“I always support young people,” says Anup Sankar Paul, “because…I am also young.” On a more serious note, the curator and painter, who was recently in New Delhi to present a group exhibition under the banner of the World Art Organisation, says his aim is to take the work of Indian artists to a wider audience. Many of the works he selected for the show, which concluded this past week at Lokayata gallery, Hauz Khas Village, have a distinctly Indian look, in terms of elements, technique or theme.
“I want to show Indian culture all over the world,” says Paul. But he is not jingoistically for maintaining old conventions and traditions. He recognises that art evolution, whether at the individual or collective level, cannot divorce itself from the past.
“We don’t always wear Indian clothes these days,” he says, pointing to his trousers and shirt. “Similarly, say an artist works with folk art, it won’t be an exact repetition of the old. Globalisation does have an effect.”
He hopes to organise a camp of Indian artists at the site of the Berlin Wall, the theme of which will explore the relationship between Indian culture and that of Germany. To paint at the Berlin Wall, he feels is the “ultimate dream” of every artist.
In a time of heavy cross-fertilisation of concepts, including commercialisation, he says, India is “under a lot of pressure from global elements, whether in life or in politics. So it affects the arts too.”
These effects are both of a negative and positive nature. While some elements of society may be lost, others are gained. A responsible artist’s job is to keep working without necessarily judging or being distracted. “This will last,” he says. “In the future people will see these paintings and they will be able to see a reflection of the economic, emotional and intellectual condition of this society.”
Art, he says, creates an image of the society for the future to see. “It is like a light shining in the dark. Where the light is aimed, there will be illumination, and there the image will be visible.”
Creating a portrait of our society for future generations is one thing, but there is no denying that the current generations of Indians “generally remain far from the arts,” admits Paul. To help the common citizens bridge the divide between ordinary life and the intangible riches art experiences offer, he feels the government ought to organise more exhibitions, including art on the street. Artists working at a high calibre, whose thought is profound, should be selected to introduce new spectators to the arts.
Paul’s colleague, painter Sekhar Biswas, whose work was also shown at Lokayata, adds a significant bit of information. “The Ministry of Culture has asked us to start a radio station for artists. It will have songs, topics, readings, etc., related to the arts. It will be called Painters’ Radio Station and will go on the air from February 20.”
While the radio station will be on FM frequencies, it will be heard all across West Bengal, say the artists.
“We are also planning a museum that will be set up at the registered office of the World Art Organisation in Kolkata,” adds Biswas, a founding member.
