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