Day 12: Should we separate the art from the artiste? A Debate

A debate on whether we should separate the art from the artiste

As part of the campaign, SAHA hosted a debate on the following topic: Should we separate the art from the artiste? The idea was to explore different perspectives on how to think about issues concerning sexual harassment in the arts and to consider whether addressing gender violence requires us to separate the art from the artiste. The debate featured the following artistes:

·       Akshay Anantapadmanabhan

·       Roopa Mahadevan

·       Shreya Devnath

·       Sikkil Gurucharan

·       Vidya Kalyanaraman and

·       Vishnudev KS

 

Before the debate began, Gayathri Mani introduced SAHA. She pointed out that SAHA is an organization comprising a group of artistes, art enthusiasts and students of the art, who have come together to address a need to converse more openly about issues related to sexual harassment and gender violence in the arts.

 

The speakers were divided into two teams of three participants each. Team A argued that art cannot be separated from the artiste, while Team B argued the converse. The opinions expressed by the speakers were not their personal opinions and the intent of the debate was only to initiate discussions on Sexual Harassment and Gender Violence. It was also made clear that the speakers were not addressing the debate from the point of view of victims of sexual harassment.

 

Some of the arguments raised by the speakers arguing that art cannot be separated are summarized below:

·       If artistes cannot separate art that they create from their daily activities, then the art is an expression of themselves, consciously or sub consciously.

·       In the context of the MeToo movement, a breach of trust by an artiste will affect both the art and the artiste.

·       Classroom being an informal space, parents of the students should have open discussions with their children on what happens in the learning space.

·       Student’s family has to create a protective and safe space, for the students to discuss freely all the matters happening in the classroom.

 

A summary of the arguments put forth by the speakers arguing that art can be separated from the artiste are as follows:

 

·       Art that flows through an artiste is not only a product of who they are and does not stem from the core personality of an artiste.

·       Separation of art and artiste is good for both, since ultimately art transcends artiste and it exists independently of artistes.

·       Once art leaves the artiste, it has a life of its own.

·       What we want from an artiste gets broken when we learn something about who the artiste is as a human. Therefore, in order to prevent sexual harassment and gender violence, the art must be separated from the artiste.

 

The session ended with the participants concluding that gender violence and harassment has to be seen from various perspectives. Further, that victims have to be prioritized and resources have to be provided to victims.

You can watch the session here.

Report prepared by the SAHA team.