What is art? Why is it important? and Why am I an artist?
Vikash kalra :– There never used to be any such thing as art. People painted on cave walls to record their trance-like hallucinations in the here and now. They made effigies to try and guarantee harvests, bring good fortune, or curry favor with the gods. People made paintings to communicate religious and political propaganda. They sang songs, danced and told stories to pass down the generations important behaviors and beliefs. Art just happened to be the best of the best of all that. But art is now self aware. The more it tries to be art, the more narcissistic and futile it becomes. So when our current activities are judged by people in the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out that movies, music, commercials and video games end up being considered art. But of course, only the best of the best will make the grade. Much of what we currently struggle to classify as art will likely be tossed aside as so much pointless navel-gazing.
Vikash Kalra is a self-taught artist and writer based in New Delhi whose work has been exhibited across India and is held in several private and corporate collections.