An artist who walked into a Kingston art gallery without any food, water or clothes on Tuesday, March 2, has thrown himself on the mercy of visitors to give him what he needs to survive a five-day stay in a stark, unfurnished room.

India-born Ansuman Biswas decided to explore how people give and take after the Stanley Picker Gallery invited him to create a piece of work about the relationship between art and politics as part of its seven-week Louder than Bombs programme.

At first the artist was naked, cold and shivering, but as the days passed people’s donations progressed from left-over scraps of lunch to bottles of water, a fleece and blankets.

He said: “I was left an apple core by people who thought it was a bit of a joke but then I have had people who came and just sit with me and talk.

“It was a bit intimidating at first, when I had no clothes and they walked in and saw a naked man, but now I am decently dressed it is less intimidating.

“It is surprising how little you need to survive. You need water and someone taking care of your waste products and warmth and shelter. You can do with much less food than you are used to. We eat too much in our culture and consume too much and fill ourselves with too much.”

Mr Biswas compared his experience to people going on holiday to get away from their belongings, and said he was enjoying the space to contemplate and meditate.

This is not the first time the artist has lived in confined circumstances in the name of art. Last year, he spent 40 days and 40 nights in a gothic tower of Manchester Museum as the Hermit of Manchester, and had previously lived in a black box for 10 days.

Reflecting on life after the project, he said: “If anything, I would like to carry back with me some of the space and try to hold on to that and be less attached to possessions and give stuff away. I have been more aware of what I give people, and try to think about compassion.”

The exhibition is free and runs until 4pm on Saturday, March 6, and live images are on ansuman.com/news.html.