Digital platforms and technology have enabled Indian artists and artisans to reach wider audiences. However, they face challenges that are related to economic sustainability, market access, the digital divide, crime in the art world and preservation. A collaborative model promoting cultural economy can help encourage India’s soft power by creating an ecosystem of innovative technology-based start-ups, providing guidance, technical support, infrastructure, access to investors, and networking opportunities.

The creative economy is one of the youngest and fastest-growing sectors, with unique challenges that often go unnoticed by public and private investors. There is now growing recognition of the economic importance of the arts sector as it helps in the creation of jobs, economic growth, tourism, exports, and overall societal development.

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Recognising the economic importance of culture, the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022) was held to address contemporary issues in multicultural societies. The goal was to share a vision for the future of cultural policies and to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to leveraging culture’s transformative power for sustainable development.

Challenges and status of artists

Online platforms, social media, and digital content creation enable artists, writers, film-makers, musicians, and other creatives to engage with audiences, and monetise their talents. While Indian artists and artisans play a vital role in preserving traditional art forms and creating contemporary artworks, they face challenges that are related to economic sustainability, market access, and the preservation of traditional art forms in a rapidly changing society. Government support, cultural institutions, and initiatives provide financial assistance, training programmes, and opportunities for artists to exhibit their work. However, more efforts are needed to promote contemporary artists as brands and ensure equal representation and financial assistance.

There are challenges in the selection of artists for financial assistance in organising cultural events. Lack of transparency in the selection process creates inequality in representation. There is no systematic or rotational mechanism in place to provide this assistance, and the selection process is often random or based on subjective criteria. So, talented artists, particularly those based outside the city, are unable to gain from sponsored platforms. Additionally, unlike in other countries, there are no serious efforts by private or public institutions to promote contemporary artists as brands. Artists and artisans with creative ideas require a market, market research, business facilitation, and a platform.

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Crime in the art world includes art theft, copyright infringement, forgery, fraud, and illicit trafficking. Addressing these crimes requires increased security measures, international cooperation, public awareness, and advanced technology for authentication and tracking. Tackling crime in the art world will help foster a healthy creative economy. Artworks depicting or exploring criminal activities, as well as criminal activities within the art industry, pose significant challenges. There is no institutional infrastructure, expertise and technology to verify the original artwork. The gap is leading to injustice towards genuine artists.

These offences affect cultural heritage and cause financial harm and erode public trust. Exploitation of Indian artists, unaccounted money preserved through artworks, and the dissemination of disinformation about cultural history through various media only compound the issue. Solutions include increased security measures, international cooperation, public awareness, and advanced technology for authentication. Regular audits of acquired artworks can enhance trust and preserve a collection’s integrity. An institutional record of incoming and outgoing artworks with a verified identification mark is required.

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A workable solution

Having a collaborative model promoting the cultural economy is an effective solution to address the challenges faced by the creative economy and promote the economic contribution of culture.

To promote economic growth, a solution can be to encourage India’s soft power by having a capacity-building centre; this should help create an ecosystem of innovative technology-based start-ups in the arts and crafts sector, providing guidance, technical support, infrastructure, access to investors, and networking opportunities.

The needs of artists must be bridged through training, professional development, market access, and participation in larger communities and networks. A facilitation centre would help foster knowledge sharing, economic empowerment, and sustainable livelihood solutions for artists and artisans. Data analytics should be used to foster creative ecosystems that contribute to a sustainable world. The government along with private players can empower artists, help bridge industry gaps, and contribute to the overall development of the creative economy by providing support, resources, and opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.

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Additionally, existing institutions should address the various needs of artists, such as training, professional development, material support, access to markets, public validation, and participation in larger communities and networks.

A facilitation mechanism should operate by focusing on fostering knowledge sharing, networking, and economic empowerment for individual artists and creative entrepreneurs by offering business training, incubating innovative projects, and connecting them with global marketing platforms, tools, and practices. The centre should also be a platform to provide sustainable livelihood solutions for artists and artisans through participatory models, leveraging the latest ICT tools to enhance their participation in the business ecosystem. It is also time for new data that shed light on emerging trends at a global level as well as putting forward policy recommendations to foster creative ecosystems that contribute to a sustainable world.

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Finally, the economic and cultural significance of art, culture, and the creative economy in India, while addressing challenges and proposing solutions, should support the growth and development of artists and artisans as a whole.

Harsha Bhargavi Pandiri is Assistant Director on deputation with the National Gallery of Modern Art, Ministry of Culture, New Delhi

In Latin, memento mori translates roughly to “remember you will die” and has been used as a visual trope employed in art for centuries, often in the form of a skull. In 17th-century Vanitas still-life paintings, other symbols like hour glasses, clocks, extinguished candles, fruit, flowers, or game animals were added as a constant reminder of the fleetingness of life. For artist Sarah Conti, the nature of existence is as much a subject as the avians she sculpts. Existing in delicate balance within their increasingly imperiled habitats, she says, “[Birds] can’t evolve at the rate we are changing the world.”

Surrounded by family members who were avid birders, the artist traces her interest in the feathered creatures to childhood. The more she learned, the more she admired how birds have captured humankind’s imagination. Later on while enrolled at the University of Montana in Missoula, the onset of the pandemic made the school’s studio spaces inaccessible, prompting her to be outdoors more often. She says, “All the time I used to spend in the studio transitioned into time spent in wetlands and woods looking for birds. I had the time and access to see many new species, and it ignited so much interest and wonder in me.”

“(Im)Migration.” Photo by Rio Chantel

In 2020, Conti began to think about more about the human impact on the environment, as well as political and social issues, finding that the ubiquity of birds—and our endless fascination with the avian world—presented an apt way to express critical concerns. She hones in on the relationship between beauty and discomfort, highlighting dualities of presence and absence or the seen and unseen. For example, “Lost History of Women” illustrates how ornithological study has generally focused on males, paralleling the way women have been omitted from human record.

Conti shapes distinctive birds from clay, often making dozens at a time for large-scale installations. For “(Im)Migration,” she made 75 pieces in about 75 days, which were then given a surface treatment before being fired in the kiln. While each individual component can stand on its own as an independent work, Conti says, “I am very interested in making installation sculpture as a way to tell a larger story, to talk about the massiveness of these issues, and to make the viewer feel enveloped in the work. I want viewers to think about how it relates to their presence and their role in these issues.”

Audubon recently commissioned a piece that will be featured soon in the quarterly’s ongoing series called The Aviary, and next March, Conti will be a part of Radius Gallery’s 9th Annual Ceramics Invitational. Find more on her website and Instagram.

Detail of “(Im)Migration.” Photo by Rio Chantel

Black-necked Stilt, detail of “(Im)Migration.” Photo by Rio Chantel

“A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow”

Detail of “A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow”

Detail of “A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow”

Two details of “A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow.” Left: Common Nighthawk and extinct Eskimo Curlew. Right: Extinct Carolina Parakeets

“Lost History of Women”

Ring-necked Pheasant, detail of “Lost History of Women”

Red-naped Sapsucker, detail of “Lost History of Women”

Redhead Duck, detail of “Lost History of Women”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Sarah Conti’s Expressive Ceramic Birds Migrate Through Social and Environmental Issues appeared first on Colossal.