Subodh Gupta at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

The star of Subodh Gupta’s exhibition at Hauser & Wirth is this fountain, titled, ‘This is not a fountain,’ apparently in deference to Magritte’s pipe and Duchamp’s notorious 1917 urinal. Like those works, it begs the question of what’s original and what’s a copy. A constant flow of recycled water cascades over an accumulation of pots and pans used in daily life in India simultaneously suggesting individual lives and the sameness of a common culture. (In Chelsea through April 18th).

Subodh Gupta, ‘This is not a fountain,’ old aluminum utensils, water, painted brass taps, PVC pipes, motor, 2011-13.

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Merrily Kerr

Merrily Kerr is an art critic and writer based in New York. For more than 20 years, Merrily has published in international art magazines including Time Out New York, Art on Paper, Flash Art, Art Asia Pacific, Art Review, and Tema Celeste in addition to writing catalogue essays and guest lecturing. Merrily teaches art appreciation at Marymount Manhattan College and has taught for Cooper Union Continuing Education. For more than a decade Merrily has crafted personalized tours of cultural discovery in New York's galleries and museums for individuals and groups, including corporate tours, collectors, artists, advertising agencies, and student groups from Texas Woman's University, Parsons School of Design, Chicago's Moody Institute, Cooper Union Continuing Education, Hunter College Continuing Education and other institutions. Merrily's tours have been featured in The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Sydney Morning Herald and Philadelphia Magazine. Merrily is licensed by New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs as a tour guide and is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA USA)