The Art of Sustainability, the newest series in the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art’s (KNMA) popular ‘Art X’ digital series, addresses the importance of sustainability in visual art, fashion, architecture, design and so on. Here, the issues concerning the environment are placed at the forefront. Kiran Nadar, Founder, KNMA, in an interview with The Morning Standard elaborates on the series.
What led you to create this series?
We started the ‘Art X’ series in the first lockdown. We shifted to digital as we wanted to provide our viewers an access to art and related subjects while our physical museums were closed.
We have featured some truly interesting people throughout this series, and have used the series to explore the various crossroads of art and other subjects, including fashion, design, street art, food, and now sustainability. The series is available on our social media handles – it is our way of making art accessible to all.
How does one correlate art and sustainability?
As we are ingraining sustainability in all aspects of our life, we wanted to explore how this plays out in relation to art. While filming the series, we have had conversations on what sustainability means to different people.
Reducing the consumption of resources can mean basic things like reusing canvases and using non-toxic and organic paints. In the larger context, the act of sustainability is inherently intertwined with the work of a museum, it is present as an idea while creating and curating collections and exhibitions.
It is important to preserve and maintain a collection beyond a single lifetime. Art is meant for perpetuity, as memories of civilisation, for future generations to enjoy and experience.
Please cite some examples of how artists are working around sustainability?
Fashion designer Rina Singh (EkaDesign Studio) believes in creating simple, mindful designs that are long-lasting and not hyper-trendy. She works with an ecosystem of sustainability comprising weavers, artisans and customers. Jewellery designer Roma Narsinghani collects brass to recycle and produce jewellery. She has started integrating technology into the sampling of her jewellery to help save energy and metal.
Artist Walter D’Souza works with salvaged material like marine ply to create artworks. The use of recycled waste adds another layer to his vision that helps him create deeply meaningful pieces. Sustainability Activist Bandana Tewari buys clothes only from small, local vendors.
Tiwari prefers to know the weaver or craftsman personally, thereby attaching a face and story to each purchase. This is her way of safeguarding the back story and valuing the product.