By Vishal Tondon
Last week on the 5th of August, we saw the Kolkata launch of the TAKE on art magazine; with special mention of the issue number 05. The thematic of this issue was Curation.
TAKE on art is a welcome entrant on the now vibrant scene of art journals in India. In the last couple of years, a process of decentralization was taking place in the context of tilting the hegemonic hold Mumbai and Delhi had over the workings of the art market – the tilt intended in favor of other centers. In such a scenario, yet another art journal from Delhi would need something more to offer. TAKE on art, with Bhavna Kakar at the helm as editor and publisher, took the cue and bypassed the race to be just another art news magazine from India, and its international aspirations translated into impeccable design and rigorous content.
The launch of TAKE on art – Curation (Issue 05), guest edited by Vidya Shivadas and Natasha Ginwala, was followed by a presentation on his work by artist Sudarshan Shetty. Sudarshan was also engaged in a very insightful conversation by art critic Aveek Sen. Aveek’s perceptive analysis of Sudarshan’s work also owes to the fact that they have worked together earlier. At the India Art Summit this January, Aveek read a paper to complement the release of ‘The More I Die the Lighter I Get’, a monograph of Sudarshan’s work from 1995-2010. Earlier, in June 2010 at Art Basel, as part of the programs on artists’ talks, Aveek had moderated a very exciting conversation between Dayanita Singh and Sudarshan.
Artist Talk. Sudarshan Shetty, Dayanita Singh with Aveek Sen
A very interesting issue raised during the Art Basel conversation was that of appropriation; Dayanita had used Sudarshan’s sculpture-installation ‘Love’ for her own photographs which were to be published in her book ‘House of Love’, and now the issue was who owned the intellectual right to these photographs? Sudarshan was supportive of the originality and autonomy of Dayanita’s work. In fact, he acknowledged that Dayanita’s ‘House of Love’ was a continuation of his own work, the installation ‘Love’, which could be said to be work in progress.
'LOVE' by Sudarshan Shetty
As for Sudarshan’s and Aveek’s discussion on the event of the launch of TAKE on art in Kolkata last week, the conversation between Aveek and Sudarshan revolved largely around Sudarshan’s two important and particularly poignant works – ‘This Too Shall Pass’ and ‘Love’.
Thks vishal for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteCould you please elaborate on the present discussion - I mean about the works...later if possible.
Vandana Kothari
Sure, Vandana.
ReplyDeleteSudarshan made a video presentation of two series of works that he made among others in the last couple of years. These were 'This Too Shall Pass' and 'Love'
'This Too Shall Pass' is important I guess also because it was an intervention into a public museum space that we so easily take for granted. In the Bhau Daji Lad Museum at Mumbai, Sudarshan created his own artworks that are contemporary to our times, but engage the museum space and the artworks it houses in a dialectic with the new art objects. That way, we become part of a history which is not dead and forgotten, but is still in process. It energizes the museum space, and makes it once more relevant to our times.
As for the series 'Love', there were objects and installations - including some kinetic installations - that very evocatively and poignantly brought forth the contradictory aspects of love; how love is portrayed by the advertising industry, science, art, romantic literature, etc. Through this all, the thought that love which is a very subjective feeling has been associated viscerally to the heart hit me the strongest. I found the series 'Love' particularly moving, as it used visuals and sound very evocatively.
So Sudarshan was showing these videos, and as and when Aveek or the audience would have any questions, he would pause and answer their queries.
Aveek asked him some very pertinent questions including what were the sources of his inspiration?
(to which Sudarshan replied "literature" and his family background...in the context of his father having been a performance artist; he was a Yakshagana performer...so Sudarshan was saying that performance and theatricality have inspired quite a lot of his work...)
Also Aveek asked him how sound and music influences his work, to which Sudarshan replied that he was very much inspired by the music of Kumar Gandharva...the inflections in classical music...its structure...
You can also check out the Art Basel video on the net, where Aveek Sen is in conversation with Dayanita Singh and Sudarshan Shetty
Warm regards,
Vishal
thnks vishal for this detail inputs on the works, will definitely go through the Art Basel video..
ReplyDeletehv a gd dy!
Hey, Vandana,
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to the Art Basel video of artists' talks that I mentioned:
http://www.artbasel.com/go/id/mgu/