When literature inspires art

Khushwant Singh, the Scotch-swilling octogenarian writer and columnist, seems to have found a new fan following. No, we are not referring to the countless young, budding writers, who hope to take a cue or two from him. We are talking about a bunch of extremely talented artists, who have drawn inspiration from Singh’s autobiography, Truth, Love and A little Malice, his life and writings to create art for SoBo’s Tata Literature Fest.  

For people who believe that Mario Miranda’s man-in-the-bulb caricature of Singh scribbling on a sheet of paper, sitting next to a pile of books and a bottle of whiskey—which was used with his articles for over three decades— best describes him, here is something to chew on. Illustrious artists like Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpana Caur, Manjunath Kamath, Manu Parekh, Masooma Sayed, Meera Devidayal, Raghu Rai, Rashid Rana and Vidya Kamat, among others, have developed unique imagery by moulding and manipulating the autobiography’s narrative to create a synthesis of text and images.

For these artists, Singh’s life is the subject of much wonder and amazement. Take the case of Mumbai-based artist Vidya Kamat, who has fashioned a digitally modified photograph that emphasises Singh’s role as a writer. Kamat’s photograph titled ‘Archeology of Self’ draws comparison between culture and writing (read Singh’s writing). Kamat has used a photograph of a broken statue and super-imposed her eyes on it. “It’s about looking through the eyes of culture. Culture is not independent. It represents the ethos of the civilisation. It is layered just like Singh’s writings.” Kamat admits candidly that she has not known Singh personally nor did she read his autobiography.  “But, there is so much written about him, that even without knowing him
personally, you feel as though he is a close acquaintance!”

Another photograph by Karam Puri reflects Singh’s tumultuous personal and professional journeys that have taken him across the world into the boudoirs of millionaires and hovels of the derelict. “It’s interesting to see the different artists’ perspectives of Singh manifest into their work,” gushes Shraddha Purnaye, Mumbai-based curator and writer, who has curated the exhibition.

By leaving certain questions unanswered in their paintings, and providing certain details not indicated in the source texts, these artists have reinforced the strong ties between literature and art. Talking about the exhibition, Geetu Hinduja, Director, The Fine Art Company, says, “The artists were asked to go through Singh’s autobiography Truth, Love And A Little Malice, as it best encapsulates his life. While some read the autobiography, others have drawn inspiration from his life and what they knew of him, and each has responded differently, in an abstract way. Through re-introducing literature as a viable subject for painting, this exhibition looks at the cross-pollination between these two artistic fields, their different modes of representation, the various ways text can be translated into images, and how they both, in unique ways, have the ability to elicit a response from those who engage with them.”

Quiz Hinduja about her favourite piece of work at the festival and she laughs. “That’s a tough call. I can’t choose any one piece of work in general. All of it is personal, intimate and interesting,” she exclaims.