Rupy C. Tut
Rupy C. Tut
Rupy C. Tut migrated from India to the U.S. at age 12, following in the footsteps of her Sikh ancestors, who were repeatedly uprooted and transplanted. As an environmentalist and Indian-American woman, she never takes place for granted. Tut’s paintings depict lush natural territories, often graced by feminine figures. The works variously suggest idyllic paradises, the confinements of gender, and fears of climate disaster. Tut uses her mastery of traditional Indian painting to tell stories the all-male practice never told. As she explains, “I question traditional roles and labels while preserving traditional practices.”
Tut (b. 1985, Chandigarh, India) studied calligraphy and traditional Indian painting at the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, London in 2016. She previously received a BS from UCLA and MPH from Loma Linda University, CA. Her work has been exhibited in recent group exhibitions at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Fowler Art Museum, Los Angeles; Kala Art Institute, Berkeley and Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis. She has enjoyed solo exhibitions, including at ICA San Francisco; Jessica Silverman, San Francisco; Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA; and Peel Art Gallery and Museum Archives, Ontario. Tut’s work is in the permanent collection of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; the de Young, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; and Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN. Tut will be included in upcoming group exhibitions at the de Young and Phoenix Art Museum, AZ. She is a 2024 recipient of the SFMOMA SECA Art Award and will enjoy a solo exhibition at SFMOMA in December 2024. She will have her second solo exhibition with Jessica Silverman in 2025. She lives and works in Oakland, CA.
Rupy C. Tut
Room for One, 2024
Handmade pigments on linen
61 1/2 x 81 3/4 x 2 inches / 156.2 x 207.6 x 5.1 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Room for One, 2024
Detail
Rupy C. Tut
Bowing to the Cosmos, 2024
Handmade pigments on linen
61 3/8 x 41 5/8 x 2 inches / 155.9 x 105.7 x 5.1 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Bowing to the Cosmos, 2024
Detail
Rupy C. Tut
I am no different, 2024
Handmade pigments on linen
Frame: 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches / 156.2 x 105.4 x 5.7 cm
Rupy C. Tut
I am no different, 2024
Detail view
Rupy C. Tut
Archipelago, 2024
Scale view
Rupy C. Tut
Archipelago, 2024
Detail
Rupy C. Tut
Bursting with Clouds, 2024
Handmade pigments on linen
Frame: 41 1/2 x 61 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches / 105.4 x 156.2 x 5.7 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Bursting with Clouds, 2024
Detail
Rupy C. Tut
Mountain Women, 2023
Detail
Rupy C. Tut
Mountain Women, 2023
Handmade pigments on linen
Frame: 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches / 156.2 x 105.4 x 5.7 cm
ADDITIONAL WORKS
Rupy C. Tut
Carrying my Self, 2023
Handmade pigments on linen
Frame: 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches / 156.2 x 105.4 x 5.7 cm
Rupy C. Tut
A Place Dear to Me, 2024
Handmade pigments on linen
Frame: 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches / 156.2 x 105.4 x 5.7 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Breath In , 2023
Polyester, wool, acrylic and cotton mercuries
Frame: 63 5/8 x 47 5/8 inches / 161.5 x 121 cm
Weaving: 61 5/8 x 45 5/8 inches / 156.5 x 116 cm
Edition of 3 plus 2 artist’s proofs
Rupy C. Tut
Breath Out , 2023
Polyester, wool, acrylic and cotton mercuries
Frame: 48 x 63 3/4 inches / 122 x 162 cm
Weaving: 46 x 61 3/4 inches / 117 x 157 cm
Edition of 3 plus 2 artist’s proofs
Rupy C. Tut
Placing Self, 2023
Handmade pigments and shell gold on hemp paper
Frame: 44 x 57 inches / 111.8 x 144.8 cm
Paper size: 36 x 49 inches / 91.4 x 124.5 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Portrait of a Woman, 2023
Handmade pigments and shell gold on hemp paper
Frame: 64 x 44 inches / 162.6 x 111.8 cm
Paper size: 56 x 36 inches / 142.2 x 91.4 cm
Rupy C. Tut
All in a day, 2023
Handmade pigments on linen
48 x 36 inches / 121.9 x 91.4 cm
Rupy C. Tut
A drop in the desert, 2023
Handmade pigments and shell silver on hemp paper
Frame: 45 1/2 x 65 1/2 x 2 inches / 115.6 x 166.4 x 5.1 cm
Paper size: 36 1/2 x 56 3/4 inches / 92.7 x 144.1 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Searching for ancestors, 2023
Handmade pigments on linen
Frame: 61 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 2 inches / 156.2 x 105.4 x 5.1 cm
Painting: 60 x 40 inches / 152.4 x 101.6 cm
Rupy C. Tut
The Womb 1, 2022
Natural pigments on handmade hemp paper
Frame: 41 1/4 x 32 1/4 x 1 1/8 inches
Paper size: 34 x 25 inches / 86.4 x 63.5 cm
Rupy C. Tut
When We Meet Again, 2022
Natural pigments on handmade hemp paper
Paper size: 38 x 36 inches / 96.5 x 91.4 cm
Rupy C. Tut
The Womb 2, 2022
Natural pigments on handmade hemp paper
Frame: 41 1/4 x 32 1/4 x 1 1/8 inches
Paper size: 34 x 25 inches / 86.4 x 63.5 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Heroine, 2022
Natural pigments on handmade hemp paper
Frame: 42 x 61 inches / 106.7 x 154.9 cm
Paper size: 36 x 57 inches / 91.4 x 144.8 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Forest of Joy, 2022
Natural pigments on handmade hemp paper
Frame: 19 x 14 1/2 inches / 48.3 x 36.8 cm
Paper size: 15 1/4 x 10 3/4 inches / 38.7 x 27.3 cm
Rupy C. Tut
False Hope, 2022
Natural pigments on handmade hemp paper
Frame: 38 x 29 inches / 96.5 x 73.7 cm
Paper size: 34 x 25 inches / 86.4 x 63.5 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Pieces of Me, Broken and Functional, 2022
Natural pigments and shell silver on handmade hemp paper
Frame: 19 x 14 inches / 48.3 x 35.6 cm
Paper size: 15 7/8 x 11 inches / 40.4 x 27.9 cm
Rupy C. Tut
Cosmic Breakdown, 2021
Natural pigments and shell silver on handmade hemp paper
Paper size: 34 x 25 inches / 86.4 x 63.5 cms
Rupy C. Tut
Waggle Dance, 2021
Natural stone pigments and 23ct shell gold on handmade hemp paper
Paper size: 34 x 25 1/4 inches / 86.4 x 64.1 cms
PRESS
Holiday 2024: Bask in Visual Art to Celebrate this Season
SFJazz Collective’s Latest Inspiration? de Young Artists
“About Place: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift” at de Young Museum.
VIDEOS
Rupy C. Tut
CV
Born 1985 in Chandigarh, India
Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, London, UK, 2016
MPH, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, 2009
BS, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2006
Lives and works in Oakland, CA
Solo Exhibitions
2025
Jessica Silverman, San Francisco, CA [forthcoming]
2024
Rupy C. Tut, Crown Point Press, San Francisco, CA
2023
Out of Place, Institute of Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA
2022
Search and Rescue, Jessica Silverman, San Francisco, CA
A Recipe for Brown Skin, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
2018
A Journey Back Home, Peel Art Gallery, Museum & Archives, Brampton, ON
2017
Broken Seeds Still Grow, The Flight Deck, Oakland, CA
Group Exhibitions
2024
SECA Art Award Exhibition, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA [forthcoming]
Chardi Kala: Rising Above Adversity, Phoenix Art Museum, AZ
About Place, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
I Will Meet You Yet Again: Contemporary Sikh Art, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Into View: New Voices, New Stories, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
2023
A Growing Season, Jessica Silverman, San Francisco, CA
2022
Jessica Silverman Presents, TOA Presents, Minneapolis, MN
2021
The Golden Temple: Center of Sikh Faith, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
2020
The de Young Open, The de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
Popadum!, Asian American Women Artists Association, San Francisco, CA
Women Pathmakers, Euphrat Museum of Art, DeAnza College, Cupertino, CA
Reflections on Exile, Roots Divison, San Francisco, CA
2019
Diaspora Voiced, Rhythmix Cultural Works, Alameda, CA
Expressions of Divinity, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
2016
London City Hall, London, UK
2015
Calligraphies in Conversation, Ziya Art, Berkeley, CA
Residencies
2024
Crown Point Press, San Francisco, CA
2015
Sikh Foundation, Palo Alto, CA
Teaching & Public Engagements
2020
The deYoung Open: Artist Panel, deYoung, San Francisco, CA
2019
Workshop, Applying Traditional Kanguage to a Contemporary Thought, Art Speak Interns Program, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Lecture, Art, Identity, and Belonging, Haresh and Joan Shah Series, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA
Brown Bag Lunch Artist Talk, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
2018
Talk, A Journey Back Home, Peel Art Gallery, Museum & Archives, Brampton, ON
2017
Talk, Art Against the Grain with Rupy Tut, Impact Hub, Birmingham, UK
Workshop and Artist Talk, Peel Art Gallery, Museum & Archives, Brampton, ON
Demo and Talk, Saints and Kings: Arts, Culture, and Legacy of the Sikhs, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
2016
Demo and Talk, Language of Colors: A Discussion of Guru Nanak’s Janamsakhi Life Stories, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Collaborations
2019
Broken Seeds Still Grow: Taking Root, CounterPulse, San Francisco, CA
2017
Broken Seeds Still Grow, Flight Deck, Oakland, CA
Awards and Grants
2024
Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship, New York, NY
SECA Art Award, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA
2019
Juror Award for “Peace Out, Patriarchy,” Diaspora Voiced, Rhythmix Cultural Works, Alameda, CA
2017
Artist Grant, City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program, Oakland, CA
Press
2024
Bravo, Tony. “Holiday 2024: Bask in Visual Art to Celebrate this Season.” San Francisco Chronicle Datebook. November 14, 2024.
Gilbert, Andrew. “SFJazz Collective’s latest inspiration? De Young artist.” San Francisco Chronicle Datebook. November 20, 2024.
Fancher, Lou. “’About Place’ at the de Young showcases new contemporary works by Bay Area artists.” Local News Matters. September 13, 2024.
Ho, Karen K. “Joan Mitchell Foundation Announces 2024 Fellowship Recipients.” ARTnews. August 22, 2024.
Datebook Staff. “’About Place: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift’ at de Young Museum.” San Francisco Chronicle Datebook. August 15, 2024.
News Desk. “Joan Mitchell Foundation Announces 2024 Fellowships.” Artforum. August 14, 2024.
“Sense of belonging: Contemporary Bay Area artists showcased at de Young.” Mountain Democrat. July 26, 2024.
Hotchkiss, Sarah. “Three Local Artists Win SFMOMA’s SECA Art Award.” KQED. April 12, 2024.
2023
Le, Anh-Minh. “Oakland Artist Rupy C. Tut.” Diablo Magazine. December 29, 2023.
Quinn, Bridget. “Rupy C. Tut’s Landscapes of Belonging.” Hyperallergic. November 13, 2023.
Finkel, Jori. “At the de Young, a Rousing Showcase for Bay Area Artists.” The New York Times. October 18, 2023.
Corbin, Mary. “Trained in 18th-century Indian technique, Rupy C. Tut paints women facing today’s challenges.” 48hills. October 12, 2023.
Le, Anh-Minh. “Renowned and Rising Artists of the Asian Diaspora Are in the Spotlight.” October 2, 2023.
Chroma. “Welcome Home.” Tetra Chroma. August 16, 2023.
2022
“A Portfolio: Rupy C. Tut.” Juxtapoz. November 28, 2023.
Permanent Collections
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
deYoung Museum, San Francisco, CA
Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA