THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A group of artists from the state has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking the immediate dissolution and restructuring of the governing committee of the Lalithakala Akademi and restoring its nature as a body facilitating and promoting art. As many as 280 artists from India and abroad have signed the petition.
“The akademi, which was set up to promote art is in a state of disarray in the absence of a capable administrative leadership,” the group of artists has alleged as they put forth a seven-point request to the Chief Minister. Among the points stressed in the memorandum, the artists demanded that the governing committee be dissolved and restructured immediately.
Among the points stressed, it laid emphasis on selecting only artists who have made their mark in the art field to the top posts and that the governing body is gender-inclusive with representation from all the sectors. The arts community demanded that the governing body be reorganised to include those who are closely associated with the arts beyond partisan considerations.
“The lack of an able leadership shows itself in the autocratic decisions that are taken. Many artists have recently resigned from the academy’s executive committee in protest of the dictatorial tendencies,” the group of artists said in a statement.