Sunil Gupta: Songs of Deliverance, Part I and Part II

25 Mar-24 Jun 2022

Overview

We are delighted to announce a major new commission by Sunil Gupta with Imperial Health Charity, displayed across two London hospitals, with a concurrent presentation on view at Studio Voltaire.

Gupta spent a year working in residence at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington and Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith. Recruited via an open invitation, LGBTQIA+ people from the adult HIV Clinic and Gender Affirmation Surgery service were invited to collaborate and spend time with Gupta.

The resulting series of large–scale photographic works presents moving portrayals of his collaborators’ lives, their experiences of receiving care and the relationships and transformations that occur in the process. Each work incorporates a colourful accompanying text panel, referencing the work of artist Ken Lum. Some fictional, some personal—they explore family, community, stigma and the lived realities of individuals who access these vital services. With tenderness and insight, Songs of Deliverance will explore how public health systems shape private modes of belonging.

This project is a collaboration between Studio Voltaire and Imperial Health Charity and has received additional funding from Arts Council England. Songs of Deliverance forms part of Desperate Living, an ongoing programme supported by Paul Hamlyn Foundation that brings artists, public organisations and informal groups together to test out new and experimental forms of collaborative programming, knowledge sharing and production, explored through the lens of LGBTQIA+ healthcare.

Artists