Artists stand in solidarity with museum employee fired for criticising pro-government art exhibition

Like many others, Sandip K Luis, formerly Manager, Curatorial Research and Publication, at KNMA, too, criticised the support several artists, including Nadar, extended to the show. He expressed his views in a Facebook post on 15 May.

Soon after the post, the KNMA issued him a show-cause notice and, later, terminated his contract. The notice mailed to Luis on 31st May, said his post was “derogatory” and “not in good taste”.

Notice and Luis’s reply

“We would like to draw your attention towards your post/story dated May 15, 2023, on Facebook in which you have made comments which are derogatory and not in good taste about the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and the leadership team of the organisation. Your comments in the said post/story are evidently in violation of the terms of your employment contract dated July 30, 2021, with the organisation,” the notice read.

Sandip K Luis (Supplied)

Luis was given a deadline of 5 June to reply to the notice, and he was told not to attend work.

In his reply, he said the Facebook post was his critical and academic position on the wider developments in the world of art and cultural philanthropy and was written in his capacity as an academic and a concerned citizen.

He also informed the KNMA that his opinion was posted on Facebook during non-working hours.

“The post, in the context of the exhibition as well as the wider phenomenon of retreating liberal spaces in the country, was a critical response to artworld personalities associated with the exhibition, which, unfortunately, included many prominent names including Mrs. Kiran Nadar, who is also the chairperson of KNMA,” Luis replied.

Demanding an unconditional withdrawal of the show-cause notice, he further stated: “At a crucial time when the Lok Sabha elections are just around the corner, and disregarding the liberal and secular constituency of the art world and its historical disaffection to the political right; these individuals chose to openly align with a political figure and his political campaign (i.e., Mann Ki Baat) which continue to represent a highly controversial political ideology that has historically been considered to be detrimental to the liberal and secular ethos of the wider art world.”

He also stated that the Facebook post was his political take on the issue and said he stood by the statement.

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Artists condemn KNMA

Support poured in from various quarters for Luis after KNMA terminated him. A statement was issued by a group of artists, academicians, and concerned individuals in solidarity with Luis demanding the revocation of the arbitrary termination of the contract.

“The exhibition in effect had instrumentalised artists and artworks to obfuscate ground realities of our times. Sandip in his capacity as an academic contributed to this discussion through his social media post, not as an employee of the museum, but as a thinking individual who recognised the systems of domination and exploitation that marked the emerging order of private wealth and its role in constructing false narratives of art and politics around,” the statement said.

“In response, he was served a ‘show-cause’ notice and then subsequently terminated from employment in a highly opaque manner by the museum where he was employed; a museum that is supported by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of HCL Tech,” it further read.

The statement expressed concerns that a museum, renowned for its collection of critically-acclaimed artworks and curated shows, was unable to accept criticism of its shortcomings.

“Mrs. Nadar’s support of a regressive propagandist event seems to indicate her inability to understand the critical function of art in the present political climate, and her lack of subject expertise to shape art exhibitions in general,” the statement alleged.

The statement concluded, condemning the museum’s “high-handed way of functioning that does not recognise the constitutionally enshrined right to free speech. The art world requires critically informed voices to be given the space to express concerns that will constructively shape its future”.

Noted contemporary artist and curator Anita Dubey, too, extended solidarity through a social media post. Dube whose works have been exhibited across India and and the world, was also the first woman to curate the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

“In solidarity with Sandip K Luis, and appreciation of his critical and principled stand as a thinking citizen. Also in support of critical ideas of the museum not as private property but to be reimagined by the artistic, curatorial, and other labour that creates it. The need for an Artists Union becomes more and more urgent!” Dube noted on Facebook.

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Arbitrary and opaque decision

Speaking to South First, Luis termed the KNMA’s decision “arbitrary” and “opaque”. He reiterated that he was standing by the social media post and said the exhibition eulogised Prime Minister Modi and Mann Ki Baat, which, according to him, was a “worst kind of propagandist event”.

He said the exhibition had become a controversy on social media the day it was inaugurated and said it was a conscious decision by some of the artists to take part in the “propaganda” event.

“As it is widely noted, the problem with philanthropy, in general, is that it is a practice that revolves around wealthy individuals or families. Their self-interests often work as a cultural soft power in service of the private enterprise that funds philanthropic works,” he said.

“Since they tend to consider and even patronise the public as a passive receptor to their philanthropic efforts, the donors present themselves as immune to public scrutiny and accountability because of the money that is pumped into their projects. This money, exempted from the taxes, originally belongs to the public itself,” he further stated.

The absence of answerability to contemporary art philanthropy challenged the art field, he opined.

“The resultant double immunity of the art philanthropist from public scrutiny is now converging with a similar immunity enjoyed by the particular political figure endorsed in the exhibition, as he is notorious for his evasion of the press and reluctance to appear answerable to the public. The art exhibition, Jan Shakti, and Mann Ki Baat in this sense are mutually converging attempts in art philanthropy and authoritarian politics to provide an illusion of being close to the public or the people, where the reality is just the opposite. And this convergence is a matter of concern,” Luis told South First.

Luis felt that some of the artists would have attended the exhibition for gaining entry to the Venice Biennale.

“An immediate speculation could be the upcoming Venice Biennale and its official India Pavilion. Venice Biennale is widely seen as one of the most prestigious international art events, often called “the Olympics of the art world”. Since the India Pavilion would be organised by many of the individuals and agencies who organised the present exhibition, cooperating with and standing by them despite all controversies could easily assure these artists an entry to the Biennale,” he opined.

“The second interpretation is more political and sociological. As we live at a time of increasing polarisation, even the art world, historically seen as a liberal constituency, is now getting polarised by giving confidence to many of its members to finally express their political beliefs in public even if it is about aligning with the Hindu right-wing which has a track record of attacking artists and curtailing their freedom of speech and expression,” he added.

Luis was previously an assistant professor at Amity University, Gurugram, and holds a PhD from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

South First’s calls to Roobina Karode, the director and chief curator of KNMA, were not answered.