Eminent sculptor Adwaita Gadanayak speaks to TNIE at Odisha Dialogues on various issues plaguing the Indian art scene - from bureaucratic control, lack of promotion and patronage to deteriorating quality of education - and presents his vision and roadmap for a resurrection
How do you see the art scene in India at present and how do you foresee its progress in the future? Are the youth today inclined to art and craft?
The art scene in 21st century India has changed drastically. Earlier, a few artists had tried to work with Indian roots and had people in their mind. Today, there is no connection between art and the public. Artists are creating art for their own community. Their works are exhibited in galleries, which are witnessed by 10 to 15 artists... at most 100. They are the only ones appreciating the art, not the public. There is no discussion on art.
Even if you want to do something to change this scenario, the government system is such that you cannot do anything. The culture departments and wings are all helmed by bureaucrats who have no link with culture. Some are from mines background, some from agriculture but they are the ones deciding policies for art and culture.
Coming to private galleries, they are a different and an artificial world altogether. They are being owned by the rich. They run the art scene like their fiefdom. They decide what is art, what is not, what to sell, what not to.
Having said that, an artist also has responsibility towards her/his craft. If she/he does not develop her/his art, the world will not respect her/him. Today, there is no respect for either art or the artist. Today when we buy a craft, we bargain and pay the artist for his labour and raw materials but we do not pay for her/his art. That is not the case with other countries where the art is respected. We need to talk about art as a part of society. We also need to create an ecosystem to help our art and artists survive.
You spoke about bureaucratic control over art and culture, and the rich ruling over the art sector. What is the way out of this?
Art should be handled by artists. It should be freed from the ‘know-alls’ and the ‘syndicate’. We have the system of bureaucracy which does not think of art and culture as a field of creativity and independence. It constrains art in red tapism. Second, we have to develop a system where an artist at the grassroots level is recognised and brought to the national level. We need to have more art galleries and museums. In our country, we have not thought of setting up museums. Whatever museums exist today are all housed in old buildings. In the West, museums are monuments, in India, they are shabby exhibits. They have no structure, no character.
One of PM Narendra Modi’s biggest efforts has been to bring back Indian relics and antiquities from the foreign lands to our country. But, like you pointed out, there are no museums to keep them. What is the future of these treasures?
Like I said, we have to construct a good museum. The countries which have these relics and antiquities, are at least displaying them in a proper manner and they are being seen by thousands of people everyday. Sadly in our country, they are kept in storerooms after being brought back. Until we have a good museum, there is no value in bringing back these relics and antiquities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now planning to set up a big museum at North and South Block, New Delhi. After that is done, we will have a proper museum to display our heritage. Here, I want to add that we should start using technology to save our heritage.
Speaking about technology, this is an era of AI. Is it a boon or a bane for art and artists?
Both. We need to understand how much technology can be used for art. Too much of it can waste a system. For the Prime Ministers’ museum (Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya), we had extensively used technology. But, the same technology is irrelevant now. Today, we are using more technology in art which is appealing for sometime but does not hold any value in the long run. The Ram Janmabhoomi temple for instance. It looks like the design of a film set; it has no essence. In the past when a sculptor worked on a temple, he created a marvel. Now, there are machines to cut the stones, AI to plan the structure and the final product looks like it is lacking life. Technology is killing the essence of art.
You have held high positions as the DG of National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and now the vice-president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). How have you used both the positions to benefit the art community and what is your vision for development of Indian art and artists?
When I was the DG NGMA, the first work that I did was to search for works of artists who practised prior to Independence. I had then come across names of Odisha’s Upendra Maharathi (entrusted with the construction and design of the main gate and pandal of the Ramgarh Congress session) and Bengal’s Nandalal Bose (the Haripura Series), both of whom worked with Mahatma Gandhi. I had found 6,000 works of Bose and thousands of works of Maharathi. In all other NGMA centres also, we tried to trace out works of more such artists and also contemporary artists and bring them to our galleries. I had also organised ‘Kala Kumbh’ to bring all traditional, indigenous and contemporary artists, writers, filmmakers and many other stakeholders under one roof for exchange and amalgamation of ideas. Now, I want to create a vision for art’s development and bring all institutions like ICCR, IGNCA, NGMA, Lalit Kala Akademi under one roof for the purpose. What all these institutions do now is organise small events like exhibitions, art camps, etc., but this does not lead to anything substantial. Also, I want to build a bridge to connect the artists community and the business houses that are keen on investing in art.
The art scene and art education in Odisha are struggling. What, according to you, is needed to revive them?
This is the first time the issue is being discussed. Odisha has everything for an artist but we as a society, have brought the standards of our art down. Not just in Odisha, art education is suffering in the entire country. There is no culture policy or a policy for art education either in Odisha or India. During my tenure at the NGMA, I had proposed setting up an Indian Institute of Culture, like the IITs, IIMs. But, it never saw light of the day because the bureaucracy did not feel it important. Today, there are no research centres in art and whatever research is being done is questionable, directionless as far as quality is concerned. Our education system has become such where art is not taught in the true sense of the word. Today, we see art students being engaged in painting street walls and we also appreciate this. But little do we realise that we are demeaning their craft and these students are treated like labourers because they are engaged by contractors who get the tender for beautifying city walls. And when the same students step out of art colleges, they are directionless and face unemployment. This is also why a parent does not want his child to pursue art education because there is no employment or respect for the artists.
Like Khelo India, the government should create an Art India movement where we groom artists at all levels, provide them a platform and start a movement to revive art awareness and education. Government can think of providing art students scholarships, fellowships or sending them for exposure visits. Art is learned through experiences. Sadly, nothing such is happening now; they are just limited to four walls of a classroom.
Coming to yourself, you have worked majorly with black granite. Any particular reason why?
I come from Neulapoi, a small village between Joranda and Kapilas in Dhenkanal. My relationship with stone began in my childhood when my mother used to ask me to bow down before a stone while on our way to Kapilas. When I began studying art, I realised there’s life in it; it is the oldest thing on the planet. I have been working with stone for 45 years now and it is beyond just a medium for me. I feel it is my grandfather who constantly guides me through my art. The greatest among all stones is granite and why I chose black granite is because it is a colour that embraces everything.
Is there any particular incident that has changed your artistic journey and life?
When the Buddha statues in Bamiyan (Afghanistan) were being destroyed in front of the world, I had a desire to rebuild them on a much larger scale. When I decided to take up the project, I received numerous threats. I went into hiding somewhere in Himachal to implement the project atop a large mountain. I started receiving death threats and had to stay in hiding for nearly one-and-half years. However, I eventually succumbed to the pressure and had to abandon the project, which remains one of my greatest regrets. Following that episode, I sought to create something that would connect the public to my work. This vision was reflected in the Dandi March project of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, which I undertook during the same period. Since then, I have strived to ensure that all my work resonates with the public, allowing them to feel and establish a spiritual connection with it. To this day, I have maintained this form in my artistic endeavours.
Odisha has had an unparalleled sculptural heritage since ancient times. But, the craft and craftsmanship seems to have declined in the present day. Where do you think the problem lies?
I disagree. Odisha has stone craftsmen but we have not given them the space to work here. You will find many Odia sculptors working in Gujarat, creating temples in London and America. Even the Ram Janmabhoomi temple had involvement of many Odia craftsmen. But here, we have not created any significant temples since the 13th century. In fact, Odisha’s sculptural heritage stopped after the 13th century.
We should be creating something as monumental as the Konark Sun temple again. Not only will it revive our heritage, it will provide work to our artisans and attract tourists. Odisha will regain its past glory only if it promotes and continues to engage with the magnificent craftsmanship that we possess.
In the context of present day polarized sensitivities, how do you perceive artistic freedom in our country? Should artists have absolute freedom for creative expression or should they also be sensitive towards the public sentiments?
An artist should be given freedom but there should be some boundaries too. People have the right to discuss and criticise someone’s work but they should not destroy it. At the same time, artists should also be sensitive towards the public’s perception. If there are no boundaries, the artist’s creativity can venture towards the wrong, which is not good for society.