Desire Without Apology

Why does an artist choose to create for the unspoken?

For Sheli Gupta, art is a deep personal need to bridge the gap between her private inner world and the public reality of the society around her. It is her way of dealing with those feelings caught between who she is on the inside and a world that constantly tries to label a woman’s body. This exhibition comes from her thoughts on the high price women pay to fit in. Often, a woman’s true self is hidden away before she even gets a chance to speak for herself.

The most powerful art usually doesn't come from big, famous stories. Instead, it comes from an artist’s ability to turn the small, everyday struggles of life into something meaningful.

Curated by Shalu Yadav and Yu Li, this exhibition invites you on a gentle journey into a world made of "Thread."

Here, Sheli shows us that a person’s value doesn't come from being an "object" for others to look at. Instead, proper depth is found when a woman becomes her own person, a breathing "subject" with her own voice.

About the Artist

Sheli Gupta is a visual artist from Delhi (India), whose work explores the balance between personal truth and societal expectations. In her early career, she focused on "female subjectivity," examining women's hidden desires, unspoken emotions, and private inner worlds. Over time, her practice has evolved. Instead of just painting the human figure, she now uses experimental materials to express intangible things like memory, vulnerability, and emotion.

Sheli’s work is highly tactile, inviting the viewer to imagine the surface's feel. She builds these surfaces by layering different types of paper and mixed materials to create intricate textures. One of the most important elements in her work is the use of thread. For Sheli, thread is a powerful metaphor for womanhood: it is strong yet delicate, resilient yet vulnerable. By weaving and stitching these threads into her art, she reflects the complexity of the female experience with both intimacy and boldness.

Sheli’s art invites the audience to reflect and empathise. She challenges cultural norms that often treat women as objects and instead creates a space where their strengths and desires are acknowledged. Through her expressive use of mixed media, she builds bridges of understanding based on the shared truths of the human spirit.

Sheli Gupta

Project Significance

Why do we need an exhibition like this?

It brings our attention to a crucial question: Who gets to decide what is allowed for a woman’s body or her desires? 

Throughout history, women’s bodies have been defined by rules they didn't create. The hidden history of the Tawaif reveals a cold logic: a society that can enjoy a woman's art while denying her value as a human being. This exhibition highlights the high cost of that logic, the fact that women are often accepted only when they suppress their true selves. Sheli’s work is an attempt to make us finally acknowledge that women have desires and that these feelings are natural.She creates a space where it is okay to be complicated, fragile, and strong all at once. Here, desire is not a problem to be fixed or a secret to be hidden; it is a pure creation and a natural part of being alive. The body is no longer a silent object for others to judge. Instead, it becomes the subject of its own story, reclaimed with its own history and its own voice.