പ്രശ്നം കലയെ നിർവചിക്കാനൊരുങ്ങുന്നതാണ് . അറിയാനും അവതരിപ്പിക്കാനുമുള്ള എല്ലാ മനുഷ്യരുടെയും മൗലികമായ അവകാശമായി കലയെ കാണുന്നതോടെ, അതിനു പല തലങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ടെന്നും, പലതരം കാഴ്ചക്കാരുണ്ടെന്നും തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നതോടെ തീരാവുന്ന ഒരു പ്രശ്നമാണിത് . കരകൗശല കല വിമര്ശനാത്മകമല്ലാത്ത ഒരു വസ്തുത മാത്രമാണെന്ന ആധുനീകതല ആശയങ്ങൾക്കൊന്നും ഈ ഇരുപത്തൊന്നാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടിൽ സ്ഥാനമുണ്ടെന്നു തോന്നുന്നില്ല. പ്രിന്റിലും , ഡിജിറ്റൽ പ്രിന്റിലും, വിർചൂൽ വരൾഡിലും എത്തിനിൽക്കുന്ന ഗോണ്ട് കലക്കാപ്പുറത്തൊന്നും അവകാശപ്പെടാവുന്ന ആധുനികതയെ, ഉത്തരാധുനികതയോ ഗാലറി/ഫെയർ കലകൾക്ക് ഇന്ന് അവകാശപ്പെടാൻ സാധ്യമല്ല . കല ഇന്ന് കരകൗശലവും , കലയുമായല്ല വേർതിരിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നത്. പ്രാദേശിക സംസ്കൃതിയും ആഗോള സംസ്കൃതിയുമായാണ് . അവ അവതരിപ്പിക്കപ്പെടുന്നതിന്റെയും, അംഗീകരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നതിന്റെയും മാനദണ്ഡങ്ങളും, സമ്പ്രദായങ്ങളും , സാമ്പത്തീക പരിഗണനകളും എല്ലാം വ്യത്യസ്തമാണെന്നു തിരിച്ചറിയേണ്ടത് അത്യാവശ്യമാണ്. അതുകൊണ്ടു തന്നെ പ്രാദേശിക ഭാവാത്മകതകൾ ഉൾകൊള്ളുന്ന പ്രാദേശിക കലയെ, ആഗോളവത്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട ഇന്ത്യൻ കലാലയങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നും നിഷ്കാസനം ചെയ്യുന്നതിന്റെ രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തെയാണ്, സാമൂഹിക ബോധത്തെയാണ് നാം ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യേണ്ടത് . ഒരു പ്രത്യേക കലാബോധവും അതിന്റെ ആശയങ്ങളും മാത്രമാണ് ശരി എന്ന അവകാശവാദത്തെ പറ്റിയാണ് ആത്മ ചിന്തനം നടത്തേണ്ടത്
Monday, December 19, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
brexit
when we witness the dooms day predictors of pound due to brexit, one start wondering what happened to those classic economic assumptions. When a system undergoes structural change, it demands a stipulated time frame to realign and reorganise. Let us not jump into the conclusion that pound is having a free fall. Keeping the fundamental economic principle - demand and supply, in a couple of years EU will require UK to create demand outside of its uniform system than UK require EU. Considering most of the industrial production these days take place outside EU countries (except high end industrial production in Germany) , UK's dependancy on EU remain a falsified notion.
Yousur Arakkal
Long back during my college days, there was an article about an artist in Mathrubhumi weekly magazine. What captivated me was the images that were dark. Like Bhikash Battacharjee's paintings, there was this haunting loneliness and a sense of despondency looming in those darkness and its portraiture. I had some sort of an instant liking for his images and his imaginations. That was my first introduction to Yusuf Arakkal. Long after, I met him at Delhi Pallete art gallery, where he had a show of those large canvases in a beautifully crafted gallery by couple of fashion designers. Most of those canvases were completely black with diagonal or straight red lines and few small images in the corners. In the crowd I had a brief interaction: a stranger to stranger.
Then in 2009, when I had a show with Surendran Karthyayan at Chitra kala parishad, one sunday morning as I was sitting behind table in the gallery, Yusuf Arrakal turned up. At that time I was in Ahmedabad and Surendran was from Trivandrum and as outsiders of Bengaluru we have invited many artists whoever we knew by name or through contacts but many chose not to turn up, but Yusuf Arakkal surprised me by coming. He spent almost an hour chatting about many things including our paintings. He had a suggestion to my painting where white colour was predominant, that it needs to be mellow down towards dark.
It was strange that he talked to me that day as if I am known to him for ages! While going back smilingly he said " we met in Delhi in my Show right. When I saw your photo in news paper, I could immediately recollect". It was shock to me that he can recollect an image of a brief interaction after long years.
He left in his black car and he was wearing a black safari suit. Today morning when I came to know that he is no more, for a moment I was shocked. I will certainly remember that one hour rest of my life. Respectfully .
Mr. Yusuf Arakkal at our show in Chitrakala ParishadA
Gandhi
Some people looked at Gandhi from his looks, some other looked at him through hi religion, some through his obsession with truth; he still was experimenting, some through his love for muslims, some for hindu roots, some for his sexual experiments., some other for his philosophy of living. Some for his politics, some for his fenatic obsession with utopias. Some for his leadership. Some looked through his pune pact, some other for his gift of 52 crore to pakistan. But his enigma has always captivated me. His ability to make all fundamentalists his enemy is amazing. I love it
cultural rootedness & Sugathakumari teacher
the importance of socio-cultural, environment and economic rootedness to the land of origin in social ecology and ecological arguments are complicated. The fine line that divides collective rootedness of inclusiveness and rigid fundamentalism of exclusion in these futuristic arguments or requirement of humanity, can trip many. Often one confuse one for the other, both by practitioner and public. Sughathakumari teacher is a victim of this complexity. She is completely wrong in her statement confusing xenophobic exclusion as ecological rootedness. She must withdraw her statement.
മൃഗീയ മലയാളിയുടെ പ്രാകൃത മനുഷ്യത്വം
പഴയൊരു ഓസ്ട്രിയൻ കഥയെടുത്തൊരു സിനിമയുണ്ട്. നസീകാലത്തെയാണ്. ഓസ്ട്രിയൻ തെരുവിൽ ഒരുകൂട്ടം റെബലുകൾ ഒരു ബോംബ് വെക്കുന്നു. പത്തു ഇരുപതോളം നാസി പടയാളികൾ മരിക്കുകയോ അപകടപ്പെടുകയോ ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഉടൻ നാസി ഹെഡ്‍കോട്ടറിൽ നിന്നും ഉത്തരവ് വരുന്നു. ഓരോ നാസി പടയാളിക്കും പകരമായി പത്തു ഓസ്ട്രിയൻ പടയാളികൾ കൊല്ലപ്പെടണം. അവസാനം ബോംബ് വെക്കലുമായി യാതൊരു ബന്ധവുമില്ലാത്ത ഇരുന്നൂറിലേറെ ജയില്പുള്ളികളും മറ്റുപലരും വെടിവച്ചു കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടു.
കേരളം രണ്ടായിരത്തി പതിനാറ്. ചിലരെ തെരുവ് നായി കടിക്കുന്നു. അപകടപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു. കേരളമാകെ കൊലവിളി തുടങ്ങുന്നു. തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെട്ട പ്രതിനിധികളടക്കമുള്ളവർ, കടിച്ചവനെ കിട്ടിയില്ലെങ്കിലും, കടിച്ച ഒരു പട്ടിക്കുപകരം പത്തെണ്ണം വച്ച് കൊന്നു കൊലവിളി വിളിക്കുന്നു. കേരളമാകെ ഹർഷാരവം മുഴങ്ങുന്നു. കൈകൊട്ടുന്നവരിൽ ഒരാളും തിരിഞ്ഞു നിന്ന് അവയെ തെരുവിൽ നിന്നകറ്റി ജീവിക്കാനനുവദിക്കുന്ന കാര്യം പറയുന്നില്ല. അഥവാ അങ്ങിനെ വല്ലവരും പറഞ്ഞാൽ, ആ പറഞ്ഞവനെയെല്ലാം തെറി വിളിക്കുന്നു. പിന്നേ ചിലവിന്റെ കണക്കു പറഞ്ഞു അച്ഛനും അമ്മയ്ക്കും വരെ വിളിക്കുന്നു.
സൗമ്യ വധക്കേസിൽ പരമോന്നതകോടതി വസ്തുനിഷ്പക്ഷതമായി ഒരു വിധി പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുന്നു. കൊലക്കു മറുകൊല മാത്രമാണുത്തരമെന്ന പ്രാകൃത മാനസികോല്ലാസത്തോടെ ആക്രോശിച്ചുകൊണ്ടു മലയാളികൾ നീതിപീഠത്തെയും, നീതി വ്യവസ്ഥയെയും, ഭരണകൂടത്തെയും കടന്നാക്രമിക്കുന്നു. അതും പോരാഞ്ഞു സർക്കാർ വക്കീലിനെയും, അയാളുടെ കറകളഞ്ഞ പത്രപ്രവർത്തനം നടത്തുന്ന സഹോദരനായ പത്രാധിപരെയും, അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ കൂടെ ജോലിചെയ്യുന്ന കമ്മ്യൂണിസ്റ്റ് നേതാവിന്റെ സമുന്നതയായ പത്രപ്രവർത്തകയായ ഭാര്യയെയും ഇതിൽ ഭാഗഭാക്കാക്കി എല്ലാവരെയും ഒരു തെളിവും തിരയാതെ തെറിവിളിക്കുന്നു. മലയാളീ സമൂഹം അത് കൊണ്ടാടുന്നു.
അവസാനം ഏറെ ബഹുമാനമർഹിക്കുന്ന വളരെയധികം കാര്യങ്ങൾ കേരളത്തിന്റെ പ്രകൃതിക്കും മലയാളീ സമൂഹത്തിനും ചെയ്ത സുഗതകുമാരി ടീച്ചർ ഒരു തെറ്റായ കാര്യം പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ, അത് തെറ്റാണെന്നു പറയുന്നതിന് പകരം, അവർക്കു തെറ്റുപറ്റി എന്ന് പറയുന്നതിന് പകരം, അവരുടെ സംഭാവനകളെല്ലാം മറന്നു അവരെ വ്യക്തി ഹത്യ ചെയ്യുന്ന, അവർ ഒരു രാഷ്ട്രീയ കക്ഷിയായ ബിജെപിയുടെ നേതാവിനെ കണ്ടു എന്ന ചിത്രം വച്ചു അവരെ വർഗീയ വാദിയെന്നു ചിത്രീകരിക്കാനൊരുങ്ങുന്ന മലയാളികളെ നിങ്ങൾക്കു നമോവകം.
മലയാളികളായ എന്റെ സുഹൃത്തുക്കളെ നിങ്ങള്ക്ക് ഹിറ്റലറുടെ നാസിസം ബാധിച്ചിരിക്കുകയാണ്. ഒരു തരം നാർസിസിസ്റ്റിക് മാനിയാക്ക് കോംപ്ലക്സ്. തന്റെ ചിന്തകൾക്കും വരുതിക്കുമപ്പുറം ആരും ഒന്നുമുണ്ടാകരുതെന്ന, അങ്ങിനെയുണ്ടായാൽ അവരെ വംശനാശം വരുത്താനുള്ള ഒരുതരം മൃഗീയ പ്രാകൃത മനുഷ്യത്വം.
തെമ്മാടിത്തത്തിനൊരതിരുണ്ട്‌ സുഹൃത്തുക്കളെ
the complex self
he complex "self" of my friend, mine and an Indian villager
( i changed the title of this post, i think this is the right title :-) )
( i changed the title of this post, i think this is the right title :-) )
It was way back in 1987 one evening that I landed near Jahangir Art Gallery with couple of my friends. It was just week after I joined the course on computer software systems and a week after I saw first time a computer in reality. Then these couple of friends mine were having exhibition at Jahangir art gallery. Mumbai was still a greek to me but somehow I managed to reach Kalagodha in those crowded train. It was a blessing in disguise for all of us as we all were uncomfortable with the crowd in the city that never showed any signs of settling. Luckily for us my friend had already sold three of his painting and had twelve thousand rupees in his pocket. We took a cab and went to India gate, some thing all of us wanted to visit. Till around 9.30, we were sitting there watching people and lost in our own thoughts. We realised in comparison to the rest of the world we were silent and slow both in movements and nature and above all our dresses were common. Suddenly my friend who is now a big time designer and artist in New York told us as if he woke up from a dream that 'you know we should not be disheartened, all these guys in next life also will not be able to match my wealth". For a second my self and my other friend who is now a sanyasi somewhere in Rishikesh were, although taken back but had the same resentment in our minds. My designer friend and I had something in common, both our grand parents and their family owned an entire village, it's river, hills, farms and temples. They were bourgeois Zemindars of pre independent India. My father's village is near kannur a place called panthottam and his were somewhere near ottappalam. Although my father was born into a family that owned a village, he never identified with it ever owing to his politics and philosophy, my friend's father but owned his village inspite of the land reformation taken place during the post independent India.
On that night, on my way back home I realised it is difficult to escape bourgeois mind set and its egos. A bourgeois will always be a bourgeois. No wonder Lenin and Ambedkar wanted to annihilate it. But I also had this realisation, at every moment in every city, a large section of villagers who are on a visit to these cities do have this strong resentment against city dwellers. They feel city dwellers are being pompous without any merit. Now I also can understand why right wingers- a majority of them are from rural India seems to be regressive to city dwellers and why do these rural folk aggressively assert their cultural positions on urban India
On that night, on my way back home I realised it is difficult to escape bourgeois mind set and its egos. A bourgeois will always be a bourgeois. No wonder Lenin and Ambedkar wanted to annihilate it. But I also had this realisation, at every moment in every city, a large section of villagers who are on a visit to these cities do have this strong resentment against city dwellers. They feel city dwellers are being pompous without any merit. Now I also can understand why right wingers- a majority of them are from rural India seems to be regressive to city dwellers and why do these rural folk aggressively assert their cultural positions on urban India
the belonging
Three questions and problematic self
1
Couple of days back my very old friend called me and asked "why have I become arrogant and rude, a narendran he doesn't know?" as it would have been for anyone else, for a second I had a freezing moment in my life. I could not reply him and hanged the phone without a word of further argument.
I went back home and looked at mirror and asked " am I arrogant ?"
I could not make out who was in the mirror. A stranger slowly but steadily evolved from the mirror and it introduced himself to me in full attitude
"Hi ...I am narendra raghunath"
I could not make out when did I lost myself.
Couple of days back my very old friend called me and asked "why have I become arrogant and rude, a narendran he doesn't know?" as it would have been for anyone else, for a second I had a freezing moment in my life. I could not reply him and hanged the phone without a word of further argument.
I went back home and looked at mirror and asked " am I arrogant ?"
I could not make out who was in the mirror. A stranger slowly but steadily evolved from the mirror and it introduced himself to me in full attitude
"Hi ...I am narendra raghunath"
I could not make out when did I lost myself.
2
My friend did not give up. He called me again in the evening. "hello ...do not put down the phone ..."
I laughed at him and said "no ...I would not"
"heard that you are a known artist now!!"
"known to whom ? " I wondered
" I hear the stories from Delhi"
"I don't think and I don't check and I am not bothered" i replied
"if you ask, you did the biggest blunder leaving technology...tell me how much you must be earning..."
With little hesitation I told him my monthly income and a laughter broke out at the other end. At the end of the laughter he said
"you know, you rememberer you recruited me first to computers and today I earn your ten- fifteen years salary a month. I travel around the world and my kids study in world's best universities.."
This time laughter was from my side
" then why do you tell me all these things and why did you call me...?"
there was a silence on the other end. I got back myself
I laughed at him and said "no ...I would not"
"heard that you are a known artist now!!"
"known to whom ? " I wondered
" I hear the stories from Delhi"
"I don't think and I don't check and I am not bothered" i replied
"if you ask, you did the biggest blunder leaving technology...tell me how much you must be earning..."
With little hesitation I told him my monthly income and a laughter broke out at the other end. At the end of the laughter he said
"you know, you rememberer you recruited me first to computers and today I earn your ten- fifteen years salary a month. I travel around the world and my kids study in world's best universities.."
This time laughter was from my side
" then why do you tell me all these things and why did you call me...?"
there was a silence on the other end. I got back myself
3
I went back to my canvas and started painting. My arrogance was all over the place and there was a smile still left behind.
Forgive my friends, i don't belong to your big world.
Forgive my friends, i don't belong to your big world.
aristocratic function of art
For art historians , art practice meant learning about art, while artists of course needed to make art. Lurking just below the surface, however, was the imponderable problem that remains in the minds of many: "artists are found, not made" : Graeme sullivan: art practice as research: inquiry in visual arts
I wonder at the beginning of 21st century where egalitarian access to artwork is made possible by internet technology, we are still discussing aristocratic functioning of art: artist as leader or the importance of hierarchy of imagination (age old idiom leaders are born, can not be created) as context for theoretical enquiry and academic priority!
dangerous silence
Very curious factor about the Dalit march to Una is as expected is being ignored by the main stay media with their ulterior motives is no surprise, but it is astonishing to find that this spontaneous movement, even if it was in making for long time, is completely ignored by a large section of “intellectual elitists” of Daliti community including NGOs, academia and media for their dangerously personal and questionable political motives.
My friend from Gujarat painfully writes “ history will not pardon them and the future generation of these peasants who are still socially and economically downtrodden and are taking part in this long walk when turn around and ask about their moral authority, they will have nothing but shame to cover up. These people have become the new neo caste hegemony covering their own A** ”
Sad!
history
History is there not to dig out and resurrect heroes but it serve to identify and understand present heroes. Strange scenes from my country confuses me !
തീർച്ചയായും ഫിറോസിനെ തിരയണം ...തീർച്ചയായും തിരയണം .
ഇന്നലെ പാർക്കിനപ്പുറത്തെ കോളേജ് കംപ്‌സിനപ്പുറത്തെ ചെറിയ വഴിയിലൂടെ നടക്കുമ്പോൾ പെട്ടന്ന് ഒരു ഫോൺ വന്നു. അറിയാതെ തെറ്റി വിളിച്ചതായിരുന്നു. എപ്പോഴും ഫോൺ എടുക്കുമ്പോൾ ചെയ്‌യുന്നതുപോലെ ഒരു ഹെലോവിന് മുൻപേ സ്വന്തം പേരുപറഞ്ഞാണ് ഞാൻ ഫോൺ എടുത്തത്. ഫോണിന്റെ മറുവശത്ത് ആദ്യം ഒരു നിശ്ശബ്ദതയായിരുന്നു. പിന്നെ ഒരു ആകാംക്ഷയുടെ അരികുചേർന്നു ഒരു സ്ത്രീ തെറ്റി വിളിച്ചതിനു മാപ്പു പറഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ട് പിന്നെയും തുടർന്നു " you sound familier ...are you narendra who studied in Bandra west ?" ഒരു നിമിഷം ഞാൻ പതറിപ്പോയി. ബാന്ദ്ര വെസ്റ്റിൽ പഠിച്ചിരുന്നു എന്ന സത്യം ഞാൻ പോലും മറന്നിരുന്നു എന്നതാണു കാര്യം. മുപ്പതു വർഷ ങ്ങൾക്കു മുൻപുള്ള കാര്യമാണ് പെട്ടന്ന് ആരോ ഒരാൾ അതും തെറ്റി ഫോൺ ചെയ്തൊരാൾ ചോദിക്കുന്നത്. എന്ത് പറയണമെന്നറിയാതെ പരുങ്ങി ഒരുവിധത്തിൽ ഒപ്പിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു ..."yes i did study in Bandra west, but it was thirty years back ..". ഒരു വലിയ പൊട്ടിച്ചിരിയായിരുന്നു മറുവശത്ത് "you are narendra raghunath ...right ?" ആ ചോദ്യം എന്നെ വീണ്ടും കുഴക്കി. ആരാണിത്തപ്പാ... അതും മുപ്പതു കൊല്ലങ്ങൾക്കപ്പുറത്തെ ഞാൻ പോലും മറന്നു പോയ എന്നെ ഓർക്കുന്നത് ? അതും ഒരു സ്ത്രീ. അപ്പുറത്തെ ചിരി അവസാനിക്കുന്നില്ല. ഒരല്പം പരുങ്ങികൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ അവരുടെ ചോദ്യം ശരിവച്ചു . അതെ ഞാൻ നരേന്ദ്ര രഘുനാഥ് ആണ്...പക്ഷെ നിങ്ങൾ ആരാണ് ?. ചിരിയൊതുക്കാനാകാതെ അവർ തുടർന്ന് " അത് വീടു ...അവസാനം ഞാൻ തന്നെ കണ്ടുപിടിച്ചു ....മുപ്പതു കൊല്ലം...മാൻ വാട്ട് എ വണ്ടർ ... ദിസ് ഈസ് മരിയ.. യു ഓവ് മി എ ബുക്ക്"
പിന്നെ മരിയ നിർത്താതെ സംസാരമായിരുന്നു. ഞാൻ നിശബ്ദനും. ഒരു പോയ കാലത്തിന്റെ കണക്കു പുസ്തകം അവർ തുറക്കുകയായിരുന്നു .മുപ്പതു വര്ഷങ്ങൾക്കപുറത്തെ ഓർമകൾ അവർ ചികഞ്ഞെടുക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. എന്റെ സഹപാഠികളിൽ ഏറ്റവും സുന്ദരിയായിരുന്നു മരിയ. അന്നെന്റെ സുഹൃത്തായിരുന്ന ഫിറോസിന്റെ ഗേൾ ഫ്രണ്ടായ ആംഗ്ലോ ഇന്ത്യൻ മരിയ എന്ന ക്ലാസ്സ്‌മേറ്റ്. ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് അധികം സംസാരിക്കാനറിയാത്ത, എല്ലാവരിൽ നിന്നും അകന്നു നടന്നിരുന്ന, ഉച്ചക്ക് വാടാ പാവ് തിന്നിരുന്ന എന്നോട്, ഞങ്ങളുടെ ക്ലാസ്സിലെ ഏറ്റവും പണക്കാരനും സുഹൃത് ബന്ധങ്ങളുമുണ്ടായിരുന്ന ഫിറോസ് എന്ന ഒരജാനാബാഹു തുടങ്ങിയ സുഹൃത് ബന്ധം. അന്ന് കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറിന്റെ അവന്റെയും മാറിയയുടെയും എല്ലാ പ്രൊജെക്ടുകളും ചെയ്തുകൊടുത്തത് ഞാനായിരുന്നു. എന്നൊക്കെ പ്രൊജെക്ടുകൾ കഴിഞ്ഞിരുന്നുവോ അന്നൊക്കെ അവന്റെ വക ഒരു ട്രീറ്റ് ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കും . അവനും മരിയയും ഞാനും. അന്ന് ഞാൻ മദ്യപിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല. അതിനാൽ രണ്ടുപേരെയും തൂക്കി ടാക്സിയിൽ ഇട്ടിരുന്നത് ഞാനായിരുന്നു. ഒരു നല്ല കാലത്തിന്റെ ഓർമ്മ. വർഷങ്ങൾക്കിപ്പുറം മരിയ, അതും ഒരു തെറ്റി വിളിച്ച ഫോൺ കാളിലൂടെ . ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ അദ്‌ഭുതങ്ങൾക്കവസാനമില്ല. അന്ന് മാറിയയിൽ നിന്നും അവസാന പ്രോജെക്ടിനായി സി+ ന്റെ ഒരു ബുക്ക് വാങ്ങിയിരുന്നു. പിന്നെയത് കൊടുക്കാൻ മറന്നു പോയി.
പിന്നെ മരിയ നിർത്താതെ സംസാരമായിരുന്നു. ഞാൻ നിശബ്ദനും. ഒരു പോയ കാലത്തിന്റെ കണക്കു പുസ്തകം അവർ തുറക്കുകയായിരുന്നു .മുപ്പതു വര്ഷങ്ങൾക്കപുറത്തെ ഓർമകൾ അവർ ചികഞ്ഞെടുക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. എന്റെ സഹപാഠികളിൽ ഏറ്റവും സുന്ദരിയായിരുന്നു മരിയ. അന്നെന്റെ സുഹൃത്തായിരുന്ന ഫിറോസിന്റെ ഗേൾ ഫ്രണ്ടായ ആംഗ്ലോ ഇന്ത്യൻ മരിയ എന്ന ക്ലാസ്സ്‌മേറ്റ്. ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് അധികം സംസാരിക്കാനറിയാത്ത, എല്ലാവരിൽ നിന്നും അകന്നു നടന്നിരുന്ന, ഉച്ചക്ക് വാടാ പാവ് തിന്നിരുന്ന എന്നോട്, ഞങ്ങളുടെ ക്ലാസ്സിലെ ഏറ്റവും പണക്കാരനും സുഹൃത് ബന്ധങ്ങളുമുണ്ടായിരുന്ന ഫിറോസ് എന്ന ഒരജാനാബാഹു തുടങ്ങിയ സുഹൃത് ബന്ധം. അന്ന് കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറിന്റെ അവന്റെയും മാറിയയുടെയും എല്ലാ പ്രൊജെക്ടുകളും ചെയ്തുകൊടുത്തത് ഞാനായിരുന്നു. എന്നൊക്കെ പ്രൊജെക്ടുകൾ കഴിഞ്ഞിരുന്നുവോ അന്നൊക്കെ അവന്റെ വക ഒരു ട്രീറ്റ് ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കും . അവനും മരിയയും ഞാനും. അന്ന് ഞാൻ മദ്യപിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല. അതിനാൽ രണ്ടുപേരെയും തൂക്കി ടാക്സിയിൽ ഇട്ടിരുന്നത് ഞാനായിരുന്നു. ഒരു നല്ല കാലത്തിന്റെ ഓർമ്മ. വർഷങ്ങൾക്കിപ്പുറം മരിയ, അതും ഒരു തെറ്റി വിളിച്ച ഫോൺ കാളിലൂടെ . ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ അദ്‌ഭുതങ്ങൾക്കവസാനമില്ല. അന്ന് മാറിയയിൽ നിന്നും അവസാന പ്രോജെക്ടിനായി സി+ ന്റെ ഒരു ബുക്ക് വാങ്ങിയിരുന്നു. പിന്നെയത് കൊടുക്കാൻ മറന്നു പോയി.
ഫിറോസും മരിയയും പിന്നെ തെറ്റി പിരിഞ്ഞെന്നും, ഫിറോസ് അമേരിക്കയിലെവിടെയോ ഉണ്ടെന്നും, മരിയ ഇന്ന് ഇന്ത്യയിലെ ഒരു വലിയ സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയർ കമ്പനിയുടെ ഡയറക്ടർ ആണെന്നും പറഞ്ഞു. ഞാനിന്നൊരു ആര്ടിസ്റ് ആണെന്നറിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ ഒരു നീണ്ട നിശ്ശബ്ദതയായിരുന്നു മറുവശത്ത് . ഇനി ഇടയ്ക്കിടയ്ക്ക് വിളിക്കുമെന്നും എന്നെയും ഫാമിലിയെയും കാണാൻ വരുമെന്നും പറഞ്ഞു നിർത്തിയപ്പോൾ പിന്നെയും ഒരു നീണ്ട നിശ്ശബ്ദതയായിരുന്നു. സംസാരം അവസാനിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിന് മുൻപേ "ഫിറോസ് യു ആൻഡ് മി ....വാട്ട് എ ഗുഡ് ഡേയ്സ് വെറെ ദേ...". എന്നു മാറിയ പറഞ്ഞു
ഞാൻ എന്നോ മറന്നു പോയ മരിയയുടെ വാക്കുകൾ എന്നെ കുറ്റബോധത്തിന്റെ കുരിശിൽ തറച്ചു.
തീർച്ചയായും ഫിറോസിനെ തിരയണം ...തീർച്ചയായും തിരയണം ...
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
a response to iml's article
(I do not know how politically correct is putting one's response ahead of a writer's post, for once I am taking that politically incorrect position:-) )
But they also were instrumental for the much-needed shift from the modernists and Baroda narrative for Indian art. As a matter of fact Geeta Kapur’s one of the first books were on AR Ramachandran’s paintings!
In post seventy market dominated art scene, poor financial guys did not know how to create value for few inches of canvas in astronomical bubbles. For the dead artists it was easy for them: either by evangelizing or by the economic principle of demand and supply, but for the living artists they did not know how to make that happen. Then they have invented the post-modernist academia: who through their verbal diarrhea annihilated everything that were sensible, and the scaled up materiality: large scale material spectacles that justified the scaled up money involved. The artistic process and its arrival have always puzzled aestheticians and its theoreticians. From the days of Greek philosopher Plato who escaped the criticality of art by blaming it as fake to the Indian aestheticians who considered it as only an entertainment to this day of post modernist, this saga continues. This exasperation is not as well explained as in the words of Greta Refsum (2002) in that essay about the question of theoretical frame work or methodology on art practice and art work
“Artists and the field of visual arts deal primarily with that which happens before artworks are made. This is their specialist arena, what comes afterwards is the arena of the humanistic disciplines. If the field of visual arts wants to establish itself as a profession with a theoretical framework it must in my opinion, build its theory production on that which happens before art is produced, that is the processes that lead to the finished object of art”.
They wanted art to fall in line with the linear thinking of language from its lateral imagination as if artists were eager to make their work theory dependent. Even if one argues post modernism as lateral thinking, one should not forget its grammatical linear construction of language in it.
But this bonhomie between financial accountants and their convenient academia of postmodernists when started dominating or became the bridge between market and art, a new genre of artists and art works were emerged in the world of art. First artists who never work with their hand: because it is difficult to theories skill and production and secondly the skewed production cost should not be a factor of scaled up pricing of art work, and secondly art works where artists are completely missing. (In this context the performing art response of Marina Abramovic : artist present is worth remembering to understand this context).
But unfortunately as the capitalism found its dead ends with its obscure derivative markets and others, its counter part post modernism also found its dead ends with “death of author” finding its authors standing tall!. Their last ditch effort were the “art fairs” and to reaffirm the legitimacy of those artists and artworks from those art fairs, they founded “triennale” and “ biennale “ across the globe and made these post modernist theoreticians as curators to construct curatorial theory around it. As these things also have started falling apart with its “missing artists” in art, now market is trying its last bet to leverage their investment by projecting artists as curators in the belief that they can bring back the “missing artists into art” make art appealing again. Hope it works!!
Tragedy was many galleries who were brining out best of art works from artists jumped into this boogey- woogey without realizing its consequences on their longer term business. They started boasting themselves as the cutting edge artistic custodians and promoted “un-skill” materiality as aesthetical order, cutting down their core art business – painting and image making. They all are now paying the biggest price for their decision of this – many of those once respected names have closed their galleries or moved into smaller places or remained only on Internet. They forgot what market's grand old dad Warren Buffet has taught them about market- he puts his money only in classical model of capital industry where physical materials are produced on basic economic principles. All new age industries are for playing leisure time gamble till it touches the sixty or seventy years of history
With due respect to your strong artistic position and creative vibrancy, in my limited personal capacity I would not agree completely and hold Vivan, Geeta Kapur, Ranjit Hoskote, art india editor personally responsible for this state of affair in Indian art. They were not only representing the art market but were also responding to the need of an artistic shift in India from modern era. Their arguments were convenient to market so the market employed them and they were smart enough to play that role well. Beyond that their culpability is unfounded.
As we cannot blame one ism for the failure of another ism, we can not completely blame one set of art form for another. But certainly the set of art form these individuals were promoting and the system they have built around it have crumbled; Indian art has no reason to celebrate it any further in Galleries. It is time they find its space in museums. Although market is trying its level best by unleashing art fairs across the world including this country’s every city, we don’t see the works of this genre making any enthusiasm any further.
The number of artists liking the title of your post itself is a sign of discomfort that are shaping up in Indian art scene.
Hope the writings like yours and experiments by Riyas Komu through his Student’s biennale will bring out a new genre of artists, who will surpass this dead end. We, the art teachers in new age art and design colleges are also trying to contribute in our limited way to leverage our student’s imagination away from these indoctrinations for the :pure love of art.
(Hope you will come back on institutions and their culpability as well
How Vivan Sundaram and Company Killed Indian Art
If you remember there was a frantic situation created by Geeta Kapur, Ranjit Hoskote, Nancy Adajania and their junior versions in the art scene. They were quoting European critics and philosophers to justify Indian impermanent art. Without Foucault, Derrida, Agamben, Danto, Guittari and Deleuze Indian art sounded incomplete. But I demand an answer from the abovementioned people why they justified Indian art with those philosophical tools that even the west itself has rejected in due course of time.
Importance of being Bose Krishnamachari in Indian art: an outsider’s perspective
First time I heard about Bose Krishnamachari was when he burned books in Kerala as an artwork. It was way back in eighties. In a state like Kerala where language and its words dominated mindscape of imagination including the artistic, that sacrileges act was shocking. Considering this act took place much before the “shock and awe” idealization of Iraq occupation by USA and Diemen Hirst breed of YBA, it indeed was an art work deserved much attention.
There after many exhibitions later I saw him on a wonderful art work like poster advertisement of an exhibition – Bombay boys in nineties. A group of young artists bang on the face of Bombay, a city historically has been dominated by modernists for long time. These young artists were different and most of them were from JJ’s ambiguous academic set up where one has define own path and decide own practice, at times from canteen benches. ( as told by Bose himself once). This young group struggled a lot before finally hitting the market boom of 2004 – 200/8 Indian art scene. Galleries, buyers, national and international exhibitions and everything was booming about art in that period. This is the time Vineet jain of Times of India created Page 3, a big space of socialite icons in his attempt to replace the political icons from Indian social and media space. These artists were all over the page -3s and Bose with his highest visibility topped the chart. He knew visibility is visual and visual is his art. His shows and works were much in demand across the world and with his networking skills, business acumen he became big and then he decided to go back to Kerala where once he burned books as art with huge collection of books as lava project – library as art. This was again a great shock for Kerala , the land of words – many found it difficult to understand words as art or library as installation. After a point we saw him taking 50 Malayalee artists from Kerala across the country in curated shows across galleries in big cities that otherwise many of these artists would not have ever been able to showcase. Most of the artists from this show became big names in Indian art scene to the extend, many in art world complained the dominance of Kerala artists in Indian art scene.
A man of friends, Bose went on to set up a gallery there after with couple of his friends in Mumbai. But he was bigger than that small private space that he and his friend and fellow artist Riyas Komu went back to Kerala to start a public art spectacle- Kochi Muziris Biennale . If he took Kerala artists across the country in the past, this time he brought national and international artists to Kerala where art was still an academic conventional engagement- painting, sculpture and illustration. A huge resistance to the extend of trying to kill the very idea of Biennale was unleashed from all across the country and especially from a set of artistic community. There were academic, political, sociological, cultural and personal points that were highlighted in their objection. But Bose and Riyas with their friends and artists have finally managed to push through the onslaught to sustain that art spectacle. They brought the biggest names in the art world including Anish Kapoor to Biennale and the list is growing day by day. After bringing all these national and international artists to Kerala, Bose once again is back to his art - he has taken many Indian artists to Yinchuan Biennale, in China where he is curating the Biennale.
During the last few decades Bose with his natural Mallu accent and mercurial dressing has contributed much more than anyone to Indian art in terms of artistical, historical and theoretical context. Known, as a shrewd and ruthless businessman among art dealers but he had no second thought while risking that savings for Biennale a public cause. In his art journey of in and out of Kerala and now India and outside, he has changed the way Indian art is operationalized. A man of friends, he never left anyone behind in his journey and as he grew he took his friends along in his journey as curators, collaborators, fellow travellers and exhibitors. An easily accessible person, but he has never promoted anyone he assumed has no possibility in art world. One has to accept that he has the keen eye for art. Whoever he has identified and promoted has had the capacity to grow and make it big.
Kochi was a small time city known for its shipyard and jew street but today is known for its art spectacle only next to Venice biennale, something that is certainly not a small achievement for Bose and Riyas. Over the last six years, one can see the evolution of art, far from those illustrated paintings, that are evident in the art works of students across Kerala and other art and design colleges.
Unlike MF Husain enigma- individual as an artist, Bose remains an artist collective that are slowly but steadily changing the visual imagination of this country. One is sure he will be able to push through the present controversy of Ai wei wei around his international curatorial debut.
Years back when he started Gallery BMB, he did a show of women artists from India, I am, like many are waiting for the day, he is going to bring an International show of women artists from across the world. Like his selfies with his friends and socialists where he takes something from them and leaves something for them to cherish, with his journey of internalizing and externalizing process as art, I am sure we will be able to witness it in a very near future. ( photo curtesy from his Facebook profile )
One more perspective:
From the days of European renaissance period, the guild model had the master artists and craftsmen existed in post humanist period art world. With the emergence of architects, music composers, film direction and other where many actors are involved in the arrival of an artistic outcome, this question of authorship whether the craft of imagining or craft of making/translating remains a big ethical and philosophical question in art and academic world. Post Duchamp readymades, this question assumed much larger relevance and touched its peak when installation arts became the order of art world, especially with the arrival of YBA and other in the new world order of market driven art world where art works were made to order or outsourced. Strangely William Morris and his art and craft movement and its arguments but unfortunately were around us to keep this debate alive
From the days of European renaissance period, the guild model had the master artists and craftsmen existed in post humanist period art world. With the emergence of architects, music composers, film direction and other where many actors are involved in the arrival of an artistic outcome, this question of authorship whether the craft of imagining or craft of making/translating remains a big ethical and philosophical question in art and academic world. Post Duchamp readymades, this question assumed much larger relevance and touched its peak when installation arts became the order of art world, especially with the arrival of YBA and other in the new world order of market driven art world where art works were made to order or outsourced. Strangely William Morris and his art and craft movement and its arguments but unfortunately were around us to keep this debate alive
Considering it is not idea alone but it's translation through some craftsmanship is being exhibited, If one argue idea alone is important then one would turn around and ask, as discussed in the 10 tenets of conceptual art by sol lewitt, if idea alone is important then why does one has to be dependant on the crafts of making/translating becomes necessary for an art exhibition?.
At the same time if one argue that craftsmanship alone is the art then one would wonder then where is the evolutionary aspect of aesthetics- the art in it?. Other than the mechanical reproduction of an artefact, that even a computerised printer will do with better precision and fineness, then where is the role of artistic imagination in it. This is the dilemma, art world perhaps will never be able to resolve. But inspite of these arguments, when one finds people adoring the painting of a soiled shoe, when in real life something they would not even go anywhere near that shoe, one will continue to wonder the role of craft in art. Art of imagination or art of craft or craft of imagination through art of craft or craft of art of imagination through craft of art, the debate will continue.
(Especially at a time when death of author is also envisaged in post modernist theoretical construct and strangely those constructs are also known by its authors name, an art teacher's nightmare )
One more perspective on art education. When Johny M L says, one would not become a singer just by learning historical and theoretical aspects of music, but one needs to develop the skill sets and practice for singing, he exposes the redundancy of post modernist argument that everybody is an artist. EVERYBODY CAN BE AN ARTIST provided, like all other fine arts forms, one develops the necessary skill sets and practice to perform it. Just some vocabulary of history and theory is not enough.
Why be Apologetic about Your Art? Stand Erect. Let the System make Changes
Does anyone sign a consent form for heart surgery if the doctor is an MD in Orthopae...
See moreart
"... those who sought a more active role for artists within the burgeoning field of higher education believed they had the necessary expertise to cover content that bridged studio experience, art historical themes, and philosophical issues.
This, after all, was what contemporary artists seriously thought about. It seemed reasonable to surround the artist(as teacher) with aspiring students who would benefit from serious exchange on topics about art and life. As such, curriculum content could not be specified in any formal way and techniques could not be introduced as prerequisites for creativity: Teaching became conversation and learning focused on individual aesthetic problem solving. This version of the expert-novice model relied on the image of the artists as a social outsider engaged in an intense pursuit of a personal vision. Consequently, the criteria for newness were not seen in relation to past or existing image banks or stylistic brands but by a measure of radical difference. The drive toward the illusion of “things never seen” reached mythical status that kept the social constructedness of art practice at bay, at least until the theoretical onslaught of post modernism.":: Graeme Sullivan
Although the last line is not relevant anymore under the present theoretical constructs, the complex dilemma of artist/designer as institution of learning or institutional as an embodiment of artistic learning are both highlighted in Grame sullivan’s paragraph.
Even as one could argue for the validity of these academic positions of artists/designers as institution and institution as an embodiment of learning with sighting sufficient examples among the social construct of “successful artists and designers” in place, but then one will also have to accept the fact that present crisis in art and design world are also stemming from these academic positions. In reality the assumed mutuality of “the worth of an outcome and its larger social value” with procedural outcome of an academic process has always been a questionable pedigree among institutions.
Beyond the social influence of artist in society and market, historically artist as institution of learning often hasn’t been able to contribute much to anybody’s creative practice more than defining a practice for student within his/her domain expertise. Same way beyond the subjective pruning of an idea and its construct in art and design practice, academic /pedagogic approach with its scientific and theoretical construct also could not contribute much to creative practice than validating one’s preparedness for a practice based on, again benchmarks of subjective expertise of the teacher. Considering this process again is the exact subjective position of artist(here teacher) as institution, we find ourselves in a complex position without a valid option.
A methodology for coherent practice of mutuality with one's position in life - one to one, one to many and many to many( individual to individual, individual to community and community to society) if not evolved in academics, where one is considered simultaneously as a subjective possibility and limitation than a leader, and to that all theoretical or physical production remain only a subset, the emerging crisis of individual creative practitioner and their relevance in a society among egalitarian technological access system and with universal value, will remain a big question for the relevance of academics and institutions in the coming days.
Further add on to this crisis, unlike the pre nineteenth century idea of enlightenment value of meaning in creative practice and truth, in a post twentieth century world, the statistical value of meaning and its subjective construction of truth will turn objectivity of institutional learning a subject of conditional evaluation. In other words, if institutions does not address the need for a coherent practice of mutuality with one's position in life and elevating that position as objective of living than subjective living as statistical inference of truth envisages, one would certainly start argue against the larger objective of the process of learning by sighting examples of success rate of reactionary practices and its sufficiency -elaborately speaking, the success rate of cut and paste job, something the present day art and design world are already over-flooded.
For art historians , art practice meant learning about art, while artists of course needed to make art. Lurking just below the surface, however, was the imponderable problem that remains in the minds of many: "artists are found, not made" : Graeme sullivan: art practice as research: inquiry in visual arts
I wonder at the beginning of 21st century where egalitarian access to artwork is made possible by internet technology, we are still discussing aristocratic functioning of art: artist as leader or the importance of hierarchy of imagination (age old idiom leaders are born, can not be created) as context for theoretical enquiry and academic priority!
my friend from tv journalism once said " there are no news stories, there are only interests". Recent controversial story about the elevation of Rajesh Ramachandran as editor of outlook and the exit of Mr. Krishna Prasad is very curious in that context. The story goes that Mr. Krishna Prasad was sacked for the Sangh story of child lifting published on 8th August. I am no one to comment on the timing of his exit but what I know in person is Rajesh Ramachandran resigned from Economic times on 27th July on getting this offer letter from Outlook. Although he did not say where is he joining owing to contractual obligations, he confirmed his offer for editor position in a respected magazine and his resignation on 27th. If this controversy has to be correct Rajesh knows how to defy speed of light that he can go back in time to resign on 27th for an article published in 8th August What is the curious factor is this casting aspersion on Rajesh as "Sangi" man. just google his stories then one will wonder who's interest is being served that he be projected as "Sangi" man!!
if academic discussions will bring revolution, all those academic journals in library would have become manifestos for humanity and we would have had millions of revolution every year
In communism, it is practical political leaders like Lenin, Mao, Castro and not the academic Karl Marx created the mass movement and the ultimate revolution, in capitalism it is businessmen like Rockefeller, Buffet or Ambani not academic Adam Smith created the stock market boom.
History tells us revolutions are always the outcome of pragmatic engagement in mass movement. The theories were only implemented at a later date for a decisive sustenance of its outcome. History also tells us, course of any mass movement can be changed if one has the commitment for its larger objective, because all mass movements in history have started spontaneously and then changed the course on ground zero based on practical needs, some time including rejection of very idea on which these movements were set out. Theory will only make one skeptic and it is a proven fact.
Connecting Dalit issue to Land ownership is something that present Gujarat Una march leaders are demanding and it is not a new concept, since historically this has been considered as practical necessity in Indian Dalit politics.
In Kerala from Muthanga protest to standing protest to the present Trivandrum protest, under the Janu’s leadership this has been a consistent demand. Also this has been the demand of communists (land reformation) since inception with its effectiveness in social transformation. Thanks to Kerala example of land reformation and its impact in socio-cultural landscape in front of us , practically we will have to accept this argument.
Very curious factor about the Dalit march to Una is as expected is being ignored by the main stay media with their ulterior motives is no surprise, but it is astonishing to find that this spontaneous movement, even if it was in making for long time, is completely ignored by a large section of “intellectual elitists” of Daliti community including NGOs, academia and media for their dangerously personal and questionable political motives.
My friend from Gujarat painfully writes “ history will not pardon them and the future generation of these peasants who are still socially and economically downtrodden and are taking part in this long walk when turn around and ask about their moral authority, they will have nothing but shame to cover up. These people have become the new neo caste hegemony covering their own A** ”
Sad!
Global warming industrialisation is not enough, we should now contribute reflecting concentrated heat back to air to make it more warm!
Environment impact study of effective contribution/destruction of nature by the solar energy plants is the need of hour, considering many of these plants are set up in dry lands that are already deficit of natural water sources and rain. At least it is time to find an alternate panels that are not reflective.
I have driven past this a couple of times. The shimmer in the sky and the charge in the air are palpable. And it seems that the clouds have all been scared away.
leaving alone the pro-soviet bias of the program, this is a chilling piece of relevant history for us considering the building up of Russia- China bonding and bonhomie of far right wing rulers of Japan and US in our neighbourhood.
Also interesting aspect of this development is that our country will have to go back and adapt the non-alignment movement and its idealism of Nehru for our country's existence and identity - an ideology that the mentors of BJP, the present government aggressively wants to project as the root cause of our failure.
History is interesting
71 years ago today, the US Empire murdered 150,000 innocent human beings in Hiroshima to threaten & dominate the entire world.
Our documentary debunks the myths of the official US justification to drop the atomic bombs. WATCH :: http://bit.ly/2aQXc4n
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)