The starting point for Shilpa Gupta’s solo exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof is the monumental work TRUTH, situated at the intersection of language, power, and control. As visitors move through the oversized letters in the exhibition space, the artwork questions the mechanisms that preserve or obscure the truth. The sculptural installation demonstrates how collective progress depends on protecting and questioning truth. Supplemented by other works by the artist, Gupta’s exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof is presented in dialogue with the collection’s presentation of Joseph Beuys. This parallel viewing highlights similarities in the handling of language, participation, and social reflection. As part of the anniversary program, the exhibition underscores artistic exchange as a central theme of Hamburger Bahnhof since the museum’s founding.
Image above: Shilpa Gupta, Untitled, 2017–2018, Polymer resin, wood, 134,5 × 84 × 92 cm. © Courtesy Shilpa Gupta, Photo: Pat Verbruggen
Shilpa Gupta (born 1976, Mumbai, IN) lives and works in Mumbai. Gupta’s multidisciplinary practice, encompassing installation, video, sculpture, and performance, explores the social stratification of society, shared histories, and their sociopolitical consequences. Her installations often examine ways in which information and emotions are conveyed through the written, spoken, or sung word, and how these are shared or systematically suppressed. Selected solo exhibitions include: Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai (2025); Centro Botín, Santander (2024); Amant, New York (2023); MAXXI L’Aquila (2023); M HKA, Antwerp (2021); Dallas Contemporary, Dallas (2021); Barbican Centre, London (2021); and Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (2010). Gupta received the Possehl Prize for International Art in 2025.
Following Naama Tsabar, Andrea Pichl and Delcy Morelos, this is the fourth exhibition of a female artist in dialogue with the Joseph Beuys collection presentation in the Kleihues Hall at Hamburger Bahnhof.
The exhibition is part of the 30th anniversary program of the Hamburger Bahnhof. In 2026, the Hamburger Bahnhof celebrates its 30th anniversary with a program that spans from the history of the site to the future: eight special exhibitions, a new presentation of the collection, as well as performances and concerts will extend the museum far into the urban space. The highlight is the anniversary weekend from November 13–15, during which an international conference on the future of contemporary collection museums will take place and the museum will be open continuously for 30 hours.
WHEN?
Opening: Thursday, 26. March 2026, 7 pm
Exhibition dates: 27. March 2026 – 03. January 2027
WHERE?
Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
Invalidenstraße 50
10557 Berlin
