Painting a New Picture

C S KRISHNA SETTY, administrator of Lalit Kala Academy (Delhi)

For the last few years the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA), Delhi, has been in the news for the wrong reasons. The current administrator, CS Krishna Shetty, hopes to change that. A postgraduate in Kannada literature from Mysore University, the artist from Karnataka — who was also the founder president of Drushya Kala Sahitya Parishad, an organisation formed to encourage art writing in Karnataka — envisions the Akademi will actively participate in the promotion of Indian art.

Excerpts:

The LKA recently announced an International Kala Mela, that will be held in Delhi. Can you tell us more?

The Kala Mela was last held more than 12 years ago in Kolkata. Now, we have opened it to international artists. There will be stalls selling works, demonstrations, lectures, seminars, cultural performances as well as an artists’ camp. To be held from February 4 to 18, it will coincide with the India Art Fair. The Akademi is also organising an International Print Biennale in March-April. It is primarily to promote the medium of printmaking. It is a laborious process and not many artists practise it, moreover, commercially too it does not get them as much money. The Biennale will feature an exhibition and a competition. A steering committee has been set up, comprising artists such as Paula Sengupta and Dattatraya Apte. Printmaker Anupam Sud is the commissioner for the Biennale.

Garhi studios has been renovated. Have new allotments been made?

We have more than 200 artists working in Garhi now. There have been several new permanent admissions. We are giving opportunities to younger artists to come and work in the studios. New equipment, including an etching and lithograph machine, have been purchased. The Garhi Art Festival was held earlier last year after a long time. We have also started the Sunday Art Haat, where we have stalls with artists from across India selling their work.

You recently collaborated with Tihar Jail for a workshop held by the Akademi. Are you looking at more collaborations or public-private partnerships, or inviting artists for feedback?

We have started a school of art inside Tihar Jail for inmates and undertrials. The gallery has numerous reproductions. We also screen films inside. We will be looking at private and corporate partnerships in the coming years, and also, collaborations with other national institutions. For instance, this year we collaborated with Sahitya Akademi for National Conclave of Visual Art Writers in Indian Languages. We are also working towards the establishment of a regular committee, as per our rules. There have also been a lot of allegations that several works in the collection of the LKA are missing, or not stored well.

There are many controversies around conservation of artwork and the collection of the Akademi. I have formed an expert committee for the documentation of artwork. We have more than 8,000 works but hardly any place to store them properly. For all these years, I don’t think the works have been maintained the way they should
have been.

There are also concerns regarding the management of the institution. Recently, a CBI probe looked at the alleged “irregularities” during the tenure of former chairman Ashok Vajpeyi. We will cooperate (with the investigations). I have been given this post based on my credentials. Power can corrupt, and here one gets absolute power. I have also heard stories of people paying to attend art camps and other such irregularities. Transparency is important.

Do you think events like the Kochi Muziris Biennale and the India Art Fair help national institutions?

I have attended every Biennale since its inception and the India Art Fair from its second edition. The work they are doing is commendable. They are actually doing what we were supposed to do. I have set the
ball rolling for the Triennale, to be held  next month.