KOCHI: ‘Give controlling stakes to women, you’ll see change’, was contemporary artist Anita Dube’s wish for a change with the art environment around the world. The first women curator at Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KBM) was speaking at the BMW Art Talk on the theme ‘Art in Difficult Times’, on Thursday.
She added language restrictions and socio-economic backwardness still restrict several talented artists from getting recognised for their expertise.
“Masterful artists like C K Rajan from Kerala, Bapi Das from West Bengal whose works are displayed at KMB 2018, were long ignored as their surroundings excluded them from the discursive frame of culture, which still remains largely elitist,” said Anita. She added an immediate state intervention with respect to institutionalised translations of art and literary works will boost the inter-cultural exchange and recognition of artists.
Another panellist, septuagenarian artist Sue Williamson from South Africa, who with her two installations at KMB, aims to shed light on the neglected histories of her country and draw parallels with Kerala, said the art should encourage discourse. “Through my works, I try to prompt a dialogue through which people can get closure to their long-term wounds inflicted from oppression and violence,” said Sue. Her wish? Children everywhere be brought up to see art as part of their daily lives, which enables it to become completely non-threatening.
V Venu, CEO of ‘Rebuild Kerala’ Committee, reminded the audience the Biennale was being hosted just 100 days after one of the greatest disasters the state has seen. “The government had no second thoughts on hosting KBM this year, as it understands art is not a luxury, not something to be done in case of free time and resources. It is a part and parcel of a society,” said Venu.
He added the KBM is like holding up a flag to the world, indicating our revival after hitting rock-bottom. And, Venu wished the youth be given the freedom and the resources to pursue whatever art they want. Anita ended with her dream of making art accessible to the layman and with the KBF’s ‘Pavilion’, a space for conversations, with which KBF hopes to elicit constructive discussions which may lead people to catharsis.