Image courtesy: Niha Masin | Twitter
We, the undersigned, express solidarity with the young artists who were subjected to intimidation and discrimination at and by the India Art Fair (IAF) on the 2nd of February 2020. We strongly condemn the absolutely unethical and prejudiced attitude displayed by the Fair management towards these artists.
On the 2nd of February, a group of artists were participating in an invited live-art performance at the India Art Fair on the theme of strength of women and communal harmony, drawing inspiration from a variety of sources. A musician was also performing in the same booth.
The police disrupted the programme on account of an anonymous complaint, intimidated the participating artists, and proceeded to shut down the performance entirely. The officials at IAF did not intervene on behalf of the artists at this or any other point during the time that the police were present and interrogating them. In fact, officials from IAF were aggressive with the artists, refused to listen, shouted at them, and even tried to have the artwork removed from the wall. The festival director is reported to have come to the booth and failed to extend support to the artists, as well. Eventually, the artwork was thrown on the floor by Delhi Police, and the booth was sealed by IAF. Thereafter, the artists went outside where the police proceeded to question them on the use of Urdu poetry and calligraphy in the work. But after the poetry (excerpted from a well-known ghazal by Iqbal) was translated for them, the police decided there was nothing there which could be called an offence and said that there would be no further action taken. However, they did ask for and note down the name of the ‘artist in the hijab’. They revealed that the anonymous “complaint” they received informed them of ‘an artwork at IAF being made by someone wearing clothes resembling the women sitting in Shaheen Bagh’. This line of inquiry openly targeted and discriminated against the female Muslim artists wearing hijab who participated in the programme. When the artists returned to the booth after the police left, the artwork was nowhere to be found and has since been untraceable.
Throughout this time, the officials at the fair, instead of stepping in and listening to the artists and examining the situation fully, abdicated their responsibilities and left the artists and the curator to reason and negotiate with the police. The key question remains why IAF not only failed to stand by the artists but were also active participants in the harassment meted out to them. They have further later claimed to the police and public that they had no knowledge that the event was happening, which has since been proved to be false as the artists leading the programme have publicly shared the invitation in which the event is listed. This invitation had been widely circulated at and prior to the fair. Other artists at the fair have even attested to this.
The abdication of responsibility by IAF and their absolutely unjustifiable treatment of the young artists is not acceptable. In fact, given the details of this case, IAF’s behaviour is itself absolutely discriminatory. This episode reveals a shocking lack of knowledge as well as regard for the culture of the very country that the fair claims to represent. Moreover, it is not acceptable to allow artists’ expression to be curtailed on account of an anonymous complaint, especially when that complaint reeks of nothing but deep seated and reprehensible Islamophobia. The fact that the art fair has tried to insulate itself from the ongoing movement against CAA, NRC, and NPR by creating a “zero-tolerance” policy against banners and sloganeering is a troubling violation of the right to dissent. That this policy was framed in terms of “safety” is ignorant and misleading given that those participating in this non-violent movement have actually been at the receiving end of brutal violence in the form of lathi-charge, beating and, even, bullets at hands of security forces and law-enforcement agencies. That the same agencies were allowed to target and intimidate young artists on the basis of an Islamophobic complaint is an unacceptable lack of sensitivity towards the vulnerability of marginalized peoples in this current political milieu. Ideologies of bigotry cannot be allowed to determine who can create art, where they can create it, what its content can be or what artists can wear while making it, even if that bigotry is being endorsed by a law enforcement agency.
Indian artists deserve and demand more support from platforms that sell their work and claim to represent the artistic community of the country. Are the politics of art works only to be profited from (there were some explicitly political artworks at other booths which were artistic comments on the abuse of the constitution in several ways) but not defended when the vulnerabilities and dangers that accompany having those politics play out at our fairs and galleries? The question also must be asked about the role hierarchy plays in deciding whether artists get the support they need from art institutions. All of these artists are very young and only starting out their careers with an admirable commitment to make their art a site of engagement with the society they live in.
We stand by their conviction to make their art practice speak of solidarities, express dissent and celebrate diversity. We demand that the India Art Fair apologise to them.
- Preksha tater, Artist, SURAT
- Annapurna Garimella, Jackfruit Research & Design, New Delhi
- Kathyayini Dash, University of Cape Town, PhD Performance, Cape Town
- Akhilesh Arya, Independent, Gurgaon
- Amar Kanwar, Artist, New Delhi
- Gauri Gill, Artist, New Delhi
- Shivangi Singh, Artist, New Delhi
- Latika Gupta, Delhi
- Sheila Makhijani, Artist, New Delhi
- Rakhi Peswani, Bangalore
- Anupama Srinivasan, Filmmaker,
- Paribartana Mohanty, Artist, New Delhi
- Ankita Srivastava, M.Phil Visual Studies, SAA, JNU, New Delhi
- Shefalee Jain, Artist, New Delhi
- Shivani Kasumra, MPhil Student, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- Kshiraja, Art + design,
- Rohini Devasher, Delhi
- Anna Dasgupta, Gurgaon
- Vaskar Mech, JNU, Delhi
- Anupam, Visual Artist, New Delhi
- Gitika debnath, SFI, JNU Unit, Delhi
- Anupam Saikia, Visual Artist, New Delhi
- Aishwarya Walvekar, Theatre and Performance Studies Research Fellow, , Delhi
- Shrishti, Agency, Bangalore
- Lalita, IIT Delhi, Delhi
- Arundhati Chauhan, New Delhi
- Anurupa, Artist, Delhi
- Souradeep Rpy, Theatre/ Literary translator, Kolkata
- Santhosh S., AUD, New Delhi
- Rajdeep Konar, IIT Delhi, New Delhi
- Gayatri Sharma, New Delhi
- Narendran Nair, Student, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, VADODARA
- Indira Chowdhury, Public History, Bengaluru
- Priyanka D’Souza, Artist, MUMBAI
- Vasvi Oza, Artist, Art Educator, Bangalore
- Suresh kumar G, Artist, Bengaluru
- Shriya Kalra, Art student, Baroda
- Divvya Mishra, MPhil Scholar, Visual Studies, SAA, Delhi
- Jay Patel, Student ( BA hons. Philosophy), MSU Baroda,, Baroda
- Parth Trivedi, NAPM, Gujarat, Baroda
- Rohan, Student, Delhi
- Nishant, Actor, Delhi
- Agastaya, Research, Delhi
- Ameet Parmeswaran, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- Palak, ,
- jagdish chand, freelance writer – designer- translator, delhi
- Kavita Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- saba hasan, artist, new delhi
- Sania, IIT Delhi, New Delhi
- Aastha Banerjee, Student at JNU, New Delhi
- Sanchayan Ghosh, Visual art and Academic Visva Bharati, Santiniketan
- Balbir Krishan, Artist, New York
- Tehsin, Journalism and Communication, Vadodara
- Karan Kapoor, , New Delhi
- Bula Bhattacharya, Visual Artist, NOIDA
- Lokesh, Artist, Delhi
- Deepti Mulgund, Kunsthistoriches Institut in Florenz, Berlin
- Chinmaya Solanki, Student, Vadodara
- Vivek Gupta, SOAS University of London, History of Art, London
- Vaishnavi Ghatge, Literature, Delhi
- Anita E Cherian, Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi
- Mrinalini Sil, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, Delhi
- AVIK DEBDAS, Art Student, Delhi
- Rukmini, Student, Bangalore
- Belinder Dhanoa, Ambedkar University Delhi / writer, Delhi
- Vasudha Thozhur, Artist, Greater Noida
- Rini Dasgupta, , Delhi
- Bazik Thlana, Artist, New Delhi
- Ankur Arora, Ma Visual arts, New Delhi
- Ghazala parveen, Artist, Delhi
- farheen bano, artist, delhi
- Sahej Rahal, Artist, Mumbai
- Stuti, Student, New Delhi
- Ranjan Azad, New delhi
- Suraj Thakur, Patna
- Parvej Ahmad, Bareily
- Yousuf Saeed, Tasveer Ghar, New Delhi
- Sharmila Samant, Artist, Greater Noida
- Asma, Artist, New Delhi
- nikhileswar baruah, artist, vadodara/guwahati
- Anirban, Research Scholar, New Delhi
- Shivangi kalra, College of Art, Delhi
- Arjun m, Visual art, Delhi
- Bolan Gangopadhyay, Freelance journalist & Human rights activist, Kolkata
- Saruha, Student, Delhi
- Mahima Ahluwalia, Art Student, Delhi
- Ashish Dha, NAADAALAY, New Delhi
- Sumitra, Independent Curtaor, Bangalore
- Sana, Teacher, India
- Chinar Shah, , Bangalore
- Meenakshi Thirukode, , New Delhi
- Sarada Natarajan, Art historian, Bangalore, Karnataka
- Atul Bhalla, Artist, New Delhi
- Navraj Choudhury, Student, New Delhi
- Ita, Artreach India, Delhi
- Puneet Kaushik, Artist, New Delhi
- Vivek Premachandran, Artist / Graphic Designer, New Delhi
- Bishnupriya Dutt, SAA, JNU, Delhi
- Suresh B V, Fine Arts, S N School, UoH, Hyderabad
- DEEPAK KUMAR AMBUJ, ARTIST, Delhi
- Preetha Kannan, Artist, Mumbai
- Shreya Sahai, Student, New Delhi
- Pallavi Paul, Artist, New Delhi
- Sudeshna, , New Delhi
- Adwait Singh, Visual Arts, New Delhi
- Vebhuti Duggal, Ambedkar University Delhi,
- Sandip K Luis, Researcher, New Delhi
- Jyothidas K V, Artist, New Delhi
- Raam Jator, Artist, Chandigarh
- Aryakrishnan R, Visual Artist, Cochin
- Jatin Sharma, IIT Delhi, New Delhi
- Subhrojyoti Mukherjee, Publishing, Visual Arts, Mumbai
- Arundhati Ghosh, Arts Professional, Bangalore
- Mallika Prasad, Actors Ensemble India Forum (AEIF), Bangalore
- Shamya Dasgupta, Journalist, Bengaluru
- Ajitha G S, Publishing, Bangalore
- Deepika B, Ambedkar University Delhi, New Delhi
- Anubhav stal, Round them oranges, Jaipur
- Anupama Chandra, Film, New Delhi
- Nalini B, Mysuru
- patuldavemukherji@gmail.com, JNU, New Delhi
- Sabitha Satchi, Curator and writer, Delhi
- SHUDDHABRATA SENGUPTA, , Delhi
- Komita Dhanda, Jana Natya Manch, Delhi
- Reyansh Naarang, Nazariya LGBT/ Activist, Delhi
- Nevish, We embrAce / Human rights and animal rights, New Delhi
- Snigdha Tiwari, ,
- Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Theatre, Mumbai
- Prerna, Artist, TrondheimDelhi
- Siddhant, Writer, Baroda
- Sharvari Deshpande, Student, Vadodara
- Sunil Shanbag, Mumbai
- Nimi Ravindran, theatre, Banaalore
- Shiva Pathak, Arts Administrator, Bangalore
- Sohrab Hura, ,
- Nimi Ravindran, Theatre, BANGALORE
- Akansha Rastogi, Researcher and curator, New delhi
- Subba ghosh, Artist, Delhi
- Abhijeet Tamhane, Art Critic, Mumbai
- Chithra K. S., Art, Baroda
- Rahul Gudipudi, The Story of Foundation, Goa
- Alita Chandra Wig., Art, New Delhi
- Amala Dasarathi, Lawyer, Delhi
- Arshad hakim, , Bengaluru
- Dr. Mohan Rao, Researcher, Bangalore
- Yashodhara Dalmia, Art Historian, New Delhi
- Rosalyn Dmello, Writer, Delhi
- KAUSHAL KUMAR SONKARIYA, Jamia Millia Islamia/Fine Art, New Delhi
- Shivaji K Panikkar, Retired professor/Art Historian, Delhi/Vadodara
- Lnv srinivas, Teaching, Hyderabad
- Shalmali Shetty, MA Curatorial Student, GSA, Glasgow
- Rimli Bhattacharya, Writing, Translation, Art and Cinema, Delhi
- Priyadarshini Ohol, Artist, Dharamshala / Mumbai
- Renuka Rajiv, None, Bangalore
- Manuela Ciotti, Aarhus University, Aarhus
- Sabeena Gadihoke, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
- Charanjit Singh, Sculpture, Chandigarh
- Krupa, Birkbeck, University of London, London
- Nikhil KC, Artist, Delhi
- Boris Colin, Visual Art, London
- Annalisa Mansukhani, , New Delhi
- Shruti Karmarkar, Theatre, Pune
- Subhajit Maity, Theatre, Kolkata
- Anarya, Artist and art educator, Delhi
- Srirupa Prasad, University of Missouri-Columbia/Education, Columbia, MO, USA
- Ayesha Aggarwal, Visual arts, Mumbai
- R.V. Ramani, Filmmaker, New Delhi
- Navneet Kaur, Art Student, Chandigarh
- Sarita Chouhan, Art, Mumbai
- Christin Glauser, theatre/transdisziplinary work, Zürich
- Jitender, Poet and Theater Artist, Delhi
- Seraina Dür, Artist, Zurich
- Bobby Sayers, Independent artist, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Anja, Academic Researcher, Zurich and Basel Switzerland
- Carmen José, Visual art, Rotterdam
- Mishta Roy, Design, Bangalore
- Adam Turl, Artist, editor at Locust Review, Instructor at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- benjamin meyer-krahmer, academy of fine arts leipzig, berlin
- dabumayanglambam, Individual, Mapusa
- Cyril Sam, Independent journalist, New Delhi
- Ishita Biswas, visual art, Ghaziabad, UP
- Meghna Singh, New Delhi
- swadha, psychologist, mumbai
- Parvez Imam, Performance and Visual artist, Basel
- Mustafa Khanbhai, Artist, Goa
- susanne winterling, artist, trondheim/berlin
- MK Rao, vismayah, NEW DELHI
- Aban Raza, Independent, New Delhi
- Sanjib Mukhopadhyay, Individual, Kolkata
- Bhamati S, Independent Filmmaker, New Delhi
- Manmeet Devgun, Artist, Delhi
- Probir Gupta, New Delhi
- Priya Chauhan, Collection Manager of a private collection in Delhi., Delhi
- Kaushal Kumar Sonkariya, Jamia Millia Islamia/visual art, Delhi
- Saba Dewan, Film maker, Gurgaon
- Dipanwita Donde, Researcher – Art History, New Delhi
- K.Satchidanandan, Writer, Delhi
- Pushpamala N, Artist, Bangalore
- Sashi Kumar, Media, Chennai
- Debjani Sengupta, Academic, Delhi
- Jaya Neupaney, Winter School on Art/Law, Los Angeles
- Vidur Sethi, Artist, Delhi
- Shaunak Mahbubani, Curator, Delhi
- Manishikha Baul, Independent performing artist, Delhi-NCR
- Sanchita Sharma, PhD student in Culture and Performance, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
- Ishani Butalia, Delhi
- supriya seth,
- Kokila Bhattacharya, Art, BHOPAL
- Jyotsna Siddharth, Actor, Delhi
- I , Archana Shastri am in solidarity with CWST., Director, Museum
- Siem Reap, CambodiaShaista Anwar, Academic, art historian, New Delhi
- Irfan Zuberi, NaadSaagar Archives & Documentation Society for South Asian Music/Audiovisual Archives, Delhi
- Nirali Lal, Artist, vadodara
- Ayesha Parikh, Art consultant, Mumbai
- Kaustubh Naik, JNU, NEW DELHI
- Sakhinala Santhosh Kumar, , Hyderabad
- Mandeep Raikhy, Gati Dance Forum/ AUD, New Delhi
- Premjish Achari, Curator and Art Historian, New Delhi
- Manmeet sandhu, Visual arts, Delhi
- Dr. Varunika Saraf, Artist and Art Historian, Hyderabad
- Sukanya Deb, ,
- B Ajay Sharma, Visual Artisy, Chandigarh
- Mahima Bhayana, Miniature Painting, Delhi
- Kaushal Kumar Sonkariya, Jamia Millia Islamia/ Fine Arts, New Delhi
- Deepikah, Artist, Bangalore
- Karthik Venkatesh, Editor and Writer, Bangalore
- Sahil Arora, Method Art Space, Mumbai
- Githa Hariharan, ,
- archana hande, Artist, Mumbai
- Chandrakant Patil, Writer, Poet, Pune
- Salim Yusufji, ,
- Mallika Sarabhai, Performance artist activist, AHMEDABAD
- Devaki Khanna, Freelance editor, Bangalore
- Dr.Shoma A.Chatterji, Journalism and authorship, Kolkata
- This discrimination must be stopped without any further dealy., Academic, Writer, NEW DELHI
- SG Vasudev, Artist, BENGALURU
- Amit Bhaduri, Economics professor., Delhi
- Vibha Maurya, Delhi University, Delhi
- Saad Ahmad, Journalist, Delhi
- Javed Malick, Academic (Retired), Delhi University, Delhi
- Rongili Biswas, Music, literature, Kolkata
- Sudhanva Deshpande, LeftWord Books and Jana Natya Manch, New Delhi
- Gyan Prakash, Princeton University, Princeton
- Heemanshu Sharma, Sounds of Democracy, Delhi
- Sonam Chaturvedi, Artist, New Delhi
- Shaibani Azam, AJKMCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
- Samira Bose, Art Worker, New Delhi
- Vidisha, Arts & Music, Delhi
- Stuti Mamen, Santiniketan
- Abhishek Hazra, Artist, Bangalore
- Smytta Yadav, Anthropology, London
- Saleem Peeradina, Professor and writer,
- Bidisha Mahanta, , Delhi
- Smriti Mehra, Artist, Bangalore
- Saumya Baijal, Independent writer and poet. Ad person., Gurgaon
- Nilanjana Nandy, Artist educator, Gurgaon
- Nihaal Faizal, , Bangalore
- Mamta Sagar, Poet, Bengaluru
- Koustav Nag, Artist, Delhi
- R Srivatsan, Culture and philosophy, Hyderabad
- Nilima Sheikh, Painter, Vadodara
- Rahul Bhandare, Comic Artist, Mumbai
- Sama Haq, Critical Collective, Delhi
- Snigdha, ,
- Mudita Chauhan-Mubayi, Knowledge solution, New Delhi
- Rita Datta, Art writing, Kolkata
- Shireen Saudamini Mubayi, Student, New Delhi
- Noor Vasundhara Mubayi, School, New Delhi
- Vera Leisibach, Artist, Luzern (CH)
- Ajit Kumar, JNU, New Delhi
- Dr. Nirmala Biluka, Artist/ Assistant Professor, Hyderabad
- Yugashri S A, Art, Bengaluru
- Kaushal Sapre, Artist, Researcher, New Delhi
- Surycaroline, , MARSEILLE
- Rudy Loewe, Rudy Loewe, London
- Raisa Kabir, Artist, London
- Krishnapriya C P, Visual Artist, Chennai
- Pallavi Arora, Visual Arts, New Delhi
- Ishita Sharma, PhD student, Visual Cultures, Delhi/ London
- Abhinit Khanna, Independent Arts Manager, The Fort Art Center, Mumbai
- Ruchika, Advertising, New Delhi
- Annika, Academics, New Delhi
- Aditya Joshi, Student, New Dehi
- Rashmimala, Visual Artist, Vadodara
- Hrishitonoy Dutta, Visual Art, Delhi
- Phalguni Desai, Goethe-Institut Mumbai, Mumbai
- Siddharth Sarathi, pune
- Nishant, Actor, Delhi
- Ranjana Dave, Artist and Academic, New Delhi
- Ishita Biswas, Visual Art, Ghaziabad
- Asmita Rangari, Independent Curator/ Visual Arts’ Practitioner,
- Nancy Adajania, Cultural theorist and curator, Bombay
- Orijit Sen, Artist, Goa
- Chitra Ganesh, Visual artist, New York
- Ayisha Abraham, Freelance artist, Bangalore
- Atreyee Day, Art in Community, Kolkata
- Supriya, folk arts & craft, Jaipur
- SHAKTI MILAN SHARMA, ARTIST, NEW DELHI
- Ali Akbar Mehta, Museum of Impossible Forms, Helsinki/Mumbai
- sumedh rajendran, artist, new delhi
- Subhashini Ali,
- Deeptha Achar, Vadodara
- Kushal, Design, Delhi
- Shailesh Kumar, Birkbeck, University of London/Criminology, London
- saba hasan, artist, new delhi
- Vidyun Sabhaney, artist, Delhi
- Shoma Chatterji
- MA Baby
- Nayantara Sahgal
- KP Fabian
- Shruti Sarkar, Visual Practices, New Delhi
- Lokesh Khodke, Artist, New Delhi
- Shukla Sawant, Artist and Academic
- Sindhura D.M. Jois, Art Historian
- Adil Kalim, Artist, New Delhi
