWAY, WITH MY BOTH HANDS, HARDER AND HARDER BUT THE SKY KEPT MOVING AND CLOUDS FROM MY TERRITORY WENT INTO HIS. I BROUGHT A SOFA AND PLACED IN THE MIDDLE, BUT THE CLOUDS KEPT FLOATING OVER IT. I BUILT A WALL IN THE MIDDLE, BUT THE SKY STARTED TO FLOW THROUGH IT. I DUG A TRENCH, AND THEN IT RAINED AND THE SKY MADE CLOUDS OVER THE TRENCH…

Untitled (There is No Border Here) 
Wall Drawing with Self Adhesive Tapes, 2005-06
118x118 in | 300x300 cm

Memory

Architectural Installation, 2007
MAC-VAL Paris

Threat
Bathing Soaps, 2008-09
5.9x2.5x1.6 in | 15x6.2x4 cm each soap
28.5x90x42 in | 72x229x107 cm stack of 4500 soaps
Visitors were invited to take a soap each