Art in absence of art galleries in Kashmir: Special report

The Indian state of Kashmir needs no introduction when it comes to art and culture. Over the years artists in the valley have created a name for themselves, but in their own valley, they are finding it difficult to get the recognition as there are no art galleries to showcase their work.

Artists like Ghulam Rasool Santosh were among the first to establish his name among the painters from the Valley. His paintings are known for the vibrancy of colours, neat lines, spiritual energy and sensuousness.

But in the contemporary times, artists here have been pushed to the wall. There is no art gallery to showcase their work to the outside world. Most of these artists travel outside the state to showcase their masterpieces.

When Mujtaba Rizvi completed his degree in Management of Innovation at the Goldsmith University, London, he decided to head home and set up a space for artists in Kashmir. Young Rizvi for years is trying to fill up this vacuum.

"Kashmir has a strong undercurrent of creative professionals, a lot of artists are doing exciting work. There are a lot of Kashmiri artists based around the world but there is no proper infrastructure to showcase this work," Mujtaba says.

Mujtaba in 2015 opened up his dream space which he named 'Gallery one'. He tried to bring artists together from the region with an aim to showcase their paintings, sculptures and other concepts, under one roof.

Later, the government shut the space down. Now his restaurant represents the art of several artists in the valley and outside.

"I was studying in England, I came back with a masters degree and started what was Kashmir's first art gallery, unfortunately, it was vandalised and shutdown. We don't have any art gallery in Kashmir now," young Mujtaba says while sitting in his office room.

Kashmir needs no introduction to the field of art. After the national gallery of modern art in India, J&K cultural academy has the highest number of artworks.

Covered by the dazzling Maple trees, Kashmir University's art department is one of the renowned places for artwork. The teachers here say that there is no platform even for the young generation who study at the varsity.

Showkat Kathju is a painting instructor at the varsity, he says that more platforms are needed to showcase this work. "Unfortunately, in this state with the exception of the academy, there is hardly any collection the government has taken care of. Son of the soil struggle to showcase their work," he says.

From the year 1969 to 1970, Kashmir organised the first art camp where artists like MFHussain participated and displayed the magic of their brush.

Artists here don't find the situation as the reason for what they call an 'isolation'.

Naushad Gayoor is among the top artists in here,he teaches applied art at the Kashmir University. His work is on display in Bahrain, Canada and London. Naushad complains that they aren't even known to their own people.

He says many countries around the globe are involved in the conflict but the art has remained constant.

"I don't think conflict is the reason for the lack of art galleries in Kashmir. Many governments made promises to us but no one fulfilled them," Gayoor says.

Kashmir, over the centuries, has produced world-class art and artists. Much of its heritage has the deep impact of art which travelled from Iran and other parts of the Middle East.