What are museums? Well, they collect the pieces of old objects, sometimes part of broken old pieces of stuff and sometimes complete objects. But there is some terms to store these objects in the museums; you can’t put your broken old chair in the museum unless it is sufficiently old, sufficiently broken, and sufficiently useless. If your chair is fulfilling all the above conditions then the museums will not only store your chair for the exhibition but they will also pay you for that. Isn’t it showing the thought process of our species, we are the worshipers of dead and rotten materials while giving no to very little significance to the people and objects that are new?
When an artist is alive and creating some wonderful art, there are too many possibilities that he will be ignored, his art will be ignored, and most of the time this ignore policy goes to that extent that both the artist and his artworks do not get any significant coverage. The life of artists and artworks gets significant notice only after their old age or after death.
There is the system or should I say a rotten system in the art world of India where living legends get ignored and when they die they are recognized by the mass. It is disgusting that a person who gave his whole life to a subject gets ignored and dies in isolation for the fame and money which he was entitled to.
When I see these artists working in India and giving their all-time, money, and all other resources in the hope of love and compassion of the mass and then they die without it, it gives me severe pain in my heart. Isn’t it complete negligence of the artists and their artworks? Indeed, it is but what could a single person do to change the whole system of mental sickness of the people.
I remember the days when my grandfather died. He was ill, old, and weak. Everyone was taking care of him and we were putting all our accommodations and pouring our love but at last, these all worldly things don’t matter. It may have done some good to him if it was done before he falls ill. This is the condition of our system in our art world. They pour love and care so much in your last stage that it doesn’t even matter. It is completely un-useful and utterly disgusting to look upon the way this system works.
If we look at the contemporary or modern artist and even if we take look at other artists from the 19th century to the 21st century, we see the same pattern. All the wonderful talents are getting wasted with the time since they are losing their aura and time for the art and nobody is giving a damn about them which lead to the downfall of Indian contemporary artist. In the 21st century art became a luxurious hobby which it is not.
We are going through the era of Jamini Roy to the SH Raza to the Vikash Kalra and many more without noticing them. It is the western culture that is giving their views and providing some limelight to the Indian contemporary and modern art. Even if we look upon the life and works of Amrita Sher-Gill, it is clear that she got all the appreciation and love from the western bonding. Even after that, she got all the good stuff only after her death.
When we talk about the appreciation, love, fame, and money in the art world it does create a sense of physical pleasure in the artistic ecosystem but it is undeniable that lack of these things doesn’t only make an artist life sadistic but sometimes it pushes them to the extreme condition of living where they fall below the basic needs.
India is indeed starting to recognize the modern and contemporary artists but it is too late and I fear that there will be a time when we will be far behind the other countries and cultures who are promoting their artists, cultural heritage, and talents.
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.