The Question of Kerala artists

Renu Ramanath

Kochi is a cauldron, they say.  The quintessential melting pot of all the colorful cultures that have come to rest on these shores.

The destiny of Kochi was written long back.  From that distant moment in history when the floodwaters of river Periyar clogged up the ancient port of Kodungallur where Hippalus and Malik Ibn Dinar had set foot, throwing open the estuary further down south, that destiny was sealed. To be that very melting pot of cultures brought ashore by the seafarers who followed the trade winds of Arabian Sea down the centuries.

So, what is brewing in the cauldron of Kochi these days ? Art, says the cynics. With a cynical snort. But why the cynics have to say that, and why the snort ?  There is a reason, as there is a reason for everything.   

That distant moment in history which changed the direction of floodwaters had also sealed Kochi’s destiny in another way. To be the seat of trade and commerce.  To grow into a unified Kerala’s (‘Aikya Keralam’) capital of commerce and seat of trade.  But, trade and commerce are bad words, as everyone knows. And, where commerce thrives, culture withers, declared the cynics.

Now, for the sake of non-Malayalees and those Malayalees who spent the better part of their lives outside this land, Kochi had never been hailed as a seat of culture by what had been termed as ‘The Intelligentsia’ of Kerala. Thrissur was, and flaunted the informal title of Cultural Capital to a certain degree, with its three great Akademi-s, the Sahithya Akademi, the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and the Lalithakala Akademi – in that very pecking order.  Thiruvanathapuram was, with its monthly film festivals, music concerts and hordes of cultural events.  Kozhikode also was, though the general reason was rather abstract – having something like an aura or ozone layer of culture hanging on its skies. 

So, Kochi was never the seat of culture. Though a close reading of its history would reveal a story that is drastically different from the history we are always told.  But, that is another story, which can hardly be told in a nut shell.

Then, how come this sudden spurt of activities in the field of ‘visual arts ?’  They are baffled. Why there is more and more exhibitions, more and more galleries, springing up in this seat of commerce, the media wonder aloud.  And find relief with easy equations that connect the commerce with art.

Almost ten years ago, a leading Malayalam weekly published a cover story that made a clarion call to artists to flock to Kochi. At that time Kochi had hardly one or two galleries. That too, just fledgling. The occasional tourist-turned-buyer purchased an occasional work.  Nobody in the holy seats of contemporary Indian art had heard of Kochi in relation to art. Kochi ?, Yes, Fort Kochi, the Synagogue, spice trade, Chinese nets and fresh fish from the sea.. But, art in Kochi ? Sorry. That we haven’t heard so far.  Nothing happens there, you see. 

That was the refrain.  At least a couple of years ago. 

Or, so was the case, just ten years ago.  Now, as we near the end of the first decade of 21st century, Kochi’s artscape has changed. Like nothing else before, or after. 

Things did happen, starting off with Bose Krishnamachari’s ‘De-curating Indian Contemporary Art,’ being put up at the Durbar Hall Art Centre in 2003, followed by his  ‘BombayX17,’ at Kashi Art Gallery next year leading to the ‘Double-Enders,’ the first assemblage of artists belonging to Kerala and working all over the country, the world. The action had been set.  Last December, ‘Ten Light Years of Kashi,’ lined up the array of artists who had been presented by the Kashi Art Gallery through the ten years of its existence.  

I don’t have to elaborate.  It is true that the ‘rise of the Kerala artist’ has become a topic of discussion, an almost hot topic. Recently, I read an article published in Tehelka which spoke of the ‘Kerala artists.’  The article, written by Lakshmi Indrasimhan, starting off with a reference to Rajan Krishnan’s exhibition at the Bodhi Space, Mumbai in January, goes off to describe the phenomenon of Kerala artists.

But, here lies the catch.  Who are ‘Kerala artists ?’  Artists hailing from Kerala ? Or, artists living in Kerala ? If ‘Kerala artists’ are artists hailing from this State, how do we term artists living and working here ?  If it is the artists living and working here, what about the diaspora of Kerala artists who live anywhere but in Kerala ? What about the successful artists who now choose to come back to Kerala ? Then, is it Kerala artists or Malayali artists ? Is the region, or the language more important ?

Or, do we need categories at all ? 
 
The reality of Kerala is different from that of any other part of India.  When we generally speak of ‘Mumbai,’ ‘Delhi’ or ‘Kolkata’ and then, ‘Kerala,’ we forget that we are comparing India’s major metro cities with a ‘State,’ that stretches across 14 districts and which had earlier been divided into three ‘countries.’  A ‘Delhi Sketchbook,’ is a ‘Delhi’ sketchbook; nothing more, nothing less. It is Delhi. A ‘Mumbai Sketchbook,’ likewise, is ‘Mumbai’ sketchbook.  But, what when it comes to Kochi, or Kerala ? Of course, the galleries are, at least the majority of them, in Kochi. But the artists ?  They live anywhere Kasaragode to Thiruvananthapuram.  Not only in Kochi.  

Altogether, while we have to consider whether we need categorising at all, we also have to think of the fine distinction between different realities. 

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Given all that, what is now happening in Kochi ? February was a comparatively active month. Kashi followed up their annual show, ‘Kashi 10 Light Years,’ with an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by T.P.Premjee.  Gallery OED presented ‘Ways of Seeing,’ an exhibition of paintings by Mahesh G.  The Durbar Hall Art Centre showcased the annual art exhibition of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, followed by ‘Octave-2008,’ works from a camp focussing on artists from the North-Eastern States.  Draavidia Art Gallery, Eka Art Gallery and Chitram Art Gallery have all been showing some signs of life, after a hiatus.