Golden Wings
Copper with gold plating
42 x 16 x 2.5 inch 15 kg (each)
Golden Wings carries the allure of ascent without surrendering to excess. Cast in copper and finished with gold, the paired forms curve inward, neither fully open nor closed, holding flight in suspension rather than release. The meticulous articulation of each feather slows the eye, turning what might be read as speed or ambition into a measured, reflective surface. Gold here does not signify triumph; it registers responsibility - a material that reflects light even as it bears the trace of labour, restraint, and density.
Rooted in Gupta’s lifelong fascination with flight - shaped by early loss and an enduring awareness of fragility - the work resists the myth of unchecked ascent. The wings recall Icarus not as a cautionary tale of failure, but as a meditation on balance. To reach beyond the sun is not denied; it is tempered. In this floating world, the work suggests, movement must remain accountable to ground, and aspiration must remain in dialogue with care. Golden Wings thus holds flight as an ethical condition - poised between desire and discernment, elevation and return.
