The South Asian Counterpoint

With a narrative driven by the various geopolitical and economic shifts witnessed by the region, South Asian art has carved a special place for itself in the global arena.  Coming into its own, it has become a force to be reckoned with, even as the community continues to grapple with its identity, past and present, and evolve, says Bhavna Kakar.

- Bhavna Kakar

Critic Geeta Kapur has defined Indian and other Asian societies as ‘a civil society, in huge ferment, a political society whose constituencies are redefining the meaning of democracy and a demographic scale that defies simple theories of hegemony’. It can be said that this idea of the ‘society’ resonates with the practice of South Asian art.

Artists can display the values and aspirations of their own societies as well as humanity through their works. While some react with cynicism and even despair, others produce an art of resistance. Over the past decade, many artists in the Asia-Pacific region have protested against colonialism and neocolonialism, global environmental degradation, cultural loss, illness due to poverty, sexual exploitation, social and political injustice, war, violence and racism. In confronting such issues, artists have addressed their art to and involved whole communities in order to help them confront poverty and trauma (caused by both natural and man-made disasters) and preserve traditions and values. In other words, their art contributes to the survival of culture.