Shadows between Words
Noted literary critic late Prof.M.Krishnan Nair had once said about meeting the authors of repute: Don’t meet them in person. ‘If you meet, the ideal picture about them that you have formed from their writings would melt away. They too are ordinary human beings who talk about mundane problems like bank loans, gas connections and even worse they say ill words about fellow writers.’ Meeting the Indian contemporary artists out of the context of a formal interview also would reveal that they too have the feet of clay. But context makes them different; they look and sound pointed, philosophical and at times witty and belligerent.
Here we have a book, easy to handle and easy to read, of conversations with twenty Indian contemporary artists who have made their mark both in the national and international art circuit. Author-curator Anupa Mehta catches up with them and brings them to an engaged dialogue about their works and aesthetic as well as general life philosophy. The artists in conversation with are Alwar Balasubramaniam, Anandjit Ray, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Baiju Parthan, Bharti Kher, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, G.Ravinder Reddy, Iranna G.R, Jagannath Panda, Jitish Kallat, Jyothi Basu, Bose Krishnamachari, Natraj Sharma, N.S.Harsha, Rm Palaniappan, Shibu Natesan, Subodh Gupta, Sudarshan Shetty and T.V.Santhosh.
Interviews are a form of communication. Generally speaking, both the interviewer and interviewee are caught in a situation where they are supposed to respect each other and exchange some kind of power, a power that gives them the right to talk and comment on life and the respective fields that they are talking about, which is outside the state power. None grants them permission and none impedes them in expressing what they feel, except for the editorial intervention that comes in, if these conversations are intended for further publication. There are a lot of areas unsaid and these shadow areas are the interesting locations where the depths of the conversing parties could be sought out.
This book of conversation is interesting because Anupa Mehta approaches the artists without much critical baggage. She refers to some of the works that they have done and also places questions pertaining to the general history of their works. Wherever technical aspects are expected to be detailed, she directly asks the artists to elaborate on these. Each artist has given his or her best in the conversation though some of the questions that Anupa Mehta asks have a set pattern. Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, Baiju Parthan, Anju Dodiya, Natraj Sharma and Bharti Kher take these conversations quite seriously and give elaborate answers. G.Ravinder Reddy, Rm.Palaniappan and Chittrovanu Mazumdar are in their nostalgic best. Jyothi Basu is quirky. Jagannath Panda, Iranna G.R, N.S.Harsha and T.V.Santhosh are matter of fact. Bose Krishnamachari is as usual flamboyant. Shibu Natesan is slightly reticent and Subodh Gupta starts in a confrontational attitude, levels out in the middle and relaxes by the end of conversation.
This book is a ready reference material flitting between the genre of history and coffee table. Though the author has made good home work, at times she makes mistakes. While introducing Jyothi Basu, she says the Radical Group is of Baroda. Actually Radical Group was not of Baroda. It was “Indian Radical Painters and Sculptors Association’ and the member artists happened to be in Baroda during its formal inception. She introduces Bose Krishnamachari as ‘possibly the only artist who treats art-making as a grand factory production’. It is not the case. Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Sudarshan Shetty, Natraj Sharma (from the book itself) use of a lot of technical assistance and they have openly accepted it. Besides, Chintan Upadhyay is one artist who calls himself a factory man and ‘Chintan Upadhyay Unlimited’. Anupa Mehta fails to add certain meaningful questions while the artists make sweeping statements. Jagannath Panda talks about his Brahminical origin. Anupa does not ask anything regarding his caste identity later on. Considering the fact that Panda is an artist who is matured during the Post Mandal, Post Ayodhya, Post liberatlisation phase, what his Brahminical identity (which he underlines somehow in one of the answers) has done to his art and life is not further probed. Bose claims that he is a capitalist so he is a communist. Anyone would have asked to elaborate on this. But the author does not.
Anupa Mehta has used a phrase ‘so to speak’ at least 58 times in this book (if less or more than that, please let me know). That sounds like her mannerism. Good, in transcription and reformulation of statements by the artists, she puts the same ‘so to speak’ in the mouths of couple of them. It sounds quite embarrassing. Having less minuses and lot of pluses, this is a worth collectible book. Kishu Chauhan of Alekhya Foundation, Baroda has done a commendable job by funding the book along with Mapin. Besides, he has collected all these artists and a show of their works at LKA Galleries, New Delhi came to be the occasion for this book’s release. Good timing and great going.
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