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What purpose do modern and contemporary art have ? | Sukant Khurana | TEDxHCST


[Music]
[Music]
you make art you think that it could be
medical has changed so that’s what has
led me to this issue cannot be used to
come up with some change then it has
methods can it have a purpose beyond the
object of high value obviously also you
know that the artist an object of very
high value so first of all when I start
up in a modern art my own cousins my
friends sale is bottling contemporary
artists can sometimes see a blotch right
sometimes they see very interesting
patterns that they don’t see anything
emerging out of it sometimes just see
cans or things they just see objects
being what they see let’s say a sharp
foot in formalin so is it a scam that’s
one of the first questions the other one
is my five-year-old would have done it
you suppress them hard didn’t admit that
it did but she didn’t but that’s one of
the things that comes about skills at
some levels so let me talk to you about
so everything that I’m showing is not
more not in fact the corner left and
basically for you is a whole statue of
Venus prehistoric statue there’s
prehistoric painting of horses now below
that you can even see Napoleon you can
see Asian classical world below that you
can see Spanish world from thousand
years ago but on the right hand side in
the middle you can see Mondrian squares
you’ll see quite a bit of contrast in
the arm that you see if you go to the
right hand side you’ll see impressed
painting and then you see the Castro
statue and then looking at that Picasso
statute you might actually have a
feeling that my five-year-old would I
actually
learn that but why is the car so special
and I would argue that because of a
special one because not because Picasso
made it but then it was paid and how
differently was made and what kind of
things it stipulated and I’ll get to a
little you know signs of it also now I
would even argue that the paintings
below which are candle soup most of you
will be aware of it white Campbell Soup
taken the image replicated multiple
times every day object in fact if you
have to make a statement about
commercialization isn’t it a wonderful
statement honestly doesn’t require much
talent to make it but does require
likely is the idea and it’s the one
thing to say that this is a scam a stand
which exposes that hypocrisy or Modern
Life
so at some level this might get you
thinking that maybe a different way of
doing art which is non representational
can do something but most of you might
still think hey I would like my poor
train to be made in a perfect way well I
think that’s good piece of art it should
be still down it’s not like arts will
have an expiry date at least I would not
like to see our diving spider age but
the greatest thing that anything has
done for painting is actually invention
of camera because static depiction right
just copying the world this passive
recorder of history is no longer
required
because that has set you free now once
you’re free you can do crazy things such
as putting tomato this Campbell Soup
thing you can also do or lightly tighten
the clamp there is put in a toilet in a
gallery because he’s even art can be
self-critical it basically said what
whereas modern our point at that time it
was a very interesting statement and it
was smaller in the gathering and
exhibited right so it can be
self-critical also but some Mormon art
and contemporary art not so much into
the distinction
can actually do some very interesting
things can make very interesting
statements now but you might still say I
see a lot of rubbish around so there
must be something wrong so who controls
more than that might be one of the
questions in your mind and the other
question would be about scale or idea
right if can you call yourself danger if
you came out really clean well as we
just have an idea well I would argue
about both the points in some ways here
so what you two need to have is art
should have something as it should say
something not the purpose or what it’s
trying to say need not be for others it
could be even for oneself and we simply
gave a talk about how art can be used as
a therapy even if your heart doesn’t
mean anything to anyone else does it
speak to you that is absolutely vital
now what is its image yes talent image
unfortunately is at times that’s
something that is beyond us but not
everything has to be in music the
brilliant performance that we just
before did you ask what is the meaning
of music or did you enjoy the rhythms
did you enjoy the bees so can you enjoy
that all the color can you enjoy that
about form right so even in ascetic
appreciation which is not complete
appreciation of a painting it’s possible
so in some cases there is meaning in
some cases it’s the painting is not
about meaning painting is actually play
with the elements that make up painting
okay now what are the hallmarks of
modern contemporary art that is honestly
the same as what even makes are exciting
because it’s our artisan of a craftsman
is making brilliant piece of work is she
or he not doing a better job than
somebody gets paid a million dollars for
an expensive piece of painting right
that will be a question in your mind the
thing that separates art from crafts is
novelty and in fact that is why that is
the case for modern art there are a lot
of cases again
Fontana their Lord Jesus against
contemporary art – but that’s the case
of modern art I would say something that
shocks you something that surprises you
in fact now even place could be subtle
but they may appeal to you they may ask
they may make you question some new
things and that is what is needed so
that is different than regular aesthetic
piece so that’s what separates basically
heart I think interesting art from crowd
and crafts is also very valuable now the
neuroscience of art is very interesting
what happens is art stimulates your
reward pathways but in addition it
stimulates interesting activity in
frontal lobe to make new connections
why did picasso feel odd in his time you
were used to seeing objects as they were
now a distorted perspective gave you
some new things you saw the face but you
also saw something different so it
stimulated new connections with
stimulating new thoughts in fact if you
see to any cubist paintings all the time
and that’s all you’re doing in fact
something which is abstract
expressionist might strike you so in
fact art is about surprise but that’s
what even rewards are if you have to
think is present around you another
happy they would not appear Pleasant so
things have to be surprising so that’s
what is an important purpose of modern
art and that is underlying neurobiology
that there is underlying neurobiology of
the coming and there’s also interesting
underlying you know Faculty of frontal
lobe so that in this frontal lobe
activity also points to a very
interesting thing that when you think of
artistic geniuses you tend to have an
image that many of them have mental
disorders
well the idea that all people who are
mental disorders would be artistically
gifted is obviously wrong and all
artists would have some mental disorders
is also wrong but the fraction about us
having mental disorders is slightly
higher than the rest of the population
and it does arise from the fact that
making unusual connections in front-load
is part of what creates a new image now
coming to all of that Karen I hope I
made you think a little bit
among this novelty in art I made you
think a little bit differently about how
art is different than shaft anything
beautiful is not art but coming to the
main thing which I signed off your mouth
can really message it out okay
so I strongly believe that they can be
but it depends on how you take it and
some people might have a message some
might not what really appeals to me on
one side is a split image okay on the
left-hand side of yours you see the
split image which is of my polar
disorder on the right hand side also you
see sort of equivalent of what I would
call mood swings can you bring this
important issue of neurological disorder
which people in India because of taboos
around mental health do not talk about
by putting such artwork in public places
you can do some very interesting things
by taking such things in making people
available now alcohol is even demonized
or just celebrated can you present the
modern was interesting perspective on
the left you see a lady enjoying just
one ring of excellent wine right on the
right hand side you are seeing three
paintings which reflect different kinds
of chaos one has hallucinations second
has isolation and below is
disintegration of individual can you
also see depression can you also see
societal chaos if you bring these things
can you bring the message that alcohol
in excess is wrong and alcohol in
moderation for certain groups can become
can you break this thing forward through
up and these are actually my own pieces
that I’ve shown you so I used art to
explore these things now can you even
take an important thing of Bombay pass
which we learned about today
and talk about what is the fundamental
problem of South Asia so in the image of
Gandhiji and Jenna you see the backdrop
of hotel taj which is burning now if you
were to do art as you define out that’s
the important point right if
you cannot dimension large module these
two would not be appropriate because
this is not a photo image so that’s
where modern arms right there are taken
this to historic image and mocked it
with burning pouch and painted it with
acrylics that brings forward something
interesting so basically letting
machines letting more boundaries has
allowed what allowed to do very
interesting things or contemporary art
to do very interesting things and what
happens with democratization is that
flower bad things also come in and what
happens in art is that there is a
business so it’s not just simply about
talent why some paintings are cost are
priced very line even in millions is
because sometimes let us say a rich guy
wants to say that I’ll want animate of
let’s say 10 million dollars can I make
my art be apprised be sort of value that
10 million dollars even though it’s fair
price may not be such can you control
its flow so there is a lot of business
angle to it of what gets judged there is
another basic human instinct which is
behind it also is ownership see with
music excellent leave some music on your
DVD is going to cost you few pennies
right or if it’s a free download on
YouTube it’s not costing you anything
in case of painting because the idea is
not just that I’ve seen the hood reprint
the idea is that I’m owning something so
it’s a real estate so it’s not just art
that complicates issues so even the art
can be used to come out a very strong
interesting message this factor confirms
these things I’ll tell you about some
other thing I told you about some
societal things about the addiction
bipolar disorder and terrorism or the
split society in in here which is torn
on religious fundamentalist likes can it
be even useful for your own self right
it’s not about giving message to
somebody else but can you even inform
yourself what’s going inside you so you
can you tell sort of a story or have a
narrator and out to inform ourselves and
I’m sort of delayed is a theme which I
said making we are making because lot of
things happen in my own life where
things were not falling in place so I
was dealing with bad circumstances and I
was putting up a fake smile why because
if you don’t put up a fake smile you
don’t smile to people you are socially
unacceptable so you have to still be
pleasant despite lot of problems in your
life slowly got used to it I started
solving things and still was things were
still circling around so I call the
second part circling around and I
painted with just all circles but that
was my nerves communicating back to
myself and finally I painted something
which I want breaking free because I
found direction this happened after some
very unpleasant things like my account
got hacked because of optical activism
my player had had some so negative
things and then suddenly I was rising
back again because what I said is all
change decided just to are them signs
and not focus on other things I need to
find my direction so that was sort of
the baking tree boom and then when
things became very positive and
everything was about just back to my
personal wise so if I show you through
these things there is a person who’s
engaged but there’s a month it’s fixed
one on the right-hand side you’ll see a
fake smile in fact the even face is gone
but it’s not just simple shake smile
that’s basically made the box that’s
made with mass okay so there is data
element alright now this main thing you
might simply see a fake smile and
there’s changes but what might not be
obvious to you there are 70 such layers
what you see is the 70th layer so that
was why it was basically called
destructive creative destruction that
basically destroying each layer one
after another
okay now this is the kind of texture it
gets because sometimes I used even
lights sometimes I’ll even use bullets
shot at my paintings and done some
interesting things but then in circling
while you can again see the medium
changes this is digital medium things
can even be on a very large scale not a
small canvas
that’s me a fairly large person and you
can see how big the painting is like
sometimes you need to express something
bigger analyze and you need a little
cameras and sometimes it could be your
notebook then things are good in life
there are angles which may be what lot
of conventional painters paint thanks ma
fatalis most male painters will paint
the female field and when things are
fine you can focus on those things and
you can focus on even washing each
painting several times just after you
make it
so each layer contributes little bit so
it’s just awkward end of the previous
thing where things are starting to add
up instead of each day and is flowing
the previous one now what can also be
done is you can just simply play with
colors right so that’s just showing your
celebration so these two kinds of ideas
of creative destruction okay where one
layer is basically being made on top of
another plate previously it’s hidden
that has been captured in a movie and
destructive creation where I take the
painting I make one layer animal
immediately wash it in washing machine
that and there is slowly gradually
building up of the painting that also
has been captured in the movie I would
strongly urge you to see this moving I
am Who I am which was directed by wait a
scuffle
it has basically asking questions about
human identity and tell you what I’ve
been trying to also talk to you can you
discover yourself right can you ask your
purpose in life because now I’m
succeeding in making some very cutting
edge here and succeed in making new
medicines and coming up with biomedical
innovation it gave me purpose right all
of my failures in life in trying to
bring about the social change gave me a
purpose and art enabled me to talk to
myself so this is about finding sort of
who you are and other movie what’s the
first of all doctors
Kurama that was directed by the attend a
director rush to file and what he
basically did is he captured how I
burned the painting or Hawaii put it in
water or Hawaii when shooted Ohio I
attack it with knives so he was really
intrigued by the fact that painting is
not just brush and canvases painting can
be anything anything which is planar so
in the end when you’re judging a
painting what I’m hoping is end of it
next time we will try to find a story
behind that being it it’s not just about
whether the painting looks good to you
it’s important that it should be
visually appealing but I even appeal to
the old Celsus concept one of the
grasses is rebus like you might say this
destiny is for painting disgusts you
I think that’s more important thinking
that something which doesn’t move you
which is just you know painting of
reading maybe you’re a nice fielding so
painting must both feelings right
painting must make you even thing it
need not be any most of the sponsors it
could be an intellectual response also
so next time when you look at a painting
don’t dismiss it as much like the world
would have done it
I’m not saying they’re not bad paintings
out there they’re all bad Modern Art
there’s a lot of pieces of bad
contemporary art just like they’ve got
of pieces of bad music out there but the
fact is with the democratization with
the easy access with ability to do new
things in fact including now artificial
intelligence is making art along with
humans then things it’s not just
Photoshop it’s AI working with humans to
take new art how things have
fundamentally change any you are can
give you a new perspective on life and I
hope you enjoy your next painting when
you watch it thank you
[Applause]
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