Taking art forward!

The Dhi Artspace has organised a panel discussion 'PEEP 2' on the scenario of art in Hyderabad. There were six panellists: BV Suresh, artist and Head of the Department, UoH; Rasna Bhushan, art critic and historian; Shanti Swaroopini, HoD – sculpture at JNAFAU; Anand Gadapa, Assistant Professor at JNAFAU; Amita Desai, director, Goethe Zentrum, and Chandana Chakrabarti, an art connoisseur.

The discussion took off with talking about what is the situation of street art in Hyderabad, and if there is a bridge between art and the public. The panellists talked about how art in public places is not conceptual and does not relate to people.

The also talked about how art should be accessible in places like metro stations, parks and on the streets. "An artist should work unconditionally, without expecting anything from their work. There should be passion and hard work," said BV Suresh while talking about the kind of work the generation needs to make.

The discussion continued on what kind of ecosystem is needed for an artist to work and is there an 'adda', where people can sit and talk art. Chandana Chakrabarti noted that there is a need for a place, where artists can just sit and talk, have tea and have a healthy environment.

The panellists discussed thinking differently, and Anand Gadapa talked about how art is moving forward, and how students are already encouraged about writing and thinking out of the box. Rasna Bhushan had a very interesting point to make about how the artists need to form a community and work together to create spaces and environment.

"Not many kids are encouraged and introduced to art by parents and schools. Only a few schools encourage art as a subject in their curriculum," stated Amita Desai while discussing how the creative minds in kids are not encouraged.

Shanti Swaroopini talked about how the work of an artist after an event is completely disregarded and is treated as nothing. All the hard work and effort of the artist goes in vain. The session finished with questions from the audience and the students. 

By Sahithi K