The Diwali social whirligig has seen me run into all sorts of people - strangers, acquaintances, those whom I keep at bay most of the year but just can't seem to avoid at this time. Inevitably, one uses these encounters to hurriedly swap news, or make quick introductions. I've found that in these contexts, the statement 'I'm studying art theory,' tends to elicit a predictable set of responses - polite puzzlement, confusion about to how best to pursue (or close) the conversation, the occasional joke and even condescension. In turn, I tend to shrug or murmur something appropriately self-deprecating, aware that my interest in art can seem like a quirk, a fixation at odds with the demands of work and possibly even life.
I understand the difficulty people have with taking art seriously - in the age of concept gone wild, art can often seem incoherent and impossible to relate to. Critics can come across as pompous pedants, galleries as forbidding, prices as hugely inflated. Art has always been seen as elitist, and it continues to occupy rarefied realms - operating within a circuit of biennales and lavish openings. In India, in particular, the surging demand for works, the sudden mushrooming of galleries and exhibition venues, and a sad lack of critical scholarship have combined to create an environment in which mediocrity can and does thrive. But there is some truly exceptional work happening here as well, and the once minuscule art world is growing bigger - not necessarily more inclusive, but perhaps that too will happen.
For my part, I've come to realize that there is an inherent value in understanding art and learning about it. Art, especially good art, mirrors changes in society, in culture, in philosophy and even science. The best artists and the most interesting art movements mine their milieu for ideas, issues and inspiration - the notion that all art-making is driven by internal psychic dramas is erroneous. An intelligent interpretation of an art work can be one of the most interesting ways in which to learn about the past, since history, religion and art have long been intimately intertwined. Even an analysis of art markets can reveal a great deal about consumer behaviour and social change.
It is difficult to subscribe to the romantic notion that art is a force for change, but it can ask questions of us - some that we recognize only decades after they have been posed. Our collective response to art is always a work in progress, reflective of a making and negotiation of shared values that could either persist, or erode with time.
The world is a complicated and interesting place, but it is overwhelming. Everyone needs a lens through which their understandings of the world are refracted and absorbed. I suppose that is ultimately what art offers me - a prism, a sense-making mechanism. It's interesting, sometimes beautiful, sometimes bizarre. Art is important.
