Mycanvas capers: Artist Yusuf Arakkal

Who are the three artists from Bangalore you appreciate?
There are many artists, specially the younger generation,  I admire and like. It wouldn’t be fair if I name just a few. Unlike ten years back, today I could easily pick a dozen young artists who could fit into any international art event.

How has Bangalore shaped the trajectory of Indian contemporary art?
When my generation of artists began working in Bangalore — may be four decades back — there wasn’t much happening in the contemporary art field here. It was me and a few artists like the late G S Shenoy, Hadpad, Jasu Raval, Milind Naik among others, who formed the first substantial contemporary artists organisation called The Karnataka Painters, which began showing works out side the state for the first time. This organisation worked as stepping stone for many of today’s younger generation of artists. A decade later, the development was very rapid that brought out a large number of young talents to the fore.

What role can the media play in support of the arts?
I think the role media could play in nurturing talent is very important. Most of the developments in the world of art were brought to the fore by the support of the media — without it many of the new trends in art would have fizzled out unrecognised. I would like to relate an interesting story about media and art in Bangalore. In the early eighties, I took out a procession of artists and art students to all newspaper offices demanding more coverage for art. And later, I began to write a regular column for Sunday Herald, interviewing artists. By mid-eighties, the media attention became much better.

Apart from art, you also write poetry. Are there any other interests that you have?
I began to write poetry quite some time back. It was mostly about my inner conflicts that are related to my art and life. I published a few in various journals and magazines. In the early nineties, Kamala Das read some of them and made a selection of about twenty poems she thought would be good to publish as a collection. I am yet to do it. I am a voracious reader. Books are my most valuable possessions. I read all kind of books, from Tintin to Tolstoy.

One of my interests is again pertaining to art. I collect a lot of works by other artists. For the last twenty five years we have been collecting art, mostly Indian artists. A lot of younger artists works have found way to our collection. I love to write — generally about art. I have a monthly column for Sunday Express. I am also working on a book — a kind of biographical fiction.

From an artist’s point of view, how is Bangalore as a city to work in?
I loved Bangalore of yester years, the quiet Bangalore. Though I work a lot in many cities of the world, Bangalore still remains my favourite  city.

What do the art fraternity and established artists need to do in order to support and promote young Indian artists?
We have a lot of art galleries now — many of them could do a lot to support and promote younger artists. Though there is a lot of commercial interest prevailing, there are a number of galleries and art promoters who are doing a lot to support the younger generation. I think the established artists can also do a lot in directing the youngsters into the right path.