A radical vision

At Cochin Club, a stone’s throw from the venues of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Anita Dube sits relaxed, yet thoughtful. The third edition of the Biennale, the country’s first and the only one, has just got over and Anita Dube has been announced as the curator of the next edition, the first woman to be elevated to the key position.

“Each biennale reflects the curator’s understanding of the world,” says Anita. For her, the biennale was an encounter that left a lot of questions in her mind. And, she believes that confrontations bring changes to people. It was such an encounter that transformed her life when she was 30. Till then, she was an art historian.

“All my friends were artists. I used to sit with them and observe them working. Also, I was a part of the Indian Radical Painters and Sculptors Association and observed everyone as a writer at that time. Later, I touched the medium and enjoyed it.” The radical group was a movement that critically looked at the society and culture and tried to bring about a change. “Without that I would have been somebody else completely,” she says.  

Her transition from writer to visual  artist was easy and difficult at the same time. “At the age of 30, you want to be an artist. Where do you find money and security? My parents asked me these questions. But then I told them ‘what will I do? I want to go this way’. In that sense, it was difficult. However, in terms of decision making, it was not hard. I knew my path,” explains the Delhi based artist.

“I have not studied art academically. Hence I could take any medium and work on that. It is like learning through your job. I make mistakes during the process, but I am happy about that. Sometimes, those mistakes may lead you to interesting art. If you get trained, you are in a mould,” she says.

It took Anita ten years to get a foothold in art. “We know the society we live in. It is difficult for people who take things seriously. And, when you take things seriously, you have to prove yourself continuously. It is a patriarchal society. If you prove yourself, you are given something, otherwise, you are not. While men are just given things without proving anything. So things were a tad bit difficult. But, then you have to believe in yourself,” she smiles.  

How would her biennale be like? “It would be a biennale that reflects my vision, society, spaces and people. My biennale will have an echo of my history as a woman, historian, my political views and my association with the radical group,” she concludes.