The art world thrives on exclusivity, where the value of a work is determined as much by the networks around it as by the art itself. In This Garden of Weeds, V Sanjay Kumar takes readers into this insular world through the death of Maya, an unconventional artist who pushed the boundaries of everything she perceived or knew. The police rule her death a suicide, but the novel gradually opens up the life behind it, tracing the relationships, rivalries and private battles that shaped her. Beneath the glamour lies a world where women fight to reclaim their agency. As Kumar observes, “...women had to battle to reclaim their bodies from their men and their children. Which is why in their art, the body became a site where the wars were fought and often, they were the ones getting hurt.”
The novel follows two women, friends Nupur and Tara, coming from different family histories. Nupur comes from a family of Baniya businessmen who manufactured Toofan mixies until her father, Salil, breaks away from the constraints of the joint family. Salil’s wife, Sarla, is an anomaly in this conservative milieu. Half-Catholic, she shares cigarettes with him and introduces him to a different Delhi. Their relationship shocks his family, prompting the couple to move to Noida and build a life on their own terms. Tara, meanwhile, is Maya’s daughter, growing up in the shadow of a mother whose narcissism shapes their relationship. Rejection and pain are part of her inheritance.
Kumar offers a panoramic view of the art world, taking in the production, circulation and sale of art alongside the private lives of artists, dealers and their associates. “On the opening day, you stand in a commercial space, naked, and money walks through the door. You can see the cruel gaze of the buyers sizing up what you have slaved over, and suddenly you want to go to these people and explain. You want to talk up your art, make it valuable. You want to reduce the price you have set.” The passage captures the uneasy relationship between artistic expression and the market.
The novel also explores the uncertain beginnings of artistic careers, when talent does not necessarily translate into success. Art schools emerge as important meeting points, connecting artists whose relationships extend well beyond their student years.
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its memorable characters. Salil and Sarla stand out, as do Ardeshir, known to his friends as RDX, and Suleiman, who resists his daughter Rehaana’s decision to pursue a career in art. Each is idiosyncratic, caught up in personal delusions or addictions, yet too complex to be reduced to a type. Kumar brings their disparate lives together in a richly textured narrative. Told through multiple perspectives and in a non-linear fashion, the novel gradually alters the reader’s understanding of its characters.
The cover production, the paper quality, as well as uneven editing could have been better in an otherwise excellent book. Though none of this can eclipse the talent of the author as he writes an expose and heartfelt tale dedicated to art.