Art can change things if an artist’s message is transformed into action
Newsline: Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar
06/30/1998 , By Balpreet
Art can change things if an artist’s message is transformed into action
HIS camera loves adventure, No wonder his photographs sometimes defy the definition of photographs. Creation beyond the medium. That’s easier said than done. Ask Diwan Manna. Schooling in Bareta (Punjab and a five-year brush with the paint brush, a sketching pencil and a camera at College of Art, Chandigarh and Diwan knew it was the camera that would match up to his level of patience! Today, 16 years after, Diwan is “still exploring” even as his paintings draw quite a response in various museums across Europe. A tête-à-tête:
What is ‘art’ for you?
It is an expression. I knew it when as a child I would play a Ram or a Laxman in the Ramlila. I felt it when I played a role in Khwaja Ahmed Abbas’s film ‘Disturbed Area’. I could see it in my desire to be a cinematographer, which however hasn’t happened. Today, my camera expresses me.
And how do you go about it?
Sometimes, a picture or an idea takes form in my mind first. And then I get down to setting up a backdrop, finding the right actor/actress, getting the right expression, the right light… it’s like bringing that distant musing closer. And sometimes, I just walk out; feel out, anywhere and a picture happens.
So do you get up one morning and decide ‘today’s the day’ and go clicking?
(Laughs) No. I hardly ever carry a camera. In fact, some of my best photographs have happened in borrowed cameras!
You went to a college of art. But does art have much to do with ‘training’?
Well, training gives you an atmosphere, which triggers off a thought process which itself is the first step towards creation.
But what do you think of these ‘colleges’?
It’s sad but most ‘teachers’ are into doing a job. Art needs to be imparted. And for that, you have to know a lot.
Do you think art can change things around us?
Art can help to a very little extent. It can touch, but mostly those who understand the medium. But if these few can transform an artist’s message into action, a lot can be achieved. Take, for instance, my series on violence. I expressed my pain over violence across the globe. And I can afford to think it did touch some, if not all.
Do you think artists get their due here?
No. A lot needs to be done. An artist generally has minimal needs. All he asks for is probably a balance between his mental and physical food. We require organizations that provide this. It’s sad that we, such a rich culture, actually ignore our artists. We are not even open to new ideas, other cultures. Unlike the French, who are so open to artists and cultures from any where across the globe?
How important is inspiration and feedback for you?
Different things can inspire at different moments. Sometimes an honest and constructive criticism can really inspire me. But sometimes you don’t need an external inspiration. Like, I listen to music and suddenly feel an anhad naad ringing through my body. And then my own creativity surprises me!
What are you working on these days? Tell us something about your ongoing exhibitions?
I am working on a series entitled ‘Waking the dead’. This has to do with the fascination, death, like many other unexplored things, holds for me.
My series on ‘roads, feet and moving wheels’ on Paris, London, Amsterdam and New York, is being exhibited in December. There is an ongoing series on museums, art objects and their viewers at Louver (Paris); The Date Gallery, The British Museum, The National Gallery (London); The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum (New York); Van Gough Museum, Amsterdam. The British Council has recently asked me to hold an exhibition there, which most probably will be on my violence series.
Any favourite photographers?
Yes, of course! Among Indians, I love Raghu Rai. Then there are American photographer Cindy Sherman and Peter Joel Witkins whose works impress me. I love Robert Mapplethorpe’s work, who shocked the world by photographing men making love.
Tell us about the various awards and honours your camera has brought you?
I have received the National Academy Award in Photography 1996; All India Photography Award; AIFACS, New Delhi 1995; All India Exhibition of Photo prints & Graphics; State Dept of Language Art & Culture; Himachal Pradesh, Simla, 1984. I have also conducted many workshops at home as well as abroad.
What are your other hobbies?
Cinema fascinates me. I try not to miss any films, from whichever part of the world. I enjoy listening to music, reading. And then, I part time work as an industrial photographer, giving industries a glamorous look!
