Talent isn't Goan art's problem ------------------------------------------------------------------ By Rudolf Ludwig www.oherald.net ------------------------------------------------------------------
At present art in Goa is still a playground of a few who can afford and it's kept alive by foreigners. Art is getting a hot property! I have been asked from various sides and various media to publish my opinion. What I have to say is what I saw and learnt the past six years being involved in the arts in Goa. The discussion below is all about Goa having an art market or not, and continue in old ruts. A market would probably change many things related to culture and lifestyle in general. The entire field, from the very serious contemporary painting to artifacts would be commercially energized. Positions may change, institutions come and disappear, what seems secure today, may not be so, then. But it may not be so in future. The International Film Festival itself will create probably enough dynamism to introduce a market. A market will emerge earlier or later anyway, the question is, whether it's managed and organized properly or it goes a similar road like housing and property, which overwhelmed the existing structures and created chaos. If you wonder why there is so much fuss about art in whole of India suddenly, I can tell you only, it surfaces along with political democracy and economical development. It's an unavoidable phenomenon, because it's part of our human nature. To deal with art is not that easy, because it needs to be given birth, being nurtured, raised, educated, developed and then it matures. Furthermore it needs all people, the creators, critics, publishers, appreciators, buyers and all those who talk about it -- negatively or positively. Artists from Goa have always been around, but they ventured around the world without much impact on their homeland, but Goan art, as a brand -- if the brand does really exist -- is something really new and came to life with the founding of the institution of the Goa College of Art in the seventies, guided and headed by nationally and internationally reputed artists, notably names like D. Harihar, Laximan Pai, V.S. Vishwambhara and others. The beginning was made and fine arts in Goa were launched like a rocket and heading towards the skies. It is noteworthy to mention here that some of the most influential Indian artists of the 20th century have Goan roots: FN Souza who migrated to London and later to New York, VS Gaitonde, the most influential abstractionist India ever had, and Mario Miranda the cartoonist. There are many more exiled Goan artists to be reckoned with, but this is reserved for a different study. For sure, talent isn't the problem of art in Goa, it never was. To describe the situation here: the existing art scene is all a matter of personal relationships and the entire thing is heading towards a crisis in all its manifestations. Market structures will solve all the problems because it ignores personal pettiness as well as political halo; you can't rule the spirit; you can only manage him. People, institutions, styles etc will disappear and new ones will rise. There are many deficiencies and shortcomings. In order to manage the unavoidable transition some areas should be examined and taken care of, namely: The artist training institute Goa College of Art, the artists themselves, critics, general art education and marketing. The first area of examination is the institute where artists are being formed, the Goa College of Art. Producing annually tirelessly some 20 odd new artists, the question arises for the young artist after completing his studies: how do I survive? It's anyone's guess how they do it, but certainly not by selling paintings. That's a difficult thing to do. And without a name, it's almost impossible. What lies ahead of them? There was the suggestion that the government buys compulsorily minimum one painting per exhibition from a Goan artist. This is certainly a well meant incentive, but anyone will agree with me these kind of interventions won't solve anything. However, since the idea came from the CM himself, it shows there is concern about the existing problem. A market-oriented situation will produce lesser artists, however better ones: class instead of mass. The same applies also for the teaching staff, lecturers and officials. High caliber lecturers and artists have to be invited for workshops, seminar, temporary assignments, guest lecturers, international exchange progammes launched, high profile exhibitions and continuously students - exhibitions, etc, etc. The present set-up does not allow all that. The education institute should work closely with galleries, which provide the future of the artists, in the same way as engineering college collaborates with the industry and designs studies according to their need. So far the collaboration amounts to almost nil, a fact that is quite difficult to figure out, why. Instead of having a 100% government institute one wishes seriously an institution like Chitrakala Parishad in Bangalore, based on trustees and only partly supported by the government. An alternative private based institution is on the cards and can be realized if within the next 2 years no solution can be found. Competition from advanced market places like Bombay, Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi will simply overwhelm local artists. We will produce only artistic housewives instead of serious artists. The psychological vacuums and traumas created can backfire in many unwanted ways. It's an absolutely serious problem and has to be addressed. We play with the very subsistence level of lives. To sharpen the problem: private galleries meanwhile concentrate only on very few, selected artists and build them up. The rest stands in the dust. The second major area is the Goan artist himself. A market will change the artist. Pricing is done presently subjectively by the artist himself. Without market valuation everyone tends to rate himself higher than the neighbour artist. We have a comparatively high price niveau compared to the rest of India; but there are no existing criteria. This will change because an increasing number of commercial galleries are getting more and more conscious of price levels and the value of an artist. Moreover, favoritism in the past, from galleries, institutions, politicians or officials has led to an attitude of complacency, which is adverse to development of art and culture. Good talent has probably disappeared many a time without being actually noticed, because nobody wanted them!! It is advisable for anyone who takes art up seriously to manage his own career; that means moving around in India trying to get into group exhibitions, workshops, post graduate studies etc since the exposure is much more in the centers. What is disappointing is the fact that plagiarism is still widely in practice, whether discovered or undiscovered. Plagiarism is simply outlawed and not permitted and anyone who does it dishonors himself and eventually damages the reputation of the art community. I have seen striking examples from people you don't expect it, one should be aware that it does not go unnoticed. In future consequences will be much more serious than it was in the past. The third area involved is the press and particularly art critics. Critics usually play the complementary role of the artist. He is as important. Also he is asked to deliver quality. No doubt in the past few years, coverage of art events has dramatically increased in our newspapers. In certain cases we enjoy also good quality articles. For the one or other reason, suddenly -- may it be political pressure, money, convenience or something else -- the same author writes opportunistic rubbish. There are cases that may have harmed or damaged the further career of an artist, in case a mediocre amateur is praised and he goes in his exuberance into the cold shark fish reality of Mumbai or Delhi; he'll fall and not get up again. It's better not to write than doubtful, pink coloured eye washers. There are also cases the same artist is praised at Kala Academy and cut down at a private galley. The pure conscience of the critic is of enormous value. Press houses and Government institutions have to leave the freedom to write as the critic feels without pressurizing him. Too many examples of critics being pushed into their seats have harmed the art process. General art education. At one side there are dozens of unemployed, but qualified artists, trying to survive, on the other hand art education in schools is handled by non-artists. To use this creative potential and knowledge of art history would be a great thing, in order to raise the intellectual level at school level. It makes a difference, whether students can talk about Leonardo and Josef Beuys, about Amrita Sher Gil and MF Hussain. I think, it makes a huge difference and is comparatively easy to achieve. The other end is the marketing of art, the private Galleries and Kala Academy. Statistics show that more than 90% of all sold artworks go outside Goa, less than 10% remain within the Goan boundaries at the walls of Goan houses. That's bad. Why? Because eventually Goa is losing a part of it's own cultural identity if it lets go her creative potential. There is also no use of having great Goan artists in London, New York, Paris, and Delhi. Every artist that leaves the shore is a lost potential and contributes to someone else. Goa had once built its cultural identity when all the creative genius was called at work and the stunning architecture, music, dance and literature were set alive. We are all living on that heritage today! Everything they did in the past, it pays revenue today. And what do we do? We waste it and send our best heads away. To revert the trend following has to be considered: First: The Kala Academy is the heart of Goan cultural activities. Once professional management and curation of exhibitions is being introduced, the gallery of Kala Academy could become the nerve-centre of all kinds of art related activities, from auction to appreciation seminars, from international art exhibition to meeting place of the creative minds. Then, art shows are to be curated by someone who enjoys the overwhelming confidence and support of the artists and has enough credibility among the buying class and interest turns into appreciation, appreciation turns into purchases. Second: Paintings sold to foreigners is useless gain. It undercuts quality and ends in commerce, since once it is gone nobody cares about it anymore. The re-sale becomes impossible and a secondary art market cannot take off. However I believe the local population will recognize indigenous artists and purchase their works. Recent observations confirm that fact. Properly marketed, valuable paintings are already purchased by the local middle class, who actually is in waiting position for alternatives in investment. What it needs is only to ensure people that their money is safely invested and will increase its value in course of time. Again, Kala Academy by its location and its very nature will play a dominant role. Presently the problem of the gallery at the Kala Academy offers a quality mix that it naturally bears, since it is open to every artist. Its principle is basic-democratic oriented, but not market oriented. The problem is, no potential buyer runs the risk of taking an overpriced but worthless painting. The good news is that different quality standards can live under the same roof, however they have to be labeled, categorized and priced accordingly, so that the difference of an amateur's work and a masterpiece can be made known and potential buyers may lose their prejudiced security concerns. An indication that our observations regarding that transformation process is very realistic, was the Fontainhas Art Festival in Jan 2003. Who had thought that something like that would be possible in Goa? Many things worked together and art was the catalyst. A few years back this would not have been achieved, but mass and class have reached now a critical level. Experience collected at the tourist centre of Calangute-Candolim suggest to apply the knowledge at the cultural heart of Goa and participate in the ongoing transformation process of cultural and social change in the state towards a sustainable cultural ethos that may be attractive in general towards Indian and foreign people as well. I estimate the entire transformation from a feudal to a market system, which now underway, will actually happen the next five years, unless conservative forces play very rigidly against it; then it will only delay for some time. If everything goes well and political forces stand in favour, Goa could become recognized as an international art place. This would definitely change the face of the state, towards one of the most envied places in India and Asia -- and hopefully change also the type of tourists under which we are all reeling at present. -- The author is the owner of the Art Chamber, Galeria de Belas Artes in Calangute, a centre that has been demonstrating that properly managed promotion of art produced by Goan artists is a successful venture that can find many followers. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
