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Journalism of Courage
N.S. Harsha, the first Indian to win the Artes Mundi award, is an artist of the multitude
On his birthdays, Mysore artist N.S. Harsha 8220;escapes from people.8221; This year, on April 24, the announcement of the Artes Mundi award, one of the biggest international art prizes in the world, drew out the reclusive artist into a night where 8220;one party followed another8221;. Harsha had become the first Indian to receive the honour.
Back in Mysore after a short vacation in London, the 39-year-old is slightly pensive as the congratulatory calls pour in and gallerists make a beeline for his work. 8220;Awards bring a sense of responsibility. Everyone believes in you and I have to take my work forward from here,8221; he says. The artist has his hands full with future projects. A solo exhibition at Maison Hermegrave;s in Tokyo takes place in June. Also on the cards is a show at Mumbai8217;s Sakshi Gallery and a couple of group shows in Spain and Tokyo.
The artist8217;s entry into the world of art was rather strange. 8220;I failed in Class 12, so I joined art school,8221; he says. Harsha later did his masters in fine arts at MS University, Baroda where he came in touch with veterans like Bhupen Khakhar, Gulammohammed and Nilima Sheikh, who left a lasting impression on his art. 8220;The campus has a rich cultural mix and it was intriguing to meet senior artists,8221; says Harsha.
Gulammohammed remains an admirer. 8220;His work at the Singapore Biennale was impressive and so was his work at the Kala Ghoda Festival in Mumbai, where he covered a fighter aircraft with khadi. He is a thinking artist,8221; he says.
After college, Harsha went back to Mysore, unlike most of his classmates who packed their bags for Mumbai and Delhi. 8220;I like the solitude of smaller places and am quite comfortable here. I miss out on the cosmopolitan action but one always needs to choose what one wants,8221; he says. In the 8217;90s, the Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts alumnus also worked as the head of design at a software company.
His art, meanwhile, travelled the world. In 2006, he was at the Singapore Biennale, creating a site-specific painting installation at the Sri Krishnan Temple. Cosmic Orphans was a grid of sleeping figures painted on the temple top. The next year the avid traveller was at the Shanghai Art Fair, putting together an installation, Nations, that comprised sewing machines fitted with the national flags of 192 UN members. 8220;I wanted to relate the idea of 8216;nation8217; to 8216;labour8217;. The flags merge into each other and the threads create a maze that one cannot walk through without literally getting tied,8221; he says.
Of the works close to his heart is a host of community projects, where he initiated art projects in schools in Karnataka. 8220;It was a learning and sharing experience for me. I always find it hard to teach art and prefer to create a platform to experience it,8221; he says.
Will the award lead to any detour in his journey? 8220;The core beliefs will never change. Art has little to win or lose and awards should be treated as reminders for us to venture out, discover new horizons and be more adventurous. It isn8217;t a thing to settle down with,8221; he says.
