Digitalisation Paved Way for Democratisation of Art: S Ramadorai

KOCHI:
Digitalisation has played a vital role in democratising contemporary art, which was once accessible only to the elites, according to S. Ramadorai, former advisor to the Prime Minister and former vice-chairman of Tata Consultancy Services.
He was among a host of prominent personalities, including public health activist Dr B Iqbal and social activist Murali Vettath, who visited Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 on Friday and shared their thoughts on India’s premiere exhibition of contemporary art.
“Participation of the general public is the highlight of the Biennale,” said  Ramadorai, a Padma Bhushan recipient. “A friend once said touring Kochi would not be complete without visiting the Biennale and my trip to Aspinwall House proved him right.”
“With the flourishing of digitisation and technology, art, which was considered an expensive field, has been made more accessible to the common man,” noted Ramadorai, who previously advised the Prime Minister of India through the National Council on Skill Development. “Innovative technology is now available cheaply and is used well in the arts nowadays, as is evident at the Biennale,” he said.
Observing the large numbers of youth and schoolchildren visiting the Biennale, renowned neurologist and public health activist Dr B. Iqbal praised the efforts of the organisers in attracting the younger generation to art. “The Biennale has proven wrong the notion that our younger generation is detached from art and culture. I can see lot of youth watching the artworks, which is a positive sign,” he said.
“The artworks exhibited at the Biennale provide an inner vision into the relation between humans and nature, humans and materials and also inter-rela
tions between materials,” observed Dr Iqbal, “The works in Biennale can be percieved in multiple layers, one being a inside view about the concept of the human, birth and death and the journey in between,”
Dr Iqbal, who was the Vice Chancellor of University of Kerala from 2000 to 2004, expressed his desire to return to the venues and spend more time “to enjoy the works in the complete sense”.
Social activist Murali Vettath said the participation of school and college students was a sign of progress. “Unlike other biennials where the visitors are mostly artists and art lovers, youth are coming here in large numbers, which shows the acceptance of Biennale among people,” he said.