artist

 Finally, my fingers stopped trembling today. I can start my drawing and painting. After surgery, unfortunately, I fell into a group of people, who experienced this condition due to some neurological damage during the surgery. It was painful and frustrating because perhaps this is the first time in the last 20 years that I went to bed without doing a few drawings or a painting! Then I saw Sanjeev Sonpipare's post that tagged me, wherein Unnati Sigh had posted about the intent of good art. It gave out a generic observation that an artist who tries to meet only the demands of the market is only a craftsman who knows the trade.

I am no one to comment, as I have never been in the market. All I may be able to say is I don't know.

From my early days, I realised that I can not be comfortable with the marketing structures of Gallery based art practice. In those novice days, I even tried to impress a few galleries and failed miserably. My art was stupid then and the approach was. I did not realise then that I am not cut out for a gallery ecosystem. Gallery ecology demanded a networking culture, entrepreneurship, cutting-edge businessmanship and above all patriarchal obedience until you smart that ecology. I wouldn't say that it is a bad system. It is the art market culture, a cross-section of society that deals with money. There are roadside "lari walas" along with Ambanies and Adanies in that market. They all operate in their ecology and its demands. Period.

If one wants to be in that market, one will have to play the game of the market. From politics to social snobbery and patronage (that will depend on one's ability to be conducive to one's entrepreneurial skill sets). The market is about business and not necessarily about the art of all genres. So, if one wants to be "successful" in art, one must settle for the socio-economic strata that one wants to operate and must practice what those strata demand. Some will find business interesting, some will find glamour interesting, some will find socio-cultural forums and gangs interesting, some others will find the Bohemian existence interesting or maybe some others will find some other unique platforms of their own choices as interesting. Every ecology has its share of success, fame and ignominy.

I knew my space very early and settled there for the better. Also, I came into art after spending 16 years in different capacities in the corporate sector, from computers to finance to public relations. I even sold insurance for a couple of months before setting my path into my true calling of art with the help of my friends. Thanks to my experience in the corporate sector and its public relations, from the very early days I had the opportunity to take the call on where I will fit in and where I wouldn't. So, I am at peace with myself and not worried much about whose work is selling at what price or who is undercutting who. I often get those pieces of information, but it doesn't disturb me, because my ecology of art is only my spiritual calling. I have a very strong socio-political and cultural position and am not scared to express it in public. Even though I don't assert myself on others, I know that I am very firm in my engagements. I don't usually accept people for their success or reject them for their failures or flaws. I usually don't care much about power and powerful. Again, usually, I don't disrespect anyone and try to respect people for what they are worth. When I went back to my studies, my art graduation thesis was on faith and a very senior Indian contemporary artist tried to joke about my practice by comparing my efforts equating with Bombay art society exhibitions, according to him, talking nonsensical philosophy on stupid-looking paintings. I don't know. Perhaps he is correct in his echo chamber of art, but certainly, it has merits in my echo chamber that helped me evolve as another "eco-chamber". I knew with my kind of attitude (pretentious for many) I will become only a big nuisance value for any gallery system. So I chose to teach, supporting my practice. Why should I be miserable trying to fit into a system that will only disturb me as well as disturb them? I have great respect for many artists from the gallery system of the market, as I have respect for the signboard painter Narayana, from my Yelahanka neighbourhood. Being in the art for more than 25 years, I learned that there is no point in trying to define who is best or what is best. Every ecology has its paradigms, preferences and priorities. There is no point in comparing one set of ecology with the other or one against the other.

In one of the old Hollywood films that tell the story of an English teacher who tries to teach literature to army men, there is an interesting dialogue

" Choices we make, slave us for life".

The important question is whether one wants to become a slave or liberated. The choice is individual.