Agni
Copper and enamel
22 x 12 x 10 inch 16.5 kg
Agni is conceived as an inner chamber. The sculptural form rises like a sanctum, its surface animated by enamelled tongues of fire that move across copper. Fire here is presence - concentrated and attentive. The seated figure within is held at the core, sheltered suggesting wisdom as something cultivated inwardly rather than proclaimed outward.
The choice of copper carries both conductivity and warmth, allowing the material to echo the elemental force it contains. Enamel introduces intensity and rhythm, fixing the energy of fire into a language of repetition and flow. The scale invites proximity, asking the viewer to encounter Agni beyond a monument, and as a locus of reflection - a place where heat becomes awareness and combustion becomes clarity.
Gupta’s invocation, “May the fire of wisdom burn within us with full energy,” is more than a metaphor and moral instruction. It is a quiet orientation. Agni holds fire as discernment rather than excess, suggesting that true intensity lies in balance - where illumination sustains rather than consumes, and where inner clarity becomes the most enduring form of power.
