Mother Nature has always been a favourite subject of artists across the globe. Over the years, they have charmed spectators by portraying nature’s beauty and at the same time alarmed them by reminding the need to preserve nature for the coming generations. Environmental Art, in fact, has been instrumental in communicating the change in climate to the masses. One can trace the origin of ‘Environmental Art’ back to the Paleolithic cave paintings where early humans scribbled figures of animals and humans on cave walls. As life of humans progressed, art, too, evolved; from nature’s canvases, artists migrated to more advanced mediums depicting diverse thoughts. However, nature’s presence as a subject remained unshaken. And, artists stand here as harbingers and/or chroniclers of change.
Take a look at the art history; one can see artists’ depiction of various path-breaking events there. The flood-hit 2018 has been one such prominent year for artists in Kerala. During that difficult phase, they took their tools to depict the plight of the state and used their creativity to soothe the affected and raise funds for them. “It is the duty of an artist to chronicle what happens around. Artworks are, in fact, reference points for the future generation,” says Pramod Gopalakrishnan, who took part in Kaalavarsham Kalaavarsham, an art camp organised by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Kalakar Kerala in Kochi to raise funds for the flood-affected. “Check the post-war paintings such as Picasso’s Guernica; they mark a period,” he adds.
Artists from every nook and corner of the state gathered at the venue, painted images of their choice and sold them for a fixed price of Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500.
Using both bright and dull shades, they pictured the aftermath of the flood and the sense of unity it brought to Malayalis in direct and figurative forms. At the venue, fishermen, flood-ravaged streets and homes got translated onto canvases. “The flood was a new experience to Malayalis. Everyone has a memory attached to it — some have first-hand experience, while others have been part of relief operations,” says another artist. Anu, another participant, did her artwork using mud collected from her flood-hit home in Aluva.
What the artists wanted was their creations to stand as a symbol of unity and simultaneously, a reminder of a difficult time to the future generations. They intended both art connoisseurs and laymen to walk in and take paintings home.
Not only collective efforts, but individuals, too, rose up to the occasion. The young talents used social media platforms to help the needy. For instance, Jazeel, a student, initiated #artforrescue challenge on Facebook, where he asked everyone to remit Rs 2,000 to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in return for a free portrait.
Likewise, Sudha Pillai, an acclaimed artist and writer, announced on her Instagram account that she would sell prints of her works for those who give Rs 2,500 to the CM’s fund.
Besides painting for the funds, many artists opened their galleries and studios for the homeless. And, they made it a point to cheer their guests, who were totally devastated by the unforeseen calamity, through their creativity.
At some camps, artists drew inhabitants’ portraits while at other places, the occupants were asked to draw their mind on paper so that they could heal their wounds.
And their efforts go on. After the floods, the calamity has become a prominent theme in the works of most of the artists, and shows based on this have been organised widely to talk about nature’s fury and the need to conserve nature.
“Artists always try to bring contemporary incidents in their art works. It is quite natural that flood found its way to art,” says Bindhi, one of the artists, who did a show featuring the floods. Her installation Nature Speaks made using mirror, plastic sheets, tree boxes and cotton waste depicted the floods as nature’s response to man’s vicious deeds. The mirror stood for those who faced the calamity while plastic sheets represented the flood water. The cotton waste seen on top of the sheets represented the waste deposited by the people in water bodies in a floating manner. “The flood has been a different experience to us. No money or security could protect us. Waste was another dilemma we faced. Even while sinking, we had to face it,” she explains.
Artist and art teacher Chandrababu says the children’s art camp they held recently had flood as the theme. “Children painted their thoughts on flood on a 50-metre canvas,” says Chandrababu.
The ongoing Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kerala’s biggest art event, too is designed keeping the flood-affected in mind. A few artists have drawn inspiration from the floods for their artwork. According to curator Anita Dube, the calamity in Kerala encouraged her to explore ways in which the art fest could respond to the massive loss of lives and livelihoods. Given the severity of the disaster, she offered a chance for participating artists to improvise their work in response to the floods. “Some artists were affected by news of the event and changed their ideas,” she says. The foundation also announced that the materials used for the Biennale Pavilion at Cabral Yard will be repurposed to construct houses for the flood-affected. The authorities assure that at least a dozen homes of 600 square feet each will be built in next summer.
Meanwhile, the website of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale offers a space for visitors to contribute to the CM’s relief fund.
The Biennale Foundation also gears up to hold an art auction titled ‘Art Rises for Kerala’ (ARK) where modern and contemporary works of more than 40 artists living in the country and abroad will go under the hammer. The auction that will take place on January 18, 2019, will feature artists such as Dayanita Singh, Subodh Gupta and Anish Kapoor. The proceeds from the auction will be directed to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.
However, it is not an end. Artists vouch that they will continue their efforts to safeguard nature, the basic element of human existence. They will be here documenting change in nature and reminding audience to watch out!
