Introspection time for artists

They contemplate pandemic themes even as they anticipate massive disruption in the way their work is displayed and sold

Artists and art historians say the way art is exhibited and sold is certain to change because of the pandemic.

With most artists already exploring online spaces to showcase their work, art historians predict art will not only move out of the confines of the gallery but also change in form and character.

Hoarding as theme

Many artists are using the lockdown to create art around the coronavirus. Sameer Kulavoor, visual artist, graphic designer and illustrator, had never imagined he would witness a pandemic in his lifetime. “There are so many aspects to it - interpersonal and intrapersonal, and the politics around it and the impact it has had on the underprivileged and the poor. One cannot entirely grasp or imagine the consequences of something like this but I choose to be optimistic,” he says.

He used the lockdown period to create drawings about what people in sudden confinement would do. “It made me think about what people hoard in their homes. I made 25-30 drawings and they turned out to be a good exercise,” he says.

Sameer was contacted by an NGO called Quarancharity which wanted to use his work to raise funds for migrant workers and health workers on the frontlines.

Back to nature

While Sameer has donated his art to charity, Bengaluru-based artist and filmmaker M S Prakash Babu is using the lockdown to complete a set of paintings based on nature.

He is not creating anything around the coronavirus because he sees the pandemic as an organic process. “What I am experiencing right now could reflect in my work later on. What is in my subconscious may come out in another form,” says Prakash.

Buddhist reprise

Art writer, columnist, curator and photographer Giridhar Khasnis has based his latest work on the pandemic and titled it, ‘Corona, Clean-up and Some Creative Indulgence’. He says it is hard to comprehend how an invisible virus has sunk the whole of humanity in an exceptionally dangerous and vicious black hole.

“Since we have a lot of free time on our hands, I was looking through some old photographs on my computer. In particular, I was drawn to the exuberant wall murals of monasteries shot by me in the faraway precincts of Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj in February 2017,” he says.

They not only brought back memories of the trip but also set him thinking about the “restlessness of present-day existence”.

“I could observe that the richly coloured and spiritually swamped images reflected on notions of human suffering, the transitory nature of life, and the law of impermanence enunciated by the Enlightened One. Before long, the intricate motifs embedded in the fascinating Tibetan ‘tangkas’ had become a powerful source of inspiration and re-emerged as abstract constructs in a digital avatar,” says Khasnis. He says his latest work is an offshoot of an idea that occurred to him after seeing the photographs.

Lingaraju MS, who largely exhibits at Sublime Galleria, says his recent works reflect a desire for a brighter tomorrow. “They express my empathy and sorrow for the millions of innocent people globally who have lost their lives and the ones who are struggling to make ends meet,” he explains.

Tribute to city

Gurudas Shenoy, well-known artist also with Sublime Galleria, feels this lockdown has allowed artists like him to look at nature with a fresh perspective.

“I feel a strong sense of calm in the nature around me. The sky, the flora and fauna have come out to play with the city, making it their own without any human disturbance,” he explains. He has created a mixed media on canvas as his tribute to the city during this tough time.

Brace for change

Dr M S Murthy, senior artist and former chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi, feels this is the best time to introspect. “It is a good time to just be an observer of what is happening around us. We have been too comfortable in our homes and haven’t seen a World War-like situation. Those who are used to a simple life will be at peace but those who love luxury will find it hard to adjust,” says Murthy. He also says this period will teach us about the luxury simple living can provide.

More online and public art

Suresh Jayaram, artist and founder-director of 1 Shanti Road studio, sees art coming out of the confines of studios and galleries once the pandemic subsides. “Everybody is looking at alternatives. The art scene constantly relied on art galleries. It is now slowly moving online. Artists are looking at how to make their work more accessible to the public. There will be a sharp decline of regular exhibitions in galleries, especially commercial galleries, till the virus subsides. There may be a resurgence after things settle down,” he says. Jayaram expects to see more murals, street art and performances in public spaces. “Art will be seen in new venues. Nobody will want to buy an item of luxury unless it is a buyer’s market,” he says.

‘Pandemic has exposed oppression against nature’

Arundhati Ghosh, executive director, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), feels this lockdown is the best time to observe, think and look critically at options.

How are organisations like yours planning to promote art and artists? What alternatives do you have in place?

IFA is first ensuring that we continue our support and not hold back on any of our commitments despite the hardest of times ahead. We are inviting practitioners to share their worries and anxieties with us on Zoom and tell us what they think we could do for them. We are also discussing internally how our current programmes, as well as possible new ones, could respond to this time. Once we listen to artists, we will come up with our articulation of plans.

Do you think the way art is exhibited will change?

It is important to understand that this may be more than an interim period of ‘emergency’ and consider this as a place from which our entire being must seek to transform itself.

Not just making and showing art but actually redefining art for what, art for whom — what meanings, what values and what roles do we reimagine for the arts.

This crisis has shown us how beautifully we had kept under the carpet the most predatory and oppressive structures of power — against people, against nature. That is where we need to provoke change.