At Goa fest, singers held for song, CAB scribbles a trouble

The exhibition, meanwhile, reopened after two hours but with the room containing the canvases shut. A caption stating that an art work did not arrive in time due to a “transportation delay caused by the CAB protests in the North-East” was also removed. Recordings of Miya poetry — a genre in Assam that was being used to express anguish over citizenship issues — was not functioning, either.

The organisers said the shutdown was due to “a technical glitch”. But late Wednesday, Shetty said that he felt “troubled and pained at the situation we have come to”. “Art spaces should be allowed to function freely and openly and must allow for a space for free speech,” he said in a statement.

“Why a caption saying an artwork could not reach on time for the exhibition due to transportation delays due to CAB protests in the North East should be a problem. Or why a few…scribbles on a white wall about the CAB/NRC by exhibition visitors using ecologically sustained carbon ink pens that were on display, or two poems of lament about the NRC and politics about immigration by poor men who have lost their family members to violence, should have upset/ disturbed/ frightened people is difficult to accept,” he said.

“I stand by each piece of work in the show,” he said.

The blank canvases were installed as part of a work titled ‘Air Ink’ by Graviky Labs, which works on converting carbon emissions into an industry resource. Visitors had been invited to scribble their thoughts on the canvases using markers that were provided.

The exhibition also included a sculpture by Chandabhan Prasad titled ‘English, The Dalit Devi’, a deity in the mould of the Statue of Liberty carrying a pen and a copy of the Constitution, and signifying the power of English to uplift Dalits.

Apart from Miya poetry, the video recordings include Ashok Kamble commenting on the Dalit socio-cultural situation, poet Kalpana Mali and Dalariti Gratel Kharnaior, a folk singer from Shillong whose lyrics invoke the problems of the Khasi tribe.

The objective of the exhibition — Look Outside This House — was to “present indigenous inventions and informal industries that have origins in catering to real life circumstantial needs with lasting social impact on communities at large”.

According to police, meanwhile, the four musicians were booked under IPC section 295 (hurting religious sentiments), which attracts a maximum punishment of three years, following a complaint lodged by a Supreme Court advocate, Venkata Krishna Kunduru, at Panjim police station early Wednesday.

The artists were “called for questioning and arrested by 2.30 pm”, said Subash Gaonkar, Investigating Officer (IO). The artists and the organisers of the festival, which is being held from December 15 to 22, did not comment on the arrest.

Sneha Khanwalkar, the curator of the show, said: “I never asked the artists to set their ‘set-list’ in stone.They were free to choose their songs. The Serendipity Arts Festival has nothing to do with what they chose to perform. Personally speaking, the artists are free to express themselves, it’s up to the listeners to make sense of it.”

Police said they produced the artists in a local court at 6.30 pm. “The court allowed them bail on condition they will attend the probe and cooperate and visit the police station when called. We are now asking for footage from the organisers and will listen if they did say those words. Also, we will call witnesses to confirm if it hurt their sentiments,” said Gaonkar.