Maud Page, Deputy Director of Collection and Exhibitions at Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art, is on her second visit to the country. She spoke to Ila Sankrityayan about the prominent place of India in the 8th Asia-Pacific Triennial and its relationship with Australia
Nothing could be more insightful than having a conversation with Maud Page over a cup of coffee about the eighth edition of the Asia-Pacific Triennial of contemporary art and the relationship between Indian and Australia in terms of art and culture. “India and Australia have developed a very strong bonding when it comes to sharing of the creative heritage. People over there are keen to know about this country and whenever there are Indian projects in our gallery, they show lot of interest. In our last triennial or in permanent collection, we have developed a more dynamic view about India. We are trying to expand relationship with the country by inviting writers, speakers and performing artistes from across the spectrum,” said Page, Deputy Director of collection and exhibitions at Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art.
“First established in 1993, the APT has become arguably the most important contemporary art event. It brings together works by artists from a vast geographical terrain— from the Middle East through India and China, the entirety of Asia, Australia, New Zealand and across the Pacific to Canada, the US and South America,” said Page.
She added, “We got a very long triennial relationship with India. We have showed works of Indian artists like Nalani Malani, who belongs to the first generation of video artists. She incorporates paintings, videos, installation and wall art in presenting her idea in the best visual manner. Along with that since 1993 we have been collecting works of contemporary artists from this country. This time major new commissions included a sprawling structural installation of reclaimed timber by India’s Asim Waqif.”
“Special focus projects included Kalpa Vriksha: Contemporary Indigenous and Vernacular Art of India in Australia. And then there were Gond art by Venkat Raman Singh, Kalighat paintings by Kalam Patua and patachitra by Abdul Chitrakar, Jaba Chitrakar, Madhu Chitrakar and Mantu Chitrakar and so on.”
According to her, one of the most interesting aspects of the Triennial is the combination of vernacular and indigenous arts within a contemporary setting. Page added further, “A selection of works from India, for example, challenges the orthodoxies of what is considered contemporary while reminding the viewer that much of the most visually inventive contemporary paintings have their roots in traditions of hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. For example, Kalam Patua, an artist from West Bengal, is represented by watercolours that feel timeless in their composition but he places photographed human figures in between, a touch of contemporary technology. Pushpa Kumari, an artist from Bihar, is represented by Tsunami, an ink on paper work that depicts the titular disaster.” There were about 83 different artists from 36 countries who exhibited their work in the Triennial.
This is the second visit of Page to India and she is meeting as many people as possible. After participating in the Experimenter Curators’ Hub in Kolkata, she is in the Capital for giving a talk at NGMA moderated by Gayatri Sinha and meeting street artists, visiting shows, museums and galleries.
“I met different artists and writers to get a clear perspective of the art scene in the country. Our focus is not on the change in the art scene but on how to get an insight about the works that are coming up. I am happy to see how street art is picking up in the capital. So the purpose of the visit is to gain knowledge. Indian artists are always a step ahead. While working with them every time, you will find something new and engaging. And I am never hesitant about working in different ways with different people and always willing to change the way we look at contemporary art. I always wanted to visit India before I associated with the gallery in 2002. I am fond of this country and wanted to look at the historical collection. I love Indian literature, especially fiction writing, and writers like Salman Rushdie. I am particularly taken by the conversations I’ve had with Hemant Sreekumar, Hanif Qureshi and Amitesh Grover. My visit has been hugely rewarding. I have found people to be so generous with their time and ideas and I continue to be convinced that India is one of the most dynamic places for contemporary art,” she said.
Rating India’s artistry, Page said, “India is a vibrant country and produces very good artists. The country stands very high at the international art market and it is doing an incredible job. The artists and their works are in great demand.”