City gallerists discourage artists from displaying full nude artworks, requesting them to play it safe to avoid vandalism.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, could vulgarity too be a subjective manifestation? Members of women’s organisation Lal Shakti, and Rashtriya Hindu Ekta Manch, right-wing groups, vandalised and created ruckus at the ongoing Jaipur Art Summit on Thursday. Not only did they attack the artist, Radha Binod Sharma, for his semi nude paintings, they also tried to destroy them. Although such acts are not new, Mumbai artists and curators believe the instances of vandalism have definitely increased in the recent past. So much so that certain public galleries in the city actively discourage artists from showing any nudity in their work, and often requests them to replace them.

When artist Sangeeta Babani was told that Jehangir Art Gallery wouldn’t display her paintings, she was both confused and shocked. “A lot of my paintings are nudes and erotic in nature. Art galleries don’t allow such paintings because they fear damage to their property from conservative crowds,” she says. Following the incident at the Jaipur Art Summit, Sangeeta believes it is incidents like these that violate the freedom of expression of artists.

On Thursday afternoon, at the Jaipur Art Summit, someone going by the name of Hemlata Sharma, filed a complaint at the local police station. A video circulating on social media and television news channels shows her justifying the vandalism by saying that artists portray women in a degrading manner, under the pretence of freedom of expression.

Radha Binod Sharma

In over 45 years at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Karthiayani Menon’s career boasts of exhibitions by some of the most iconic masters of Indian art. “Akbar Padamsee, for example, had nude paintings, but nobody had any issues earlier,” she points out. She recalls a certain exhibition in 2006, by artist Sanjeev Khandekar, which was challenged in the high court for obscenity. “Ever since, the Colaba Police visits the gallery every week to check on the artworks on display,” she adds. Although Menon says that she personally has no problem with obscenity in art. However, she explains, “We must understand that this is a public space and we cannot control the people who come for the shows. It’s only in cases of full nudity that we request the artists to replace it with something else,” she clarifies.

Secretary at Artists Centre Art Gallery, Madhusudhan Kumar, accepts to galleries having certain reservations when it comes to hosting art that might be considered provocative or sensitive. “It is only sensible,” he says, explaining further, “No gallery wants to risk their property. Although, it baffles me how people are so agitated by nudity.”

Image for representation only (Photo: PTI)

He agrees that the issues are not even closely associated with art or culture anymore. “They are politicised to such an extent that it is impossible to walk away safely. I wish people would understand that art is infinite and that conservatives putting boundaries to it, restricting it, isn’t the answer — it curbs the freedom of expression,” he remarks.

Gallerist Abhay Maskara, who has often curated some incendiary art-work in the past, believes that the issue is split between private and public galleries. “As far as the private galleries are concerned, to my knowledge there’s been never case where artists were stopped from showing their work because of nudity,” he says.

Explaining the difference between public and private art spaces, veteran sculptor N.S. Rana says, “The private ones host an artist, gives them space to sell their work, take their share of the sale and give the artist theirs; whereas, public galleries host artists’ exhibitions just for public viewing. The latter, as is observed, often have issues with hosting art that can be considered sensitive.”

Indian painting has a history of nudity without ever being dragged into debates on obscenity. The land of Kama Sutra has had ancient sculptures like the ones belonging to 3,000-year-old Mathura School of Art or the Miniature paintings from the 13th century.

Artist, writer and poet, Sanjeev Khandekar, whose work at Jehangir Art Gallery had created furore in 2006 has a very straight opinion on the matter. “Look at them closely, and you’d see that these issues are clearly raised by a certain kind of people with a specific agenda — to instil fear and rule. But they must know that we shall endure and carry on,” he asserts.

Art critic Alka Raghuvanshi also thinks that people resorting to vandalism do it merely to gain political mileage. “Where your freedom ends, someone else’s begins and the moment an artist puts their work out in the public arena, they must know that it may or may not offend someone and be prepared for the consequences,” she warns. “I believe that people are more conservative than they were 50 years ago and we are raising a generation of intolerant, insular people,” she concludes.

With inputs from Aarti Bhanushali and Somudra Banerjee