Reported By:
| Edited By: Manish D Mishra |Source: DNA |Updated: Dec 23, 2017, 01:20 AM IST
It was a moment of reckoning, when last fortnight, the Rajasthan government jolted the country’s stagnant art scene out of its nostalgic complacency as hallowed corridors of the soul-searing Madhavendra Palace at Nahargarh Fort were thrown open to leading contemporary artists of the world to showcase their works. CM Vasundhara Raje inaugurated India’s first Sculpture Park that now displays works of 15 Indian and nine international artists. The first-of-its-kind initiative led by the Rajasthan government and the non-profit organisation Saat Saath Arts, supported by several corporate houses including the Zee Group, will be the coming-of-age International Art Space in Rajasthan. Shreyasi Goenka, Co-director of the Saat Saath Arts Foundation, who’s an avid art collector herself speaks about the ambitious and game-changing initiative, the relevance of having arts in public sphere and future plans. Over to the sophisticate...
The basic idea behind the Sculpture Park was to bring and resurrect contemporary arts from across the world into the public space so that individuals from every walk of life can understand and enjoy the arts. While we do have an array of art galleries and spaces in the country showcasing arts, their reach and impact is rather limited. Not everyone saunters into an art gallery. I am of the view that public art is the barometer of how society has evolved. If more and more people get to see and understand art, it’s an optimistic step. With this initiative, we’ve tied up with Google’s art and culture app, where individuals can download an audio guide, which gives them all the information on the works at the Sculpture Park. Besides, we’d also like corporate groups to come forward and extend support to this unique initiative. I’m glad to share that we have got an array of private corporations to fund it. All in all, it’s a true public-private partnership.
The idea germinated all thanks to Mrs Mala Singh, an advisor to the Government of Rajasthan on culture and tourism. She discussed the idea with the CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia and got in touch with Aparajita Jain, Founder, Saat Saath Arts Foundation (SSAF) and wheels were set in motion. In post-Independence India, the only art legacies that have been left are our heritage forts and palaces which have often been under-utilised. Hence, we saw a lot of potential there and the project took birth.
By bringing the arts into public spaces and educating people through our initiative. Now that we have this unique space for a period of 10 years, we rotate artworks and inculcate new pieces and offer the public a 360 degree view into the realm of contemporary arts.
If you review the Indian art scene, in the pre-Independence era, all the arts were patronised, mainly by the aristocratic and royal families of India. Their miniature paintings, palaces and forts represented India’s art legacy. Since India’s Independence, artworks have been confined to private collections and were not brought into public realm due to the lack of patronage. With this initiative, you can view the entire fort for a sum of `50. Usually the fort has visitors to the tune of 10,000 per day during peak seasons, so I think, it’s a good start.
By launching more initiatives like this all across the country. If other states wake up to it and more corporates extend their support, we’ve won our battle. Day in, day out, we go on with our lives without any involvement with the arts. So creating a haven of the arts where anyone can walk in seems like a step in the right direction.
We hope that other corporate groups understand and support our vision. The kind of spaces required for museums are huge and there are many under-utilised assets across the country. If they lend it to us, we’ll programme them and take them to another level with a single-minded drive and focus. Now our aim is to do it in Mumbai.
