{"id":598008,"date":"2026-01-28T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?p=598008"},"modified":"2026-01-28T04:25:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:25:38","slug":"the-art-of-what-we-throw-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/the-art-of-what-we-throw-away\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of What We Throw Away"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When I first came across <a href=\"https:\/\/rheagupte.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Rhea Gupte\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> striking images of frozen compost, I couldn\u2019t help but feel a sense of familiarity. As someone who habitually tosses future broth-making scraps into the freezer, a cube of frozen kitchen remnants is something I\u2019ve grown accustomed to creating. But Gupte\u2019s brilliant instinct to document this practice in her photographic art series, <a href=\"https:\/\/rheagupte.com\/compost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>COMPOST<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, opens a broader conversation, one about creating something out of nothing and about finding beauty in the mundane. Her layered blocks of frozen waste, accumulated over time, become a visual record of daily life.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598024\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598024\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598024\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-06-810x540.jpg\" alt=\"Art gallery with &quot;COMPOST&quot; written on the window, small framed artworks on the wall, and pedestals displaying stacks of oranges inside.\" width=\"810\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-06-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-06-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-06-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-06.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gupte began the <em>COMPOST<\/em> series at home in Goa, amid the pandemic. Photographing portraits of her household\u2019s frozen waste not only made her more mindful of consumption, but it also offered a way to produce artwork from what already existed in her freezer without extracting new resources or generating additional waste. In doing so, she asks the art world an essential question: can what we so easily dismiss as waste be worthy to hold space on a wall, as art?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598018\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598018\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598018\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-00-810x540.jpg\" alt=\"Six framed artworks hang on a white wall, each featuring collages of various organic materials arranged in the shapes of different letters.\" width=\"810\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-00-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-00-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-00-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-00.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598019\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598019\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598019\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-01-810x540.jpg\" alt=\"A row of framed photographs featuring colorful, abstract compositions hangs on a white gallery wall.\" width=\"810\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-01-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-01-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-01-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-01.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Most recently, the series was on view in London at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DRAMnrgDPGB\/?img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>BLEUR Gallery<\/strong><\/a>. The gallery\u2019s founder, Aurelia Islimye, planted the initial seed to host a zero-waste supper club alongside the exhibition. Since many of the <em>COMPOST<\/em> images are rooted in ingredients commonly found in Indian kitchens, Gupte insisted on collaborating with a South Asian chef. The result was a partnership with Bengali chef and seasoned supper-club host <a href=\"https:\/\/sohinibanerjee.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sohini Banerjee<\/strong><\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/smokeandlime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Smoke and Lime<\/strong><\/a>. A community experience unfolded around tamarind, chili and cumin-spiced confit potatoes, winter pea bhorta, and flaky puff pastry.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598022\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598022\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598022\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-04-810x1215.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of a rectangular block containing mixed vegetables and flowers, displayed in a black frame against a white wall.\" width=\"810\" height=\"1215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-04-810x1215.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-04-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-04-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-04-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-04.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The recent Bleur showcase, arriving five years after the idea was first conceived, marked Rhea Gupte\u2019s debut solo exhibit in the UK. It was an exhibition beyond art on the walls, but where learning happened around the table, through food and conversation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598038\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598038\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598038\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-20-810x1149.jpg\" alt=\"A block of assorted vegetable peels and food scraps tightly compacted together, displayed upright against a plain white background.\" width=\"810\" height=\"1149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-20-810x1149.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-20-800x1135.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-20-768x1090.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-20-1083x1536.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-20.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>COMPOST<\/em> is ultimately a series about circularity. It challenges the notion of food waste and invites us to reconsider how we use the resources given to us, and what we might create if we approached those resources more consciously. From growing and access to distribution and disposal, food is political. Rhea Gupte\u2019s work reminds us that it can also be art, a truth made evident in the way she captures the colors, textures, and careful compositions of each week\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598028\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598028\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598028\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-10-810x1149.jpg\" alt=\"A pile of assorted food scraps, including citrus peels, onion skins, and vegetable remains, arranged against a plain white background.\" width=\"810\" height=\"1149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-10-810x1149.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-10-800x1135.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-10-768x1090.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-10-1083x1536.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-10.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Unlike my days in a Brooklyn walk-up without a yard\u2014where kitchen scraps lived in the freezer\u2014my compost now sits on the counter and makes its way every other day to the garden heap. That said, I still selectively curate future broth bits at sub-zero temperatures. Once my bag is full, I bring the bits to a boil on the stovetop, filling the house with aromatic nostalgia. There\u2019s nothing quite like a midweek flex of elevating a pantry meal with a sauce that tastes like it took hours, thanks to a single frozen cube of homemade stock.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598029\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598029\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598029\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-11-810x1149.jpg\" alt=\"A frozen stack of mixed vegetables and white cheese sits on a white surface with a plain white background.\" width=\"810\" height=\"1149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-11-810x1149.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-11-800x1135.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-11-768x1090.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-11-1083x1536.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-11.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In many ways, broth-making mirrors Gupte\u2019s work. Both ask us to slow down, to look again, and to honor what we already have. In a time when sustainability is often framed as sacrifice, practices like freezing scraps or making broth feel refreshingly accessible. They live somewhere between necessity and ritual. Like <em>COMPOST<\/em>, they remind us that meaningful change doesn\u2019t always need to be front and center. It can begin quietly in the underbellies of the freezer.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598030\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598030\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-598030\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-12-810x1149.jpg\" alt=\"A tightly packed sphere made of assorted vegetable peels, including beets, onions, and carrots, set against a plain white background.\" width=\"810\" height=\"1149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-12-810x1149.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-12-800x1135.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-12-768x1090.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-12-1083x1536.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-12.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Below is my extremely forgiving Frozen Compost Chicken Broth recipe. Use what you have, skip what you don\u2019t.<\/h2>\n<h2>FROZEN COMPOST CHICKEN BROTH<\/h2>\n<p>Yield: About 2\u20133 quarts<br \/>\nCook Time: 2\u20134 hours<\/p>\n<h2>Ingredients \\\\\\<\/h2>\n<p>&#8211; 1 onion, roughly chopped<br \/>\n&#8211; 2\u20133 cloves garlic, smashed<br \/>\n&#8211; Olive oil + a knob of butter<br \/>\n&#8211; Assorted chicken bones and scraps (carcass, wings, skin), frozen or fresh<br \/>\n&#8211; Vegetable scraps, as available:<br \/>\nCarrot<br \/>\nParsnip<br \/>\nLeek<br \/>\n&#8211; Fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand):<br \/>\nParsley<br \/>\nThyme<br \/>\nBay Leaf<br \/>\nSea salt<br \/>\nFreshly ground black pepper<br \/>\n&#8211; Water (enough to fill the pot)<\/p>\n<h2>Equipment \\\\\\<\/h2>\n<p>&#8211; Large stock pot<br \/>\n&#8211; Cheesecloth + kitchen twine<br \/>\n&#8211; Fine mesh strainer<br \/>\n&#8211; Containers or ice cube trays for storage<\/p>\n<h2>Instructions \\\\\\<\/h2>\n<h2>1. Start the base<\/h2>\n<p>In a large stock pot, saut\u00e9 the onion and garlic in olive oil and butter over medium heat until soft and fragrant.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Add vegetable and bone scraps with herbs<\/h2>\n<p>Gather your frozen chicken bones and vegetable bits. If your veggie scraps are light, add a carrot, parsnip, and leek. Add herbs, fresh or dried, like parsley, thyme, bay leaf, or whatever you have. Tie everything into a cheesecloth bundle with kitchen twine and place it into the pot.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Fill &amp; season<\/h2>\n<p>Fill the pot with water almost to the top. Add a generous handful of sea salt and black or white peppercorns.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Bring to a boil<\/h2>\n<p>Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 15\u201325 minutes, then stir.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Simmer<\/h2>\n<p>Reduce heat to low and keep covered. Simmer gently for 2\u20134 hours (or longer if you have the time).<\/p>\n<h2>6. Taste &amp; strain<\/h2>\n<p>When the broth has reduced by 25%, taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed. Remove the cheesecloth bundle and strain the broth.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Cool &amp; store<\/h2>\n<p>Let cool, then pour into containers or ice cube trays for future recipes or pour yourself a bowl right away.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_598039\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?attachment_id=598039\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-598039\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-598039 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-21-810x1013.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with long dark hair and bangs, wearing a white ruffled blouse and a necklace, sits at a table with her arms crossed against a plain light background.\" width=\"810\" height=\"1013\" srcset=\"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-21-810x1013.jpg 810w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-21-800x1000.jpg 800w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-21-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-21-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/design-milk.com\/images\/2026\/01\/Rhea-Gupte-COMPOST-21.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">India-based, multi-disciplinary artist Rhea Gupte<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>To see this and other works by the multi-hyphenate creative, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/rheagupte.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rheagupte.com<\/a>.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>COMPOST photography by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rhea.gupte\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhea Gupte<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rhea Gupte\u2019s COMPOST finds color, texture, and meaning in frozen food scraps \u2013 transforming everyday waste into art, ritual, and shared experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":598035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27036,1],"tags":[37103,42935,44953,40780,11780,93,6810,9052,14834,41038],"internal_flag":[],"class_list":["post-598008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-main","tag-compost","tag-composting","tag-culinary-art","tag-food-photography","tag-food-waste","tag-photography","tag-recipe","tag-sustainability","tag-taste","tag-tasteworkshop","column-taste"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Art of What We Throw Away<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rhea Gupte\u2019s COMPOST finds color, texture, meaning in frozen food scraps, transforming everyday waste into 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