‘Artists are self-centred’
Life came a full circle for Sisir Sahana as the principal of Kalabhavan, the art college at Shantiniketan. It was here that it all began for the artist, who now sees this is the ideal way to “give something back.”
“As artists, we are self-centred. We don’t do enough directly to give back. And working for Shantiniketan is my way of doing that. I think we owe it to the larger community of artists, globally. There are people coming from different corners of the world to study art with a lot of expectations,” he says, adding, “An artist has to be a good human being too.”
His connection to Hyderabad, however, remains strong. “My family is still based here as my daughter is studying in the city. My studio is at LV Prasad Eye Institute and thus Hyderabad is always an integral part of me,” he says.
Sisir is currently taking a brief break from his academic work at Shantiniketan with art. Nevertheless, the six months there has left a huge impact on his artistic pursuits. “With my curriculum specialisation being glass and ceramic, I have gone back to working with these media again,” says the artist, who has also put several shows across India on hold to focus on Shantiniketan.
Interestingly, Sisir often iterates his fascination with the youth. “I have this urge to keep myself updated,” he says. “I fear that I would be detached from the happenings of today and be called ‘old school’. Also, in terms of art, I want to keep in touch with the contemporary techniques, styles, practise and thinking process.”
Sisir, however, is not happy with the city’s “un-contemporary” appreciation for art. “Today, artists worldwide are doing so many new things with digital art, photography and more. But appreciation for art in many Indian cities is yet to reach that level. The art here is decorative because the people want it that way.”
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