Sampurna Chakraborty | Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (original) (raw)
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Papers by Sampurna Chakraborty
Caesurae - Politics of Cultural Translation Vol III, 2018
The essay is an attempt to evaluate and analyse the defining and connected histories of the colon... more The essay is an attempt to evaluate and analyse the defining and connected histories of the colonial period in Indian art and pedagogy. The flowering of the nomenclatures like ‘academic art’ or ‘fine arts’, ‘exhibition’ and ‘collection’ that is so imbibed in the art practices of India, is a consequence of cross border power play, that has permanently reshaped the profession of Indian art practice and reconfirmed its global stage towards modernity. The essay maps certain key events in the colonial history of exhibition and collection to demonstrate the determining structure on art pedagogy in India, which is followed till date within art institutions. This essay is, for now, put together as an opening argument, in hope for a larger discourse on art pedagogic history.
Keywords: Art pedagogy, Colonial art history, Museums, Collection History, Indian Museum, Calcutta International Exhibition 1883-84
Matters of Art, 2018
The ways in which political powers seek to shape and influence art practices and the liberty to e... more The ways in which political powers seek to shape and influence art practices and the liberty to exercise freedom of expression, is a growing concern in India. The culture of dissent and also a cultural dissent are loosely held ideas which is a tricky practice, especially within the largest democracy of the world and currently understood as a disparate component from the integrity of the constitution. The current age is marked by the paradox of ideals, where every individual rightfully claims to have an opinion but equivalently succumb to perfunctory influences. “The irony of these times . . . is that as actual places and localities become ever more blurred and indeterminate, ideas of culturally and ethnically distinct places become perhaps even more salient”, observes Akhil Gupta and James Ferguson1 . The looming question here is, how we negotiate with cultural and moral conflict, which vaguely recognises dissent within its practise but prevents law from becoming a potent delegator of a diverse cultural structure and backlash in suppressing core cultural reform. On the flip side, the public is bombarded with government policies on cultural development which neither impact ideological merit, artistic dialogues or cultural identity but remains cosy with the superficial ornamentation in creating public taste. Historically, political choice has always pursued controlling the morality of art but what is increasingly more unnerving is the arrogance and intolerance towards diversified point of views and the lack of prudence in creating a consolidated cultural character.
Art and Deal Magazine, 2017
Exhibition Review Beyond the question of discrimination, power struggle, their rights and suppres... more Exhibition Review
Beyond the question of discrimination, power struggle, their rights and suppression, liberty to be and their choice to decide – there is a volatile space called expression. Expression that is a consequence of survival. Surviving to ascertain the question - who I Am. This very generic question stimulates the consciousness of identity, space, resistance, resolution, confession and confrontation in one’s every day. Ushmita Sahu curated a show inviting twenty-five women and incepting this question of identity. The exhibition called I AM was previewed on 8th of March 2017 at Art Multi - Disciplines in Kolkata. On the eve of International Working Woman’s Day, the small format works on display offer multi-generational artists across India, creating a platform for uninhabited dialogue, turning the white cube to an album of intimate memory and fantasy recollection.
Art & Deal Magazine, 2017
Exhibition Review Currently researching on the field of art pedagogy in India, I found myself at ... more Exhibition Review
Currently researching on the field of art pedagogy in India, I found myself at a unique position of witnessing the shift in the tendency towards disciplinary constraints that an art student usually withstands, on the way to locate their individual artistic tendencies, - at the exhibition ‘The Shape of Things’ curated by Ushmita Sahu at Ganges Art Gallery in Kolkata. On display were works of twelve recent post-graduate students of Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University. The exhibition demonstrates that the wheel of change is churning, slowly and firmly, from within the walls of the institution. The exhibition pins the shifts in academia towards the study of visual culture, that further challenge the art education praxis.
Caesurae - Politics of Cultural Translation Vol III, 2018
The essay is an attempt to evaluate and analyse the defining and connected histories of the colon... more The essay is an attempt to evaluate and analyse the defining and connected histories of the colonial period in Indian art and pedagogy. The flowering of the nomenclatures like ‘academic art’ or ‘fine arts’, ‘exhibition’ and ‘collection’ that is so imbibed in the art practices of India, is a consequence of cross border power play, that has permanently reshaped the profession of Indian art practice and reconfirmed its global stage towards modernity. The essay maps certain key events in the colonial history of exhibition and collection to demonstrate the determining structure on art pedagogy in India, which is followed till date within art institutions. This essay is, for now, put together as an opening argument, in hope for a larger discourse on art pedagogic history.
Keywords: Art pedagogy, Colonial art history, Museums, Collection History, Indian Museum, Calcutta International Exhibition 1883-84
Matters of Art, 2018
The ways in which political powers seek to shape and influence art practices and the liberty to e... more The ways in which political powers seek to shape and influence art practices and the liberty to exercise freedom of expression, is a growing concern in India. The culture of dissent and also a cultural dissent are loosely held ideas which is a tricky practice, especially within the largest democracy of the world and currently understood as a disparate component from the integrity of the constitution. The current age is marked by the paradox of ideals, where every individual rightfully claims to have an opinion but equivalently succumb to perfunctory influences. “The irony of these times . . . is that as actual places and localities become ever more blurred and indeterminate, ideas of culturally and ethnically distinct places become perhaps even more salient”, observes Akhil Gupta and James Ferguson1 . The looming question here is, how we negotiate with cultural and moral conflict, which vaguely recognises dissent within its practise but prevents law from becoming a potent delegator of a diverse cultural structure and backlash in suppressing core cultural reform. On the flip side, the public is bombarded with government policies on cultural development which neither impact ideological merit, artistic dialogues or cultural identity but remains cosy with the superficial ornamentation in creating public taste. Historically, political choice has always pursued controlling the morality of art but what is increasingly more unnerving is the arrogance and intolerance towards diversified point of views and the lack of prudence in creating a consolidated cultural character.
Art and Deal Magazine, 2017
Exhibition Review Beyond the question of discrimination, power struggle, their rights and suppres... more Exhibition Review
Beyond the question of discrimination, power struggle, their rights and suppression, liberty to be and their choice to decide – there is a volatile space called expression. Expression that is a consequence of survival. Surviving to ascertain the question - who I Am. This very generic question stimulates the consciousness of identity, space, resistance, resolution, confession and confrontation in one’s every day. Ushmita Sahu curated a show inviting twenty-five women and incepting this question of identity. The exhibition called I AM was previewed on 8th of March 2017 at Art Multi - Disciplines in Kolkata. On the eve of International Working Woman’s Day, the small format works on display offer multi-generational artists across India, creating a platform for uninhabited dialogue, turning the white cube to an album of intimate memory and fantasy recollection.
Art & Deal Magazine, 2017
Exhibition Review Currently researching on the field of art pedagogy in India, I found myself at ... more Exhibition Review
Currently researching on the field of art pedagogy in India, I found myself at a unique position of witnessing the shift in the tendency towards disciplinary constraints that an art student usually withstands, on the way to locate their individual artistic tendencies, - at the exhibition ‘The Shape of Things’ curated by Ushmita Sahu at Ganges Art Gallery in Kolkata. On display were works of twelve recent post-graduate students of Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University. The exhibition demonstrates that the wheel of change is churning, slowly and firmly, from within the walls of the institution. The exhibition pins the shifts in academia towards the study of visual culture, that further challenge the art education praxis.