Space and Pedagogy: Explorations of Space through Poetry and Contemporary Art Practices in India

This paper is intended to inquire into the relationship the contemporary artists in India today share with their work in terms of space. What is the place, position and relationship with 'space' in their works and lives? Here we have chosen to interact with artists who not only practice painting but also poetry and writing, such as Gieve Patel and Nitin Kulkarni. There are artists who also teach, such as Sudhir Patwardhan, Gieve Patel, Nitin Kulkarni, Shashikant Sawant and Prabhakar Kolte, and artists who also work on art installations like Bharati Kapadia and Anish Kapoor. These are all well-known artists who have been practicing for more than two decades. The aspect of parallel practice or collaborative approach to their work is able to throw light on how they mediate through various disciplines. Therefore, in this discussion we consider these disciplines as space, which these artists traverse, transcend, translate and trans-migrate between. Thus making an attempt to demonstrate not just their relationship with space but also their expressions through the parallel practices they engage in. What does such a trans-migrating practice do to their working space? Do they consider the various mediums as alternate 'space'? Is it because painting alone does not offer the kind of 'space' they need for their expression that they transcend to another medium? How does working in another medium alter their relationship with painting, if at all?