Curbing Icarus’ Flight
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When bureaucrats lock horns with artists on what national honour means, art, invariably, gets compromised. Artist Surendran Nair, whose painting depicting Greek mythological character Icarus atop the Ashoka stambha was banned by New Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art for its possible controversial consequences, here makes a case against the institution’s narrow vision AS AN artist, much of one’s life is spent in reflection whilst painting. The reasons that provoke an idea can be varied, and for me it is often the concurrent context of life around me which feeds the content of the work. An exhibition then becomes a collective venue that shares the works with others, prompting hopefully a ‘dialogue’ between the viewer and the work that can further explore the territories of inquiry.

When invited to exhibit as part of a curated show at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, I never imagined that I would encounter the conservatism of reactionary attitudes from the organisers. The censorship that the NGMA has imposed by banning my painting from the exhibition ironically called, ‘Voices of the New Century’, is unconstitutional and has no legal standing. What it also highlights is that vigilantism is now part of the political climate where ‘cultural propriety’ is being decided by the State and its agencies and interpretations of creative expression get appropriated to suit their cultural agenda. As a painter I feel free to cull my references from diverse sources. Tradition is everyone’s treasure, and to suddenly find it denied as a touchstone makes one feel bereft, rudderless.

My works of the last few years address the often precarious relationship within the dynamics of history, mythology, real and imaginary events, art, history, notions of tradition and identity and its relationship with modernity; and aspects of languages, sexuality, politics, religious and other faiths. Without emphasising any of these in particular, I address these issues simultaneously. The works are not intended to yield a specifically conclusive meaning but instead perhaps to offer the possibility for reflexivity and a critique of our times.

A few months ago, I did a small image of Icarus. This painting prompted the need to create a larger work that dealt with the vastness of space. It was as though the subject itself demanded a scale that could convey a sense of infinity. The work ‘An Actor Rehearsing The Interior Monologue of Icarus’ is a poetic painting. The Ashoka stambha upon which a tiny winged figure stands, divides the picture plane vertically. A flock of birds horizontally cuts across the painting. The work is almost monochromatic and is infused with the sense of light emanating from within.

I have been using the metaphor of the actor in some of my works as the idea that ‘the actor’ accommodates subjectivities other than his/her own interests me. The procedure of a rehearsal allows for the actor, where the constant and the continuous shift from one entity to another through a process of trial and error, enables one to attempt to understand ‘the character’. The actor establishes a critical relationship with the character. The emphasis is precisely on that reflection. ‘The interior monologue’ is a term used in theater; it stands for the innermost thoughts that pass through the character’s mind (like a stream of consciousness), but which is not necessarily outwardly expressed.

The painting ‘An Actor Rehearsing An Interior Monologue of Icarus’ is in fact a part of a series of works I am doing titled ‘In Cuckoonubulopolis’. In his play ‘Birds’, Aristophanes and his birds decide to build a city between heaven and earth when life in Athens became too miserable to live in. The city was called ‘Cuckoonubulopolis’. In this series, my interest is not to imagine a lofty or ideal utopia, but to use this concept as a backdrop upon which I can then engage in a critique of the present.

I have a number of exhibitions coming up in the near future. A solo show with Sakshi Gallery in collaboration with Art Inc. in Delhi which then travels to Sakshi Gallery in Bangalore in which I will present 18 new works that I am currently executing in my studio.

I look forward to continuously searching to find ways to articulate my ideas, which are exciting and stimulating for both myself as a painter, as well as the audience who receives my work. The last two decades in India have seen a growing awareness in people towards art. It is, therefore, a great shame and disservice when institutions such as the NGMA, New Delhi adopt a narrow vision, which attempts to jeopardise the sharing of diverse art ideas with a larger public. The combined unity and solidarity of the artist community in protesting against this ad hoc action showcased this injustice. We certainly hope that the NGMA is made accountable for its improper actions.
(As told to Tanushree Chatterjee)

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