Delhi’s missing public art

While the monumental,imposing canopy remains conspicuously empty,other statues installed in Delhi under various regimes beg for attention,displaying a curious mix of public art and politics at the same time.

During his tenure,Rajiv Gandhi installed a statue of Tamil poet,freedom fighter and feminist Subramanya Bharati along with then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran at Bharati Nagar. Bharati was many things but most of all,he was a cultural icon for Tamils. At the Mandi House roundabout,the statue of an unlikely figure stands in a leafy corner: that of Russian aristocrat and canonical poet Alexander Pushkin. But the statue doesn’t tell a ‘story’,artists argue,and much of that has to do with the recessed location and the lack of any accompanying explanations.

Statues,in their very nature,are meant to be awe-inspiring,but they also have to be engaging. “The function of public art is to be interactive. A statue in its very form is often ‘holy’ and perhaps a little condescending. To engage people,it should represent best what the person did. It doesn’t have to be a standing profile. Also,there should be space for the artist or sculptor to explain why he chose to depict the figure in a particular way. That makes it interesting,” architect Harneet Bhatia says.

But the capital still lacks a dizzying public art installation,one that engages public space with creative or intellectual dynamism. The best example that can be offered is the Gyarah Murti near S P Marg,because instead of focussing on an individual,it showcases an idea: that of dignity of labour,told through eleven figures led by Mahatma Gandhi on his Dandi March.

“The Gyarah Murti stops people in their tracks. That’s because it’s not just a beautiful sculpture but also because it represents an idea. Location also has a lot to do with it. It’s at a place where it can be seen while coming down SP Marg,so much so that the entire area is recognised as Gyarah Murti. The steel installations at AIIMS are also all about visibility because of a good location. Many think they are ugly but at least people are stopping to debate them,” ceramic artist Manisha Bhattacharya says.

Barcelona is known for its famous architecture by the artist Gaudi. Chicago possesses a sculpture gifted by Pablo Picasso in 1967 and a recent conclave-shaped steel installation,“Cloud Gate”,by Indian-origin architect Anish Kumar.

Delhi’s Empty Canopy,meanwhile,waits for inspiration.