Public spaces, according to veteran artist SG Vasudev, are where people and artists congregate. “It is important to ensure that public spaces are used properly,” he says.
It is difficult not to ask Vasudev the obvious. How would he describe the paintings that dominate the city walls nowadays?
“Bangalore is an urban, modern city. These paintings do not depict that,” he says. He says painting walls, per se, is a good idea. But, before that, there is a need to clean the city, “to beautify it by cleaning roads and having urinals so that people do not use these very walls to relieve themselves.”
But Vasudev feels that such projects “shouldn’t be done haphazardly”. The current paintings, he says, “have no meaning”. And he compares them to, “bad banners or hoardings”.
He points out that, in the government itself there is an academy for painting and sculpture, which should have been consulted.
He recalled, that IM Vittal Murthy had, when hewas the transport commissioner, encouraged art in public spaces by getting 60 buses painted by as many artists. Vasudev himself painted a bus at Koramangala. “All artists were spread out to different locations so people there could see artists at work.”
It isn’t difficult to get well-known artists to do public art. Even remunerations aren’t a problem. “Not everybody will go to a gallery, but public art is out in the open for all to see,” he explains.
Patrons needed
“I’m a bit disappointed with IT city. There isn’t much patronage from IT sector, except for one or two patrons — this sector is not supporting art.” While there are several initiatives, their interest in art is scant.
Citing an example of Baroda, he says, “Industrialists (there) support art, creating studios.”
“The government’s culture department is creating an art village in the Bangalore University campus — Kalagram,” he says and adds: “Their idea of art village is to invite craftsmen, which is fine. But, they need to think about contemporary art.”
Young artists who are graduating from art schools in the city face a major problem, Vasudev points out. “There is no space for them to work. There is a need to have space for art studios.” Such studios should be part of Kalagram.
Art of appreciation
“I have seen, on my trips abroad, school students are taken to museums and galleries, where they are introduced and educated about famous paintings, painters. Often children are encouraged to draw these paintings, so they sit around it and do that.”
On the contrary, schools here seem to have little or no little for such activities. Art appreciation, he says, has to be encouraged in childhood.
Possibilities abound
Vasudev sees possibilities in developing art in the city. “We need to create more public spaces.” As location is paramount, he feels the centrally-located Ravindra Kalakshetra holds tremendous potential.
“There can be permanent stands (easels) outside along the boundary of Ravindra Kalakshetra where artists can come and paint.” Artist-people interaction, he says, “will rid the visual art of its elite tag”.
In fact, another beautiful location waiting to be transformed according to him is Venkatappa Art Gallery. Using the facility to screen films is another option that should be explored; however, there should be “fixed time shows”.
“Once a week, Bangalore artists can come to the gallery, set up their easels and paint. I can paint and if someone walks up to me for a chat, I would like it.”
Breaking the barrier
Picking from his own experience, he says, “Back in 1975, I had made a 90ft by 10ft of crushed glass bangles. I had an exhibition of my show, sometime later. At the gallery, this gentleman comes to me and tells me that his office was right opposite the theatre and he had seen me work at the mural.”
He pauses before sharing the best part, “He told me that he had come to see my work because for several years, every day on his way to work, he would pass by the mural I created.” Public art, definitely has high recall value. “It helps introduce people into the working space of the artist.”
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