Kallat gets ready to decode art
Kallat gets ready to decode art Artist Jitish Kallat is a happy man, and he might owe that feeling to his latest installation. The 100-feet long work, 'Untitled (W.W.Y.B.H.)' that stands for When Will You Be Happy, opened in Sweden last week and will be up for a few months.
The artist who has also been busy conducting sessions for a workshop on Indian contemporary art by AVID, talks to CS about why it is important to work towards creating art literacy and begin a sustained dialogue on the arts:
For avid art buffs...While the Indian art scene has grown tremendously over the last six-seven years and the circumference of the art world has expanded substantially, information on art is always in short supply.
Contemporary art as a discipline does not intersect with mass culture and it's because people lack art literacy to engage with the works.
Workshops such as these bring together key voices in the field, such as poet and curator Ranjit Hoskote and art historian and critic Girish Shahane, and create a platform to begin a dialogue.
Mirroring life Most importantly, workshops like these make you aware of areas or issues that many laypeople might be ignorant of. Much of the rigorous work produced by some of the best artists in the country at this moment, refashions contemporary life in ways that can be very exciting and enlightening. This is of course possible only if one has the tools and information necessary to engage with the work and decode it.
Join the clubArt has always been an indulgence of the elite, but it is time that it gained a wider appeal. I feel that greater knowledge will lead to greater participation. Media can play a major role in educating the public about art and making art more accessible. People need to know that art can be instructive and transformational, but it can also be a lot of fun.
