Sunil Gupta, an Indian-born Canadian photographer based in London, has dedicated his career to addressing injustices faced by gay men globally, including themes of sexual identity, migration, race, and family. He is renowned for numerous books and his work is part of prestigious collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Tate. In recognition of his contributions, Gupta received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in 2020.
In an interview with Asian Voice, Sunil discusses addressing LGBTQ+ issues through photography, rights and acceptance in the South Asian community and more.
What inspired you to pursue photography as a career, and can you tell us about your early influence in the field?
I grew up in Delhi in the 50s and 60s, surrounded by vibrant Bollywood films. Photography started as a casual hobby with a family camera and attempts at setting up a darkroom in Delhi's challenging weather. Moving to Canada made photography more accessible, capturing moments of my new life. Despite cultural expectations for fields like engineering, I pursued business school and an MBA in finance in New York. There, my deepening interest in photography, sparked by museums and galleries, led me to pursue it more seriously, despite knowing it wouldn't bring financial rewards.
My parents initially opposed my choice to pursue photography over a traditional office career. However, they eventually supported me as I earned an MA from the Royal College of Art in the UK. Settling in London, I freelanced in editorial photography for magazines while delving into personal projects that intrigued me, even if they lacked commercial appeal. My focus shifted towards exploring the intersection of being gay and Indian, a topic largely absent from 1980s discussions and overlooked in art history. My aim was to create art photography that would document and represent the gay Indian experience, filling a void for future generations. However, capturing this narrative proved challenging as gay South Asians in London and India were hesitant to participate in photography. Adapting my approach, I focused on dramatic, directed photography, collaborating with willing individuals at significant community sites to convey these important stories visually.
How has your photography evolved to reflect and address significant LGBTQ+ issues throughout your career?
Arriving in Canada in 1969, just after the Stonewall riots, proved pivotal for my involvement in the burgeoning gay liberation movement. By 1970, as a college student, I found myself amidst a growing discussion on gay rights that permeated academic circles and campus life. Student groups formed, providing platforms for discussions and activism. I actively participated, writing essays on gay liberation for term papers and contributing to the student newspaper by photographing events like marches and nightclub scenes. Seeing my photos in print gave me a newfound audience and propelled my early career. The intersection of personal interest and societal impact fueled my passion for documenting LGBTQ issues from the outset.
Moving to India in the mid-2000s, I engaged with activists working to change India's laws, particularly around LGBTQ rights. I documented this movement, capturing portraits of activists who were part of a younger generation advocating for change. Unlike previous decades, these activists were vocal and visible, staging demonstrations and demanding immediate progress. My series "Mr Malhotra's Party" depicted them in public spaces across Delhi, symbolising their openness and determination for societal transformation.
As someone who is HIV positive, I feel it's important to continue discussing AIDS, which hasn't disappeared. Using my artistic platform, I've periodically created work addressing this issue. One significant project, "Songs of Deliverance," was commissioned jointly by a London-based art organisation and a hospital trust, including St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, renowned for its pioneering HIV clinical department in the UK. The project involved ethically approved procedures to engage with individuals who have been visiting the hospital for decades. Through Zoom conversations, I listened to their stories and used photography to portray aspects of their lives. Some participants chose to be depicted directly, while others preferred representation through actors. The resulting series documents their long-term experiences living with HIV and highlights ongoing stigma, a reality that persists not only in the UK but also in India.
How do you see the landscape of LGBTQ+ representation in the arts evolving in the coming years?
The representation of LGBTQ+ characters in media, especially with the advent of streaming platforms, has significantly improved. There's now a wealth of characters who are more nuanced, complex, and relatable. The feeling of invisibility that once pervaded is largely gone. This evolution is positive and diverse, encompassing men, women, and transgender individuals, which is crucial for visibility and acceptance. Visual arts also play a role, albeit more gradually, through exhibitions and discussions. Moreover, social media has democratised access to LGBTQ+ content, reducing the influence of governments in controlling what people can see and access.
What is your perspective on the current status of LGBTQ rights and acceptance within the South Asian community?
It seems that visibility has increased, but acceptance within South Asian families lags behind. Speaking from personal experience, my own family struggled with discussing it when I came out. We lacked the vocabulary and ended up not addressing the topic, agreeing it was too complex and uncomfortable. From what I gather, younger generations in more metropolitan areas might have more openness, but widespread social acceptance seems distant. In London, for instance, though it was legalised in '67, broader societal acceptance only began around 2013, showing significant lag behind legal changes.
