Art appreciation in Kerala is an area that hasn’t grown out of the mould created during the colonial era and precious little has been written for Keralites in the fields of art history, the process of making art and art criticism, rues T.A. Sathyapal, chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.
That is why the Akademi is now taking up a project to get significant art-related works from other parts of the country and in English rendered in Malayalam. The plan is to get some 30 or so landmark works translated, to start with. A meeting of translators will be held on May 26 to this end.
It is unfortunate that there’s very little documentation in Malayalam on Indian art practices, says Mr. Sathyapal. “We have taken up this project as part of our mission to enhance the visual sensibility of the people of Kerala. We will be translating books by K.G. Subramanyan, some of them written for children; on the art of A. Ramachandran; Enchantment and Engagement , the book written by art historian R. Sivakumar on KGS; books on the aesthetics of viewing, depiction and the like.
The Akademi has managed to get permission from most publishers with copyright of these tomes and the process of obtaining permission from some English-language publishers is under way. Besides works by artists, critics and historians, there’s also a need to bring the likes of Roland Barthes, Theodor Adorno and Eric Hobsbawm into Malayalam in a matter of six months. It’s a simple but formidable first step,” he says.
Simultaneously, the Akademi has commissioned serious studies on contemporary Malayali artists who have created a niche for themselves. “Such a work on artist Namboodiri, who has not been studied methodically, is on the cards,” he says.
Aiming to bring about an overall change in the society’s understanding of art, practice and the media, the Akademi has taken up a slew of projects including setting up art galleries at schools, hospitals and prisons as also promoting public art. The translation mission forms part of its larger goal to pave the way for a refined visual culture.
