In Hungry God, viewers encounter a large, cascading pile of pots, pans, buckets and kitchen utensils, putting us in awe of this large, shiny structure. The use of stainless-steel objects as a medium in Subodh Gupta's practice has cultural and historical significance. As amongst the top producers of steel in the world, mass-produced steel utensils used everywhere throughout India, replacing other materials that are used to make them and that had perhaps, signified different social, financial status. From such ordinary items the artist produces sculptures that reflect on the economic transformation of his homeland. Striking a dialogue between the found and the built, Gupta manipulates utilitarian objects from daily life to capture multitudes of definitions and conditions of contemporary India. Gupta also saw the beauty and potential of mundane elements of life which, when transformed as objects of art, are mystified, glorified and given a ritualistic reverence. The quotidian containers in Hungry God are imbued with a symbolic meaning – they conjure a reference to the vessels carrying the nectar of the gods in Hindu mythology, thus occupying a space in cultural, mystical and religious practices in rural and urban middle class Indians up to the present. Like a mountain of offerings to a “hungry god”, the work is a compelling reflection of shifting symbolisms brought about by industry.