Subodh Gupta Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations from Anonymous Instagram Account

An Instagram account named 'Scene and Herd,' which remains anonymous, has accused Indian artist Subodh Gupta of repeated sexual harassment. The allegations include inappropriate sexual advances, unsolicited physical interactions, offers of massages to staff, and lewd remarks. Gupta, who is set to guest curate the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa starting December 15, 2018, has rejected these claims in a statement to First Post, asserting they are completely false and fabricated. He insists he has never acted inappropriately towards anyone he has worked with, with former assistants ready to support his claims. Established in October 2018, the account aims to highlight grievances against men in the South Asian art scene and is not linked to the similarly named Artforum blog. The anonymous writer, who claims to have worked for Gupta, detailed her own experiences of unwanted touching and shared accounts from other women. Art critic Rosalyn D'mello, associated with Gupta's gallery Nature Morte, corroborated the allegations, stating she has been aware of many incidents since September 2018. D'mello recognized the personal risks involved in speaking out but affirmed the truth of the accusations. The report was updated on December 14, 2018, to reflect Gupta's response.