Ashok Vajpeyi
Art In Today’s Time Is Lonelier Than Ever Before
Indian Express
Saturday, September 6, 2008
By Navdeep Sandhu
“ART IN our times has grown lonelier than ever before, but it is the lonely who have always dared to change the workd,”says Ashok Vajpeyi, eminent poet, critic and art lover, while inaugurating a series of lectures at the Lalit Kala Akademi today.
Diwan Manna, chairman of the Akademi, said the attempt is “to create a knowledge pool.”
The auditorium of Government Museum and Art gallery, sector 10, was packed way before the start of the event. And those who had to stand for want of a place to sit did not mind as the speaker’s words mattered more.
City’s eminent artists and Art lovers had gathered to hear Vajpeyi speak on the topic ‘why Art.’
He elaborated: Two great human inventions- the individual and the society are being abolished today. It’s a ‘market society’ that exists these days. Things without value too have a price. Being rich is not considered enough unless you own art, even if it is a fake piece but bears the signature of a famous person. In such a world it is art that makes the invisible appear.”
The deepest purposes of our self, he says, can be fulfilled only by the one medium that helps us connect with what we cannot always see or understand. Not many look highly upon abstract art, “when somebody asks what a particular piece of art means, there is no second answer to that question other than art is the thing itself. Art is an activity of incomplete truth. It’s not a news item. One painting can have 90 different interpretations. Still, hum jo kuch banate hain matmaila banate hain, humari pavitrata bhi matmali hai.”
The artist ruled at the present state of art the country.” Not only is it ‘lonelier than ever’ but less people are looking at it too. The world today is in such a state that spirituality and religion have come to reside in art rather than in religion itself. Politics today is creating an eternal prison with all knowledge being made to look redundant. It’s a fearful scenario where the leaders are asking us not to think for they will do it on our behalf.”
Newsline photo by Sumit Malhotra.
Speaking Up For Art
Hindustan Times
Saturday September 6, 2008
By Nonika Singh
Delhi artiste calls to engage oneself in arts.
He is a self –confessed “talking man.” Only when Ashok Vajpayi, former bureaucrat, eminent poet, art critic and chairman of Central Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, (Whom his grandson fondly calls “bak bak baba”)talks, it’s no inane chatter. Each and every word the man speaks, who understands the importance of words and bhaasha, makes crystal clear sense. Yes, even while he overstates and and proclaims, “middle class should self destruct”. In city for a lecture, why art, organized by Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, on Friday evening, he builds up a strong case for arts.
“In a society where objects and commodities have usurped the position of art,
“he reminds” arts help make this earth a world , a rare privilege of human being alone.” To those who deem that all else- roti, kapda, makan and other peripherals too – precede arts, he scoffs, “Remember, the most outstanding art is created by the poorest. To say that we need art after all our needs are satiated in nothing but a middle class notion.” Many more false” middle class ideas according to him propound thoughts that are actually aimed at suspending our thinking.
He is forceful while saying, “Arts militate against simplification and standardization and challenge the dichotomy, between they and us.” Yet, arts, he quips, states no through in itself except one that you need to acquire yourself, one that is only aadha sach which needs you to make it whole. “Thus, art forces you to think and allows you the singular luxury to be with yourself creatively, to be alone in a beautiful enriching way.” Undisputedly, he agrees that all is not well in the arts world, which is peopled by good, bad and the ugly too. Nevertheless, he like Mathew Arnold, believes, “poetry will be the religion of tomorrow.” Expanding further, he says “art is the last chance of spirituality.” Spirituality, not as defined by magical miracles-”no Lord Ganesha statues drinking milk here”-but one propelled by self – expansion, yet co-existence.
Amen!
Shall we embrace arts then? He smiles, “No, engage in art. Let there be a possibility for art”. So that you can see better, see more.
Art Becomes More Relevant In Modern Times
Times of Chandigarh
Sunday, September 7, 2008
By Ankur Batra
CITA Ashok Vajpeyi stresses the need to adopt art wholly today.
Why art? Even those who are artistically challenged would be forced to sit up and listen in awe when famous art critic, poet, writer and chairman of lalit kala akademi, Ashok Vajpeyi explains the need for art. ‘Mounted’ on the three-feet high podium at Government Museum and Art Gallery auditorium on Friday, the towering personality took all by surprise as he delved even into subjects as ‘inartistic’ as globalization and materialism in his lecture titled, why art?’ Sitting rapt in attention were none other art luminaries as Diwan Manna, Pammi Bai, Kamal Tiwari, Gurcharan Singh Channi, besides others.
Organised by Lalit Kala Akademi in city, the lecture enlightened many, who hitherto held different perceptions about art. “Because of globalization, which has condensed the world, human values have been replaced by price. Everything has a price today. People buy things not because they need them but only for the sake of buying.
‘Art becomes more relevant in modern times’
This art critic stresses on the need to adopt art wholly today.
In fact, now the world has changed by things rather than ideas” Explaining the change he said, “there is enough in the world to satisfy people’s needs, but not there greed. In this rather fearful scenario, questions arise about what does art do and where does it find a place. It actually forces people to depict, narrate, celebrate and explore the surface a little deeper.” Furthering, “Art makes people to go beyond their limits. It tells us there are some mysteries which cannot be solved but can be touched,” Ashok said art also creates reality. As this avid writer, who has been conferred the Dayavati Modi Kavi Shekhar Samman, 1994, and the Sahitya Akademi Award spoke, people braved the odd weather to attend in full capacity. Singer Pammi Bai said, I specially came to city to attend the lecture and I was very impressed by the way he narrated the need for art substantiated with examples.” Diwan Manna too pitched in, and said,” people think this field is very difficult, but the moment you listen to Ashok you will find it’s so interesting.”On the occasion, T-shirts, cards, pens, coffee mugs, made by the Akademi for the first time, were also released.
