ARTS
CULTURE
THE WEEKLY OBSERVER SUPPLEMENT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016
The Language of the Street Graffiti is a civic conversation like no other. It should be encouraged not frowned upon Pallabi Sutar
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s you enter Koramangala 5th block and walk along the street besides Jyoti Nivas College, you cannot help but notice the colorful artwork painted along the length of the wall. This creative transformation of a city street was part of neighborhood street-art festival. Sadly though, such a welcome initiative was possible only because it was part of a festival and the artists were encouraged to use the wall as their canvas. Graffiti to this day is for most part illegal and some people prefer to treat it as vandalism rather than an incredibly vibrant form of art. Over the years Bangalore has been warming to graffiti and today we find a growing acceptance of “street art”with graffiti artists freelancing or working on commissions. JCV aka Shaktik of Decipher crew, a Bangalore based graffitiartists group, says that the market is expanding for this expressive art form and they have worked its magic on the interiors of gyms, colleges and clubs. Shunnal Ligade, another Bangalore-based independent graffiti artist, says that increasinglyBangaloreans are open to getting their home and workspace interiors painted by graffiti artists
Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable
and he has been getting requests from café owners and home owners to revamp their places in quirky, offbeat styles. As Bangalore keeps growing by attracting people from all over the country and indeed the world, this once ITcentric city is becoming more diverse. It is reflected in a cultural renewal that is so evident, a culmination of different art forms and lifestyles that can be seen on every street and corner of the city. Graffiti artists have also picked up on this heterogeneity of culture and society. For example, the Jyoti Nivas College wall conveys a strong feminist message beautifully expressed by Shilo Shiv Suleman while another on MG Road by an unknown artist propagates the message of equality. These artists seem to have taken a cue from the famous British graffiti artist and political activist Banksy whose
satirical street art delivers wry messages on war,slavery, capitalism and other social issues. JCV believes that people have to learn about the origin of the graffiti art form to fully appreciate it and bring about a drastic change in the cultural outlook of the city. Though cultural and social reform may not be a priority for most artists, their different styles and artistic expressions has certainly turned heads and made people not just aware of their presence but of the limitless possibilities that abound. But there are both pros and cons to this attention.Graffiti walks a thin line between public acceptance as decorative art and wanton disfigurement of public spaces akin to political hoardings or film posters. JCV speaks of his crew’s hardships while working on a street-art project “We have always got to look out for cops and ‘social activists’ and so some of the work could take several nights to be completed as we can never work during the day.” It is high time that we de-criminalized graffiti and other forms of street art and allowed our artists the freedom to create a more beautiful city; moreover, one which gives them the same respect it accords other professionals, be they doctors or engineers. Art, after all, plays a vital social function. As Banksy so eloquently put it, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
Killing Me Softly Cartoons enrich public debate thanks to their ability to gently mock our worst pretensions Sonal Agarwal
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They say the best cartoons are the ones without captions,” cartoonist Satish Acharya reminds us.In fact, cartoons are supposed to replace written with visual comment. Caricatures were the first form of cartooning and their deliberate distortions would often express more than words ever could. But often a cartoon needs a caption or dialogue to make its point, and thus the best cartoonists are as adept with their hands as they are with words. The introduction of printing gave a major boost to the cartooning profession. Printing not only made it easily accessible to people but, with the rise in literacy and the emergence of a middle class,critical views expressed in cartoon form could be widely disseminated in society. Cartooning provides artists the liberty to express their thoughts without the filter of political correctness, however defined. A good cartoonist has the skill to convey a critical perspective on society or a powerful personage not by depicting reality but by merely alluding to it. Political caricatures are a clever weapon against cynical politicians who shield themselves from criticism using defamation laws. In 2012, a Jadavpur University professor was arrested for allegedly sharing a cartoon that mocked Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal. The West Bengal government invoked Section 66A of the I n fo r m a t i o n Technology Act
Politicians must learn to be tolerant. This is not a dictatorship
which prohibits sending offensive messages through an online medium. Though the charges were subsequently dropped and compensation of Rs.50,000 was granted to him, the government’s action was a reminder of the
potency of political cartooning. As justice Markandey Katju, former chairman of the Press Council of India remarked, “Politicians must learn to be tolerant. This is not a dictatorship.” Cartooning has evolved into multi-billion-dollar
comic-book and animated-film industries worldwide, encompassing every conceivable genre and catering to varied audiences: from the Marvel Superheroes to theAdventures of Tin Tin, to Garfield andArchie to the sexually explicit Manga in Japan. Comics provide images to a story, giving readers a mental picture of the tale being told. The migration of cartoons first to film and then to television was inevitable and now the Internet has made the works of every single artist available around the world. Social media sites have become the preferred forum for budding cartoonists to promote their work. But with the rise of multimedia, print is seeing a decline almost everywhere around the world with predictable consequences for print cartooning. “Print didn't always encourage new talent, especially newspapers,” says Acharya. “Now there's an audience and there’s no editor to stop you from reaching the audience. Yes, there's an overdose of cartoons. But the reader is always king, who can decide which cartoons to read,” he adds. Acharya has around 100,000 followers on social media. But on the Internet, cartoonists face competition from unexpected quarters. “Sadly people have started equating editorial cartoons with memes, typically humorous images and video clips that are spread rapidly by users,” says Acharya. “Editorial cartooning is not the only one making fun or ridiculing. Social media is full of memes, jokes etc. So, it’s challenging for a cartoonist to avoid repeating someone else’s joke in his cartoons. But when you create a really good cartoon your audience is multiplied manifold, especially when it goes viral,” he added. In cartooning, there’s only so much that can be taught. Institutions offer courses in cartooning, but as Acharya points out, “editorial cartooning requires three skills: the skill of an artist to draw, the skill of a journalist to offer an opinion and the skill of a humorist to add a wicked twist. Teaching drawing is straightforward, but learning the other two requires a particular sensibility.”