“Bursting with Clouds,” 2024. Handmade pigments on linen, 41 1/2 x 61 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
At first sight, the paintings of Indian-American artist Rupy C. Tut seem to depict tranquil scenes in lush landscapes. But looking deeper, there’s uneasiness and defiance beneath the colorful compositions. Particularly, feelings of fear of losing these idyllic spaces, and a will to fight for them. This represents the experience of Tut, who knows this anxiety all too well. As an environmentalist, an immigrant, and a woman, her work exists at an intersection of identities that experience risk at a more heightened level—and yet find and spotlight the beauty in their surroundings.
Tut’s paintings present dreamlike compositions where female protagonists are front and center. Toying with concepts of portraiture and abstraction, the artist also draws from traditional Indian painting to tell deeply personal stories. Even the material is meaningful, as Tut produces her own pigments and has traded regular canvases for linen and hemp paper.
“My paintings center primarily around a female figure as a symbolic reclamation of power in a shifting world,” the artist says in a statement. “Rooted in personal history as a daughter of refugees and immigrants, my work’s central character contends with her place in the world as an outsider, a woman, and a mother.”
Her work not only makes room for overlooked identities but does something not many do—show compassion, calling for those in danger to be kind to themselves as they face an increasingly hostile environment. This sentiment is perfectly captured by her painting A River of Dreams. In it, Tut describes women’s desires as guarded by “someone who watches over our unnourished dreams, someone who checks in to ask about that dream we’ve always had, someone who sees more in us than a mirror would.”
But for all the personal elements that make up Tut’s œuvre, it still holds a universal message, almost like a warning not to repeat past mistakes. “I dissect historical moments of displacement and struggle while evaluating their impact on contemporary identity, gender roles, and narratives,” says Tut. “When history and tradition are dismissed as not relevant, I return to both to discover elements that are recognizable and relatable to our lives today.”
If you’re in the San Francisco area, you can see Tut’s work at the 2024 SECA Art Award group exhibition at SFMOMA through May 26, 2025. To stay up to date with the artist’s work, make sure to follow Rupy C. Tut on Instagram.
Rupy C. Tut’s paintings are known for being colorful and dreamlike, but holding a deeper message of uneasiness and defiance.
“A Place Dear to Me,” 2024, handmade pigments on linen, 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
As an environmentalist, an immigrant, and a woman, her work exists at an intersection of identities that experience risk at a more heightened level.
“A River of Dreams,” 2024, handmade pigments on linen, 62 x 42 1/4 x 2 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
Toying with concepts of portraiture and abstraction, the artist also draws from traditional Indian painting to tell deeply personal stories.
“Archipelago,” 2024, handmade pigments on linen; diptych, 61 1/2 x 83 x 2 1/4 inches overall, framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
Even the material is meaningful, as Tut produces her own pigments and has traded regular canvases for linen and hemp paper.
“Bowing to the Cosmos,” 2024, handmade pigments on linen, 61 3/8 x 41 5/8 x 2 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
“My paintings center primarily around a female figure as a symbolic reclamation of power in a shifting world,” the artist says in a statement.
“A Natural Thought,” 2025, handmade pigments on linen, 81 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
“Rooted in personal history as a daughter of refugees and immigrants, my work’s central character contends with her place in the world as an outsider, a woman, and a mother.”
“Riding my Thunder,” 2024, handmade pigments on linen, 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
For all the personal elements that make up Tut’s œuvre, it still holds a universal message, almost like a warning not to repeat past mistakes.
“Escaping the Heat,” 2024, handmade pigments on hemp paper, 13 3/4 x 18 3/8 x 1 1/2 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
“I dissect historical moments of displacement and struggle while evaluating their impact on contemporary identity, gender roles, and narratives,” says Tut.
“The First Rain,” 2024, handmade pigments on linen, 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)
“When history and tradition are dismissed as not relevant, I return to both to discover elements that are recognizable and relatable to our lives today.”
“Where Dreams Flow,” 2024, handmade pigments on linen, 42 1/8 x 82 x 2 inches framed. (Photo: Phillip Maisel. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco)