Hyderabad Blues

"Nobody came, nobody went

But he took in the milk and he paid the rent!" 

-T.S. Eliot

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

After so many years (also in a new place, Hyderabad), I had agreed to participate in a group show in India. 

But my show was a total disaster!

It didn't generate any interest in anyone! The so called 'curator*' (one of the participating artists!) some failed micro-biologist turn self proclaimed artist, just made some easy money from the fees he charged the participating artists!

A total scam!

He invited one of the local IAS officer/ bureaucrat from Hyderabad as one of the participating artists!! She didn't even know how to hold a painting brush!! The 'curator' made the 'IAS-bureaucrat-artist' to also 'inaugurate' (an unnecessary 'tamasha' but now a part & parcel of any art show in India)  the show!! I had hoped the press and media (MSM) would show some interest in my works... Non! My work and my background should have naturally arose some curiosity and interest in them...but they had no perception for art they were like brain drain zombies who are trained to run after "celebrities", politicians, film stars etc!!

So the local main-stream-media (MSM) surrounded the pompous bureaucrat-artist for her 'bytes' on art!!

Contemporary Indian art and artists have gone completely to the dogs!!

_______

*Curator: In India these days an art 'curator' is someone who goes around collecting participating fee from naive artists and hold these kinds of sham art shows... They make good money from the fees they collect.

••••••••••••••••••••••

‘I have seen yesterday, I will see tomorrow'. 

(Inscription found on Tut's grave - died 3,400 years ago).

Art & Degrees

 

Doing an 'Oil demo'. Shanghai, China 2014 Photo © Helen

Art & Degrees

I know many Indian "artists" from my art college days in Delhi Art College (1986-90). Still getting on in life with all these government grants, perks, scholarships and finally getting top jobs as art lecturers/professors/teachers (of course the selection is done by their own "senior comrades" in these universities... They select their own pet students for all the jobs, scholarships, grants etc. Most of my contemporary are now in their 50s and even few years back I found many were still studying, researching... in different universities around the globe!!! Finally landing themselves with plum jobs in Indian colleges etc.

30 years ago they had no talent whatsoever to start with... But now with a portfolio full of degrees & PhDs from different well-know universities in India and foreign countries they get branded as "famous"! They get Indian mass media coverage and get government related consignments, huge art related projects, big commissions... This also triggers "sale" as most Indian art buyers depend on the assurance of these "artists' standing'' than the merit of their work!!

Animesh Roy

November 2019

#JNU #jnu #indianartists #indianeducation #indiannaxal #urbannaxal #communists #leftists #indiancommunists #artdegrees #degrees #higherstudies

दो दिन के लिए मेहमान यहाँ (Do Din Ke Liye Mehman Yahan) | Badal (1951) | Madhubala | Lata Mangeshkar

दो दिन के लिए मेहमान यहाँ

मालूम नही मंज़िल है कहा

अरमान भरा दिल तो है मगर

जो दिल से मिले वो दिल है कहा

एक फूल जला एक फूल खिला

कुच्छ अपना लूटा कुच्छ उनको मिला

एक फूल जला एक फूल खिला

कुच्छ अपना लूटा कुच्छ उनको मिला

कैसे करे किस्मत से गीला

हम कैसे करे किस्मत से गीला

रंगीन हर एक महफ़िल है कहा

दो दिन के लिए मेहमान यहाँ

मालूम नही मंज़िल है कहा

दुनिया मे सवेरा होने लगा

इश्स दिल मे अंधेरा होने लगा

हर जख्म सिसक के रोने लगा

हर जख्म सिसक के रोने लगा

किस मुँह से कहे कातिल है कहा

दो दिन के लिए मेहमान यहाँ

मालूम नही मंज़िल है कहा

जलता है जिगर उठता है धुवा

आँखो से मेरी आँसू है राव

जलता है जिगर उठता है धुवा

आँखो से मेरी आँसू है राव

मरने से हो जाए ऐसा

जो मरने से हो जाए ऐसा

ऐसी यह मेरी मुश्किल है कहा

दो दिन के लिए मेहमान यहाँ

मालूम नही मंज़िल है कहा.

शैलेंद्रा ( शंकरदास केसरीलाल )

बदल (१९५१)

Art & Artists Today

To create bona fide genuine Art (not fads or fashion)... you have to put in real efforts... There aren't any shortcuts!
To be a bona fide artist in the real sense you must have a gift for drawing and a sense of colour. Unfortunately no art schools/colleges/universities or 'degrees' can install this in you... There's no transfer technology. No cut paste.
Art collages churn out thousands of BFA, MFA "Artists" every year... And we very well know how most of them end up or what they create...
As a result there are so many fake, pretentious artists and Art doing the rounds of the art world today... In the name of abstract, modern, conceptual etc and going beyond simple old school 'Representational Art', that is ...what's in front of us: 'Mother Nature' in all it's glory!
Especially in the contemporary Indian art scene. Most are first-rate frauds... Without any talent or skill... Only with their high profile connections, social networking skills, ability to hold wine glasses with fake pride in their fake English accent! They dress up in "designer clothes" and show up every week on social gatherings and make it to the Page 3 of mainstream media. They never really paint or draw... They can't afford to dirty their hands...


Many have conveniently gone into digital or video art... Basically computer aided Photoshop!! With advanced digital, off-set printers...you can take out prints on canvas or artists quality paper. You may camouflage by applying few strokes over it with freehand or apply varnish etc.. & low & behold..
Then they say it's their work of art.
I am writing all this to make genuine art lovers & collectors aware when they buy or view Art today.
 
Animesh Roy
15 January 2019
Poznan Poland.