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the-south-asian.com March 2003 |
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MARCH
2003 Murphy's
Law &
Films Serialisation
of 'Knock at every alien Events
Lehngas - a limited collection Books
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ART BY ANY OTHER NAME by Shekhar Chandran
Recent times have seen the emergence of new-age artists armed with diverse tools and unconventional concepts. Transitional art, installation art, computer art, interactive art, figurative art, video art, environment art and unheard of art. They are not just pushing the limits but re-defining traditional art parameters. For some years now avant-garde art, once confined to small groups, has been coming out in the open. The year 2002 saw a full blooming of these exotic forms of art. For some artists the easel, paint brush and canvas have given way to the keyboard, mouse and monitor, for others, art is in a video camera while a few are using unusual materials like egg shells, old newspapers, cloth and beads to embellish their canvases. Transitional art, installation art, computer art, interactive art, figurative art, video art, environment art and unheard of art. An increasing number of artists are pushing the limits and moving away from the conventional parameters of art. What is important is this is no flash-in-the-pan art, neither is it a fad. It is new-age art re-defined not just by modern technology but by a change of attitude - both of the artist and connoisseur. Many art lovers fear conventional art galleries and museums may soon become defunct. Says video installation-artist Sheba Chhachhi, " In the future art will be propagated through projectors and computer monitors. This will alter not only the form but also the content in radical ways." Chhachhi is one of the few artists who dabble in the little known video installation art. This is basically installation art with unusual material like plants, wood, dry colours, broken bottles and more such stuff laid out on the floor or wall of a room or gallery with video projections for effect. Another installation artist from Kolkata, George Martin whose recent exhibition won rave reviews, sees a great future in this form of art. Says he," Paintings are fine but installation art is the best medium of expression." In several of his works Martin uses literary texts which may be his own or culled from other Indian literary works. " People who come to my exhibitions not only appreciate my work but are surprised how art can be done without a canvas and paint brush. An artist would never get that sort of response for conventional paintings," says Martin but adds he is looking for a meeting point between modern and traditional art. Manjunathh Kamath who is a digital print artist too feels the same. "Our creations are world class," he feels. "They just need the right platform and recognition to reach places." Working as a graphic designer has given Kamath a solid foundation on techniques. This is evident in works where he mixes digital prints, video and animation, in a light footed and playful way. Formally his works are two-levelled. On the surface, his position is defined as an abstract artist and as a fanatic collector of different images. On a deeper level he creates a more intimate and story-telling atmosphere that reflects his very personal view on the collected material.
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