The artwork, now publicly installed at one of Riyadh’s key urban districts, is part of the program’s ongoing initiative to integrate contemporary art into everyday public spaces. Led by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Riyadh Art is positioned as one of the world’s largest public art programs and forms one of Riyadh’s four original mega projects under Vision 2030.
Constructed entirely from stainless steel and everyday household utensils, Family Tree takes the form of a peepal or bodhi tree, a species widely associated with cultural and spiritual meaning across South Asia. By transforming an organic form into a metallic structure composed of domestic objects, Subodh Gupta recontextualises the tree within a modern, secular framework.
The sculpture incorporates items commonly associated with domestic life, including tiffin boxes, thali pans, and milk pails. These objects are assembled into a branching form that reflects themes of sustenance, migration, labour, and economic transformation. Positioned within the urban landscape of KAFD, the installation functions both as a public landmark and a space for reflection and social gathering.
Commenting on the installation, Architect Badr Shenafi, Senior Director of Riyadh Art, stated: “Family Tree reflects the power of art to connect people through familiar materials and shared experiences. By bringing a work of this scale and significance to the capital, Riyadh Art continues to strengthen the presence of contemporary art within the city’s public spaces and everyday urban experience.”
Subodh Gupta, born in 1964, is an Indian contemporary artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation, painting, photography, video, and performance. Born in Bihar, he spent his early years travelling with a theatre group before studying painting at the College of Art in Patna, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After moving to New Delhi, he expanded his practice into large-scale sculptural and installation works.
Gupta is internationally recognised for his use of stainless steel kitchen utensils and everyday domestic objects from Indian life. His works explore cultural identity, migration, globalisation, and economic change, examining the relationship between tradition and modernity, as well as scarcity and abundance. He has exhibited widely across international museums, biennales, and public art platforms, with works held in prominent public and private collections worldwide.
Family Tree is part of the Riyadh Art Permanent Collection, a citywide initiative featuring commissioned and acquired works by Saudi and international artists installed across public spaces and movement corridors in Riyadh. Since its launch in 2019, Riyadh Art has installed 75 artworks across the city, with further installations planned through 2026 and beyond.
Across its annual festivals, Noor Riyadh and Tuwaiq Sculpture, the initiative has presented more than 580 artworks in multiple locations across the capital, attracting over 17.3 million visitors and spectators to date. Through such installations, Riyadh Art continues to expand its cultural landscape and strengthen the role of public art in shaping urban identity and civic engagement.
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