What do you call a group of amateur artists, photographers, poets, actors and musicians? Madness Mandali (MM) prefers calling themselves ‘a mash-up of creative minds’. Recently started, this group is aiming to draw out people’s hidden talent. Their medium: a self published book featuring poems and art work.
From amateur photographers exhibiting their works on an abandoned house in the Blow-Up, to budding artists making their presence felt at The Wall Project (TWP); art is taking to the streets (literally). One thing stands out, these public art works benefit society as well as the artists involved. “It’s the best open portfolio gallery. People who see it sometimes call for those artists to do bigger campaigns,” says Parag Gandhi, member of the team behind The Wall Project.
MM is also geared up to go public with art exhibitions, impromptu music sessions and street plays. “We want to spread the word and get more people to express their passion, out in public”, says Paras Sharma, 22, a student, member of the core team.
Most of these groups are made up by youngsters, all with day jobs, who also double up as artists, sound engineers, actors, photographers, etc. However, there are also a few celebrated artists, for whom public art is a medium to enhance their creativity.
“Exhibiting in public spaces is challenging as you have to be careful about what you are trying to communicate,” says artist Pradeep Mishra, 33. Earlier this year, Mishra had participated in (en) counters, a public arts project. He worked within the animal section of Crawford Market, making a roofless cage for the ‘individual beings’, putting up paintings and urging people to give them their space.
Mishra, who has had solo shows in the country, believes that the balance of gallery and public shows is essential for any artist. Uday Shanbhag, 38, a painter who has had several shows in Amsterdam and India, would agree. His first public project involved a live feed from a village in Raigad where visitors could interact with policymakers in the field of SEZ development. “Art isn’t only about making money. Through this effort, we not only got to hear the villagers’ voices but made sure they were heard by those who mattered,” says Shanbhag.
Shanbhag’s latest work was a T-shirt that had the letters iammumbai on it. The idea was picked up by ArtO2, an organisation that represents contemporary art practices, resulting in a collaborative art project. The project had photographs of common people put up on posters with their names, professions and origins. These were then put up in different parts of the city.
“Art in unconventional settings allows artists to experience new ideas and constantly push themselves,” says Claudio Maffioletti, 35, co-founder of ArtO2.
In most public art projects, it’s the audience that decides its success: especially since they are so diverse and their opinions cannot be gauged easily. “Your audience is different here, so you get raw feedback. People ask you basic questions,” says Mishra.
For MM, the book is the first step towards getting ‘fusion artists to collaborate on a common project’.
