All photographs are by Phillippe Calia.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
YS 2016 Booklet
https://issuu.com/anujdaga/docs/youngsubcontinent_booklet2016
A draft compilation of the works of Young Subcontinent project curated by Riyas Komu for the Serendipity Arts Festival, 2016
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Closing Remarks on YS2017 by Dr. C S Venkiteshwaran
It has been a fantastic experience for me to go through the works of all the artists of the YS project and also to listen to their own account of their artistic vision, evolution and challenges. So, let me congratulate them all for their courage, commitment and dedication, without which they would not have reached here.. Courage, because most of them are living in very violent and conflict-ridden conditions and working within severe limitations, political, material, financial and social. So, a big salute to their indomitable courage and commitment to art.
Obviously, Riyas Komu’s curatorial vision shows through the show, where there is a specific emphasis on art and also craft in its most profound sense, rootedness and political vision. Hence one can see certain commonalities that link all these artists and their works together; their shared histories, narrative traditions, storytelling modes, spiritual and cultural resources they draw upon etc . Strikingly similar are the patterns of political and ethnic conflicts our nations are mired in, as are the flux and churn triggered by forces of global capital and the serialization of culture it propagates and imposes; the ways in which these forces impact upon our political, economic and cultural ethos and the dilemmas it create at the local, regional and national levels are also equally conflictual and problematic. Obviously, our roots, our presents and as well as our predicaments are intricately and inextricably tangled.
But what these works show is a certain pattern in these tangles – as to how it remains a source of energy and inspiration, how heavily and depressingly such traditions of together are being threatened, and also the possibilities that art opens up or its vital relevance of art as the last refuge to reclaim humanity.
From these works and the discussions that followed, I think one can look at it at three different levels: that of the roots, the earth and the sky..
The roots, its entanglements and patterns reveal the commonalities regarding our sources of inspiration, our ways of imagining and imaging stories, the strategies of sharing and stimulating each other without losing one’s own identity, etc
But above the roots, at the level of the earth, things seem to fall apart. The surface of the earth is being flattened out, boundaries are drawn on it, territories are marked, and the life above is forced to confine their visions within those cages, that are created and maintained to serve myopic visions and vested interests, political, religious and economic.
But what about the sky? That is where the hope lies and all these works reclaim and reaffirm its relevance and possibilities – they take upon themselves the responsibility of imagining new futures, of probing at more humane ways of being together, pleading to us that difference is not necessarily oppositional
So, change is about the roots, the soil and the sky; about past, present and future, it is about memories about roots, action in the present and imagination about more humane futures. So, it is about histories of the past, politics of and in the present and art of and for our common future. None of these are mutually exclusive or compartmental, they often bleed into each other, and overlap boundaries. They are also not monolithic or integral. There were and are conflicts and contradictions within and between. Only social action that transcends all kinds of boundaries and is fired by artistic imagination can heal, appeal to, and maybe change our world.
- Dr. C S Venkiteshwaran
Obviously, Riyas Komu’s curatorial vision shows through the show, where there is a specific emphasis on art and also craft in its most profound sense, rootedness and political vision. Hence one can see certain commonalities that link all these artists and their works together; their shared histories, narrative traditions, storytelling modes, spiritual and cultural resources they draw upon etc . Strikingly similar are the patterns of political and ethnic conflicts our nations are mired in, as are the flux and churn triggered by forces of global capital and the serialization of culture it propagates and imposes; the ways in which these forces impact upon our political, economic and cultural ethos and the dilemmas it create at the local, regional and national levels are also equally conflictual and problematic. Obviously, our roots, our presents and as well as our predicaments are intricately and inextricably tangled.
But what these works show is a certain pattern in these tangles – as to how it remains a source of energy and inspiration, how heavily and depressingly such traditions of together are being threatened, and also the possibilities that art opens up or its vital relevance of art as the last refuge to reclaim humanity.
From these works and the discussions that followed, I think one can look at it at three different levels: that of the roots, the earth and the sky..
The roots, its entanglements and patterns reveal the commonalities regarding our sources of inspiration, our ways of imagining and imaging stories, the strategies of sharing and stimulating each other without losing one’s own identity, etc
But above the roots, at the level of the earth, things seem to fall apart. The surface of the earth is being flattened out, boundaries are drawn on it, territories are marked, and the life above is forced to confine their visions within those cages, that are created and maintained to serve myopic visions and vested interests, political, religious and economic.
But what about the sky? That is where the hope lies and all these works reclaim and reaffirm its relevance and possibilities – they take upon themselves the responsibility of imagining new futures, of probing at more humane ways of being together, pleading to us that difference is not necessarily oppositional
So, change is about the roots, the soil and the sky; about past, present and future, it is about memories about roots, action in the present and imagination about more humane futures. So, it is about histories of the past, politics of and in the present and art of and for our common future. None of these are mutually exclusive or compartmental, they often bleed into each other, and overlap boundaries. They are also not monolithic or integral. There were and are conflicts and contradictions within and between. Only social action that transcends all kinds of boundaries and is fired by artistic imagination can heal, appeal to, and maybe change our world.
- Dr. C S Venkiteshwaran
Friday, January 5, 2018
Young Subcontinent 2017
A walk through the Young Subcontinent Exhibit at PWD, Goa / Serendipity Arts Festival, 2017.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Kiran Maharjan's Mural for YS2017
video courtsey: Sanjeev Maharjan
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYSwcKb54fI&app=desktop
Reportage
The Financial Express, Sunday, 24th December
Read here:
https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/if-you-save-art-art-will-save-you-says-riyas-komu/987506/
Read here:
https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/if-you-save-art-art-will-save-you-says-riyas-komu/987506/
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Research trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh 2017
Bangladesh is comprised of eight districts - with Dhaka being the prime conglomeration situated in the centre of the nation's geography. Dhaka also came to be more centralised with an intent of the government to create a fresh capital for the country of Bangladesh. While the main language of the country is Bangla, one finds it with various dialects across different districts. As one prepares to land down on Bangladesh from the sky, the landscape of numerous river-fingers is evidently observable. The waters have principally oriented the place culturally - in what they eat, live and think. Moreover, industries are mostly located near the waters.
Meanwhile, our visit to Bangladesh was with respect to selecting artists for the second cycle of the Young Subcontinent Project that is to take place in Goa in December 2017 under the umbrella of the Serendipity Arts Festival. The purpose of our visit was to understand the cultural and political landscape of the place - that which is the principal concern that the present project aims to address. Over our short stay, we visited artist studios, cultural enthusiasts, patrons on one hand, and cultural institutions, museums and art spaces from where we gathered a sense of the art field in the country. There are a several art schools in the country, however many artists also go to Kolkata or Baroda in India to study art. Earlier art wasn't a viable field in the country, however the recent opening of the market and the need for filling the void for marketing, visual branding and communication have made it an acceptable vocation in Bangladesh. In popular culture, Bollywood further allows access to understand English and Hindi. Dhaka film industry is mostly famous for their focus on art films.
Ruxmini Chaudhury, from Samdani Foundation was our key point of contact to navigate Dhaka and it's artscape. We were joined by Farzana Urmi, who was one of the selected artists for the young Subcontinent artists for the Serendipity Arts Festival 2016. We began our journey by visiting the studio of well known Bangladeshi Photographer Shahidul Alam. Although we were unable to meet the artist himself, we were able to look through his exhibition space that hosted the exhibition of the state of affairs in Bangladesh. Alam's photography is mixed with activism and social concern. He is also the founder of one of Drik picture library as well as one of the premier photography institutes Paathsaala in Dhaka. Riyas was observant enough to notice that photojournalism and photography is one of the most thriving visual art forms in contemporary Bangladesh. The historical reason for the emergence of photography as an artform in Bangladesh needs further investigation.
In the meantime, we also visited Counter Foto - another photography institution that has been founded by the young Saiful Haq Omi. As the name suggests, Counter Foto "represents a counter discourse, a counter representation, which promotes dialogue and activism". It is a small space that teaches photography and holds other programs like lectures and workshops on the subject. It was quite inspiring to see young photography enthusiasts sit up in the small library / photo-collection of Counter Foto on the upper floor and spend quiet time looking at visual material. Counter Foto is instrumental in raising a post colonial voice, taking photography ahead of just documenting native Bangladeshi life from its poverty and pain. It enables photographers within the country to look at their environment with empathy and find new energy within its content.
Industrialist Rajeeb Samdani broadened our knowledge about the art scene in Bangladesh at his residence, which itself has a collection of some of the best contemporary art works from across the world including Anish Kapoor to Zaha Hadid along with Rabindranath Tagore. Over dinner, Mr. Samdani brought to light that people in Bangladesh are much open to consuming music as art, however, other forms are still to receive equal attention. Much of Bangladeshi art is not collected by the State or native patrons, rather, collectors from outside, he explained. Talking of this, Samdani recollected of the time of 1971 when Bangladesh became independent. Immediately after receiving freedom, Bangladesh went into the hands of the military who did not have much interest or knowledge about its native art. Besides, the new people in power were themselves figuring out what to do and how to handle the newly formed State. The Pakistani Statesmen in this period were still the more conscientious ones, and they were the ones who actually collected some of the art works of prominent artists, including those of one of the first Bangladeshi sculptors. In this manner, much of the work of Bangladeshi artists from the earlier generation is in the present day Pakistan. (Samdanis worked hard on acquiring this work back for their country)
On the other hand, the Government's understanding of contemporary art is very limited. Thus they are not able to value the work of young Bangladeshi artists. In addition, unfortunately the works of young Bangladeshi artists is still not winning the confidence of the veteran artists of the land due to ideological differences. Thus in a limited discursive space, with little encouragement from their seniors or the State, the artists from Bangladesh seem to prefer moving out to other countries where their work is appreciated and where it finds more meaning. With the identification of this crisis, Samdanis have now commissioned a private museum to the well known architect Kasef Choudhury, where they aim to give place to much of their collection, as well as contemporary artists' work from Bangladesh through the Samdani Art Foundation.
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| Dhaka from the flight window |
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| Dhaka from the flight window |
Meanwhile, our visit to Bangladesh was with respect to selecting artists for the second cycle of the Young Subcontinent Project that is to take place in Goa in December 2017 under the umbrella of the Serendipity Arts Festival. The purpose of our visit was to understand the cultural and political landscape of the place - that which is the principal concern that the present project aims to address. Over our short stay, we visited artist studios, cultural enthusiasts, patrons on one hand, and cultural institutions, museums and art spaces from where we gathered a sense of the art field in the country. There are a several art schools in the country, however many artists also go to Kolkata or Baroda in India to study art. Earlier art wasn't a viable field in the country, however the recent opening of the market and the need for filling the void for marketing, visual branding and communication have made it an acceptable vocation in Bangladesh. In popular culture, Bollywood further allows access to understand English and Hindi. Dhaka film industry is mostly famous for their focus on art films.
Ruxmini Chaudhury, from Samdani Foundation was our key point of contact to navigate Dhaka and it's artscape. We were joined by Farzana Urmi, who was one of the selected artists for the young Subcontinent artists for the Serendipity Arts Festival 2016. We began our journey by visiting the studio of well known Bangladeshi Photographer Shahidul Alam. Although we were unable to meet the artist himself, we were able to look through his exhibition space that hosted the exhibition of the state of affairs in Bangladesh. Alam's photography is mixed with activism and social concern. He is also the founder of one of Drik picture library as well as one of the premier photography institutes Paathsaala in Dhaka. Riyas was observant enough to notice that photojournalism and photography is one of the most thriving visual art forms in contemporary Bangladesh. The historical reason for the emergence of photography as an artform in Bangladesh needs further investigation.
In the meantime, we also visited Counter Foto - another photography institution that has been founded by the young Saiful Haq Omi. As the name suggests, Counter Foto "represents a counter discourse, a counter representation, which promotes dialogue and activism". It is a small space that teaches photography and holds other programs like lectures and workshops on the subject. It was quite inspiring to see young photography enthusiasts sit up in the small library / photo-collection of Counter Foto on the upper floor and spend quiet time looking at visual material. Counter Foto is instrumental in raising a post colonial voice, taking photography ahead of just documenting native Bangladeshi life from its poverty and pain. It enables photographers within the country to look at their environment with empathy and find new energy within its content.
Industrialist Rajeeb Samdani broadened our knowledge about the art scene in Bangladesh at his residence, which itself has a collection of some of the best contemporary art works from across the world including Anish Kapoor to Zaha Hadid along with Rabindranath Tagore. Over dinner, Mr. Samdani brought to light that people in Bangladesh are much open to consuming music as art, however, other forms are still to receive equal attention. Much of Bangladeshi art is not collected by the State or native patrons, rather, collectors from outside, he explained. Talking of this, Samdani recollected of the time of 1971 when Bangladesh became independent. Immediately after receiving freedom, Bangladesh went into the hands of the military who did not have much interest or knowledge about its native art. Besides, the new people in power were themselves figuring out what to do and how to handle the newly formed State. The Pakistani Statesmen in this period were still the more conscientious ones, and they were the ones who actually collected some of the art works of prominent artists, including those of one of the first Bangladeshi sculptors. In this manner, much of the work of Bangladeshi artists from the earlier generation is in the present day Pakistan. (Samdanis worked hard on acquiring this work back for their country)
On the other hand, the Government's understanding of contemporary art is very limited. Thus they are not able to value the work of young Bangladeshi artists. In addition, unfortunately the works of young Bangladeshi artists is still not winning the confidence of the veteran artists of the land due to ideological differences. Thus in a limited discursive space, with little encouragement from their seniors or the State, the artists from Bangladesh seem to prefer moving out to other countries where their work is appreciated and where it finds more meaning. With the identification of this crisis, Samdanis have now commissioned a private museum to the well known architect Kasef Choudhury, where they aim to give place to much of their collection, as well as contemporary artists' work from Bangladesh through the Samdani Art Foundation.
Dhaka is infamous for it road traffic - no amount of planning can help you get anywhere in time! It can be frustrating to be stuck on road for long hours without anything to do. Ruxmini informed to us that inspite of the high taxation on automobiles (800%), the amount of cars on the street do not go down. There is no centralised system of public transport - just like Kathmandu. There are no efforts by the State government to provide for such a need, or intervene into the traffic situation. The only modes of public transport that exist are the buses and rickshaws - both fuel and people driven. The sate of roads is fair. Dhaka has a good stock of modern buildings, lushes of green land.
The Bangladesh Parliament building built by Louis I Kahn remains one of the most celebrated architectural projects of the country. Indeed, the monumental scale gives a lot of hope and inspiration to the youth and public. Kahn's architectural imagination to keep the campus accessible to the public without having any boundary walls has unfortunately lost value today. Farzana Urmi, who accompanied us around the site recounted her experiences from childhood when the entire campus was available for all kinds of play. Today, the campus is fenced and protected, leaving the public in a mixed feeling about the barricade. Riyas and I had the opportunity to take a tour inside the building, where we marvelled at the monumental spaces of the project. The perfect alignments, large cutouts and lofty volumes echo Kahn's ideas of silence and spiritual space.
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| Ahmed Rasel showing his works to Riyas Komu |
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| Students waiting outside Counter Foto Photography Institute in Dhaka |
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| Riyas Komu discussing ideas at Counter Foto |
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| Visit to Artist Studios: Riyas Komu listening to Mizanpur Rahman Chowdhury |
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| Facility of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy |
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| Palash Bhattacharjee showing his works to Riyas Komu in the Kala Academy corridor |
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| Reetu Sattar explaining her ideas to Riyas Komu |
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| The Dhaka Parliament Building designed by Louis I Kahn |
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| Independence Museum, Kasef Chowdhury |
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| The Bangladesh Independence Museum designed by Kasef Chowdhury |
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| Dhaka Rikshawalas |
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| The vibrant campus of Dhaka University |
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| Urbanity - Dhaka |
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| Dhaka Roads |
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| Towns around Dhaka |
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| Exhibition at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy |
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| Riyas at Shahid-ul-Alam's photo gallery |
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| In discussion: Riyas with Farzana Urmi and Ruxmini Chaudhuri |
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| A street view around the city |
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| Road traffic in Dhaka |
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| Riyas observing work of Rahman Chowdhury at his studio |
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| Riyas Komu discussing works with Marzia Farhana |
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| Work in Progress: Rahman Chowdhury |
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| Installation at the Independence Museum, Dhaka |
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| Installation at the Independence Museum, Dhaka |
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| Central Contemplation hall at the Independence Museum, Dhaka |
It might be worthwhile to recount our experience at the Dhaka International airport on our way out of the country...As the primary international gateway to a country, airports often index the economic, cultural, social and political state of affairs of a country. At a glance, one will be taken over by the predominant presence of male bodies at the Dhaka airport. On a closer look, one realises the mass exodus of male labour from Bangladesh to the middle-east evident through the visas on their passports. Questions of flight details about Saudi or Dubai and their schedules are perpetually murmuring in sheepish voices, being asked to educated / literate people by the local immigrants. Having waded through a confused and unorganised queue at the dysfunctional ticket counter that left us with an impression of the lack of management and apathy, we were circled by these young men at the threshold of immigration counters. To most of them we appeared approachable and educated enough to help them with filling their immigration forms. What was more surprising was their unfazed trust in handing over their passports to strangers for registering their personal details within the forms. Riyas kept attending to their innocent pleas to fill up the immigration form slips until I intercepted. I suggested these men sternly (feeling discomforted with their lack of confidence) to fill up their own forms, which I was ready to guide through. However, I soon realised it wasn't the space to do so. Rather, they weren't in a position to receive.
At that moment, I was caught in a mixed feeling of helplessness and despair. How was it that a country that exports so much human labour to the prospering lands did not treat their own public with minimum grace - in extending them counseling counters on how to work out intimidating immigration formalities? How could a population be(come) so under-confident that they could unquestioningly trust strangers with their most intimate stately documents like passports? The airport was quite a feudal environment, holding a public raised with strange insecurity - one that arises from the failure of the State to deliver its subjects the basic minimum amenities; a public that exhibits loss of faith in its very governance...Such insecurities have made a lot of citizens of South Asian countires to take several constitutional aspects of survival in their own hands.
To be sure, these are precisely the questions that come to subversively shape the curatorial concern of the Young Subcontinent project. The trip left me with these important reflections, those which also made my engagement and belief in the project more meaningful. How do native artists reflect upon these issues through their work? Do they confront them, or reflect upon them, or evade these questions to bring out completely different dimensions of their cultural landscapes? The evasion, or denial if at all, is also a necessary response to negotiate these politically charged landscapes. Through what factors do art practices get shaped in these South Asian countries? These are interesting questions that the Young Subcontinent project opens up for a broader dialogue and contemplation during the festival. Artists and ambassadors shall demonstrate their responses to such questions through exhibition and dialogue.
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| Dhaka Airport |
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| Dhaka Airport |
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