#MeToo: Artist Subodh Gupta accused of sexual misconduct on Instagram post

While the post on Instagram by ‘Scene and Herd’, a handle that has been aggressively exposing inappropriate behaviour in the Indian art world, was anonymous, Rosalyn D’mello, who has been actively writing on art for the past decade, said she backed the allegations and expressed fear that the art world would be “dismissive” of the charges. 

D’mello added that she was backing the post — the latest in India’s #MeToo movement against sexual harassment — as a “witness”, fully aware that it “will come at a huge personal cost and may directly impact my livelihood as an art writer”. 

Several calls and messages to Gupta, one of the curators of this year’s Serendipity Arts Festival and among India’s most successful contemporary artists, asking for his response went unanswered. 

Organisers of the annual Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa said they would not release any statement on the incident for now. 

According to the Instagram post, the 54-year-old made unwelcome advances on multiple occasions — “grabbed the hand, touched the stomach, breasts, shoulders, pulled at bra straps, rubbed the thighs” — towards several of his assistants and co-workers. The post is by a former co-worker of the artist who, besides sharing her own ordeal with Gupta, listed a series of similar encounters by other women “after taking their permission”. 

Despite several people warning women against him and asking them to be “careful” around the artist, she said she was “surprised” no one came forward to call out Gupta as a “serial sexual harasser”. 

“I have personally received multiple inappropriate advances and unwanted touching from him, even after clearly saying no. I know I am not alone,” she wrote. She went on to share the alleged horror stories of other women who spoke about similar experiences. In one instance, she said, Gupta allegedly pointed to a new hire and loudly asked a senior gallerist — “Do you think I should f*** her tonight?”