Curation as Praxis: : 'ROOPANKAR'- FORMULATING YEARS UNDER J. SWAMINATHAN |

Curator: Rahul Majumdar
Group : Chitralekha Singh and Bapan Ruidas

Topic: Bharat Bhavan according to J. Swaminathan vision.

Idea: J. Swaminathan's idealogies ; idea of indigeneous in the formation of Bharat Bhavan.

Process : Initially they have to research more about Bharat Bhavan; and to find out what aspect they want to show in this curation. The concerns were to find out the linkage between Shantiniketan and Bharat Bhavan; Jawahar kala kendra, Jyoti Bhatt (Swaminathan' contemporary); connection between craft and fine art (K.G. Subraymanium); to find about the identity politics (1980s); and about dalit and tribal communities.

While doing their research they understands J Swaminathan’s vision and his ideology as being one of the major figure in establishment of Bharat Bhavan. His approach towards art world also understanding the idea of indigenous what it meant to Swaminathan and what other artist wrote about it like KG Subraymanium in his living tradition. How idea of indigenous influenced him and the main reason were it came from. Also looked towards his understanding towards the rural India, importance of tribes.
They also focusing on why Bharat Bhavan was set. Also focusing on Roopankar museum. From where the collection of Bharat Bhavan came; what was the main purpose of exihibiting folk and tribal art; whether the focus is only to platform indigenous art by their collection and also searching about the different forms of folk art in India.

They further studied the basic concept idea of museum and also the evolution of museum structures in India as in architecture Bharat Bhavan was one of the important characteristics as the Structures made with new idea during that period. But during workshop exercise their other concerns were to understand how a government plays important role in establishment of institution. During 1980 how Nehru government was promoting art and culture and what steps were taken by their government to bring folk and tribal art into mainstream. Understanding the whole politics of castism and how it came into Bharat Bhavan. In whole understanding the socio political situation of Madhya Pradesh. How M.P. government at one side took steps to promote tribal and folk art and at other side many government activities like mining act 1980 under which large areas of forest was cleared to set up mines. They have created maps surrounding this argument and researched on these areas in depth.

Which are as follows: