Photographer Sunil Gupta joins Andy Hardman in conversation for World AIDS Day.

A very special in conversation with artist Sunil Gupta as we launch his new book I call you my love (https://trolleybooks.com/products/i-call-you-my-love-by-sunil-gupta?utm_source=chatgpt.com) published by Trolley Books (https://trolleybooks.com/pages/about-us).

⏰ 6:00pm – 8:30pm

📍the Whitworth

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I call you my love contains an extended, years-long correspondence exchanged between lovers Sunil Gupta and Steve Dodd from the mid-’80s to the early ‘90s. During this time, Steve was completing his PhD in America while Sunil worked in London, and their frequent and detailed letters are a testament to the strength of their transatlantic romantic connection. In addition to the letters, this publication includes photographs of the couple, taken by Sunil, alongside ephemera from their written exchanges - envelopes, poetry, sketches, and newspaper clippings.

Across the pond, Steve repeatedly expresses fears about rising conservatism, writing of his alarm at a potential Bush presidency. Compounding this is the ongoing international AIDS crisis, which the partners refer to frequently - mentioning people in their circle who have contracted the HIV virus as well as concerns around the rising death toll. Against this political backdrop, Sunil and Steve conduct their relationship with each other and establish themselves as being part of a wider queer network.

Biography

Sunil Gupta MBE (b. 1953 New Delhi, India) moved to Canada as a teenager in the late 1960s, studying a Bachelor of Commerce at Concordia University, Montreal before moving to New York and enrolling in a photography course at the New School, NY, USA (1976). He went on to receive: a Diploma from West Surrey College of Art & Design, Farnham, Surrey, UK (1981); an MA from Royal College of Art, London, UK (1983); and a PhD from the University of Westminster, London, UK (2019) with a thesis titled "Queer Migrations."

Gupta lives and works in London. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Gupta has maintained a visionary approach to photography, producing bodies of work that are pioneering in their social and political commentary. The artist's diasporic experience of multiple cultures informs a practice dedicated to themes of race, migration and queer identity - his own lived experience a point of departure for photographic projects, born from a desire to see himself and others like him represented in art history.

Dr Andy Hardman is the Head of Department for art history and cultural practices at the University of Manchester where he teaches museum and art curatorial studies. He is a researcher-filmmaker and has produced films for major exhibitions, nationally and internationally, and contributed to recent Whitworth exhibitions including Still Parents, Recoverist Curators, and the Labour of Care.

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The Whitworth is an accessible venue with facilities to support you during your visit, and alongside this our visitor team will be on hand to assist you in the gallery. Find out more about planning your visit (https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/visit/planyourvisit/) to the Whitworth and accessibility information (https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/visit/planyourvisit/access/) for you. If you’d like to speak to a team member about any access or additional needs, please get in touch with the gallery and we will be happy to assist you. Contact: whitworth@manchester.ac.uk or telephone: 0161 275 7450.

The Whitworth

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(Image Credit: Sunil Gupta’s Untitled #1 (1988), from the series “Pretended” Family Relationships)

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