Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Mandeep S Tiwana the Indian lawyer who specialises in legislation affecting the core civil society freedoms of expression, association and assembly, has published an article in Global Issues titled ‘Civil Society Under Attack Around the World’ in which he states “In December 2011, 159 governments and major international organisations recognised the central role of civil society in development and promised to create an “enabling” operating environment for the non-profit sector. Despite the tall talk at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid and Development Effectiveness in Busan, South Korea, today NGOs, trade unions, faith based groups, social movements and community based organisations working to expose rights violations and corruption remain in a state of siege in many parts of the world. …As evidence from CIVICUS’ State of Civil Society Report 2013 shows, promises made in Busan about creating an “enabling” environment for CSOs were ignored as soon as the proverbial ink had dried. With discussions on the post 2015 development agenda well underway, influential civil society groups are urging the U.N.’s High Level Panel to explicitly recognise the centrality of an enabling environment for civil society in any new formulation of internationally agreed development goals. While politicians are currently preoccupied with kick-starting or maintaining economic growth, there is a real danger that civil society’s right and ability to engage decision makers in various forums will be further limited. If global development goals are to succeed, civil society needs to be able to operate free from fear of reprisals for advancing legitimate if uncomfortable concerns. After all, civil society groups contribute substantially to development strategies and help find innovative solutions to complex developmental challenges. More importantly, they help ensure the representation of a wide range of voices, in particular those of the vulnerable and marginalised in development debates. Perhaps this is why they are being persecuted.”

Inspired by Mandeep S. Tiwana, Global Issues ow.ly/lE1Hc Image source Facebook ow.ly/lE1tY

Ashoka Mody the Indian visiting Professor in International Economic Policy and former Deputy Director in the International Monetary Fund’s Research and European Departments, has published an article on the Project Syndicate titled ‘Misreading the Global Economy’ in which he states “…Consider India, where growth is now running at an annualized rate of 4.5%, down from 7.7% annual growth in 2011. To be sure, the IMF projects that India’s economy will rebound later in 2013, but the basis for this optimism is unclear, given that all indicators so far suggest another dismal year. The emerging economies’ supposed resilience, which has buoyed economic forecasts in recent years, needs to be reassessed. Like the advanced economies, emerging economies experienced a boom in 2000-2007. But, unlike the advanced economies, they maintained high GDP growth rates and relative stability even at the height of the crisis. This was viewed as powerful evidence of their new economic might. In fact, it was largely a result of massive fiscal stimulus and credit expansion. Indeed, as the effects of stimulus programs wear off, new weaknesses are emerging, such as persistent inflation in India and credit misallocation in China. Given this, the notion that emerging economies will recapture the growth levels of the bubble years seems farfetched. Economic forecasts rest on the assumption that economies ultimately heal themselves. But economies’ powerful self-healing capabilities work slowly. More problematic, a misdiagnosis can lead to treatments that impair the healing process. Overly optimistic economic projections based on mistaken assessments of the global economy’s ailments thus threaten recovery prospects – with potentially far-reaching consequences. In Europe, the banks’ wounds must be closed – weak banks must be shut down or merged with stronger banks – before recovery can begin. This will require an extensive swap of private debts for equity. For the global economy, the malaise reflected in anemic trade growth calls for coordinated fiscal stimulus by the world’s major economies. Otherwise, the risk of another global recession will continue to rise.”

Inspired by Ashoka Mody, Project Syndicate ow.ly/lCCay Image source politicalworld ow.ly/lCC3V

Jadav Payeng the 47 year old Indian environmental activist and forestry worker from Jorhat Assam has been featured by Stephen Messenger in an article published on the Mother Nature Network titled ‘Indian man single-handedly plants a 1,360-acre forest’. Messenger states “Jadav Payeng turned a barren sandbar in northern India into a lush new forest ecosystem. A little more than 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav “Molai” Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in northern India’s Assam region to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site where he could work full-time creating a lush new forest ecosystem. Incredibly, the spot today hosts a sprawling 1,360 acres of jungle that Payeng planted — single-handedly. …It all started way back in 1979, when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng, only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life. “The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage. I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested,” says Payeng. While it’s taken years for Payeng’s remarkable dedication to planting to receive some well-deserved recognition internationally, it didn’t take long for wildlife in the region to benefit from the manufactured forest. Demonstrating a keen understanding of ecological balance, Payeng even transplanted ants to his burgeoning ecosystem to bolster its natural harmony. Soon the shadeless sandbar was transformed into a self-functioning environment where a menagerie of creatures could dwell. The forest, called the Molai woods, now serves as a safe haven for numerous birds, deer, rhinos, tigers and elephants — species increasingly at risk from habitat loss.”

Inspired by Stephen Messenger, Mother Nature Network ow.ly/laCvs Image source Bijit Dutta ow.ly/laCv0

Sanal Edamaruku the 57 year old Indian founder-president of Rationalist International who potentially faces three years imprisonment on the charge of hurting religious sentiments for his role in examining a claimed miracle at a local Catholic Church [a crucifix that was dripping at Our Lady of Velankanni church in Mumbai, Edamaruku identified the source of the drip as resulting from a clogged drain], has been interviewed by Ryan Shaffer for The Humanist. During the interview Edamaruku states “Indian blasphemy laws are relics of colonial legislation and have a long history of abuse. In the decades since independence, they’ve been regularly used to hound and silence intellectuals and artists who question religious beliefs. What’s dangerous is that anybody can easily launch a complaint against whomever he wants for violating his religious feelings. And on the basis of such a complaint, the police can arrest and hold the suspect until he’s acquitted by a court of law, which can take years. So the real danger isn’t so much the verdict as the pre-trial “punishment.” …The government has the duty to protect religious and nonreligious citizens, but not religion. Religion is a private matter. History shows that most people in India are ready to tolerate others’ religions, to live and work peacefully together. But religious conflicts have always been created to play politics, and there’s no strong political will to end this old game as politicians of all parties prefer to reap its fruits. In short, the blasphemy law encourages abuse. It even offers a legal cover for crimes against the Constitution of India, Section 51A of which states “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India …(h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.” Our aim at the Indian Rationalist Association is to encourage and support people to fulfill this very duty, and it’s exactly what I did in Mumbai.”

Inspired by Ryan Shaffer, The Humanist ow.ly/k4fJo Image source Twitter ow.ly/k4fpP

Salil Shetty the Indian long-term activist on poverty and justice, former director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign and now Secretary General of the human rights organization Amnesty International has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘Nigerian government should address the problems’. Shetty states “A country with global aspirations should also be a country of the rule of law. On that count, Nigeria is failing dismally – particularly when it comes to Boko Haram [Islamic militant group]. …The death of 43 adds to the toll of more than 1,000 people killed by Boko Haram over the last two years, including attacks on churches, outside mosques and in markets. Such an assault from within is a challenge to any country. But Nigeria has to find a more effective means of response than it has to-date. The country is positioning itself as a global player and is seeking a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The terrible crimes of Boko Haram can never be a justification for a country’s security forces to kill or disappear people with impunity. The security forces’ response is creating an atmosphere of lawlessness across vast swathes of the country. In the words of one Nigerian judge, the authorities’ disregard for due process is “barbaric”. … Unlawful killings, detention without charge, and enforced disappearances are just some of the human rights violations being perpetrated by Nigeria’s security forces in the name of national security which Amnesty International identified in a report launched in November. … The Nigerian government should address the problems, not blame the messenger or deny the undeniable. The Nigerian government owes its own people respect for the rule of law – including by the lawful prosecution of Boko Haram crimes, which we see too rarely. If official lawlessness is denied and goes unpunished, Nigeria will not gain the stability it so badly needs.”

Inspired by Salil Shetty, Aljazeera ow.ly/hYDEp Image source Facebook ow.ly/hYDC8

Sanjay Suri the Indian born London-based journalist, editor in chief of IPS News Service, and writer of the book Brideless in Wembley an account of the immigration experiences of Indians in Britain, has published an article on IPS titled ‘Star Rises a Little’ Suri states “Any comparison of energy output from renewables to conventional energy sources must necessarily fail at the start. Renewables are new, they are a beginning, and it’s still too early to weigh such figures and to discount renewables. But despite significant advances in Abu Dhabi and Morocco, and promising commitments by the Saudis, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was reminded it is still doing less than many others. “The total installed capacity (in the MENA region) is less than 1 gigawatt (GW), excluding hydro,” Tareq Emtairah, executive director of the Regional Centre for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency in Egypt, told a meeting. …billed “MENA, A Rising Star in Renewable Energy Investment”. “Between 2002 and 2011 less than six billion dollars was invested,” he said. “Italy alone did that much in 2011.” In the larger pattern, he said, “of 22 Arab countries, 16 have indicative targets. But we do not see stability in commitment to renewable energy.” Emtairah said the pricing and tariff structure was not conducive to deployment of renewable energy. …subsidies for conventional electricity in MENA countries were already costing 50 billion dollars annually. …that brings up the comparative issue again. Why compare to conventional energy sources? Compare to the zero, some say, where renewables were not long back. “Ten years ago, Masdar (the Abu Dhabi company leading investment in renewable energy) did not exist,” said Yousif Al Ali, director of the Shams solar project in Abu Dhabi, the biggest in the region. “…I am optimistic and excited. I believe we will be a rising star. We have put the foundation to be a rising star.”

Inspired by Sanjay Suri, IPS News ow.ly/hnL3e Image source PenguinBooksIndia ow.ly/hnLfs

Asim Waqif the 34 year old Indian video and documentary artist whose projects have attempted a crossover between architecture, art and design has been featured by Gayatri Rangachari Shah in an article for the New York Times titled ‘Indian Artist Looks to Bring Works to the Everyman’. Shah states “…with his elaborate sculpture “Bordel Monstre,” at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris … Waqif, a former architect, said he felt limited designing within the confines of an office, and about seven years ago he started producing avant-garde installations …has used unconventional material, weaving debris — like discarded wood panels, wiring, plastic waste, metal and dry waste — into an elaborate, interactive sculpture. The 34-year-old multidisciplinary artist described the exhibit as a “means of making people aware of their own movement, to take into account an element of risk in their lives, of being careful and conscious.” In an effort to stimulate all five senses, he built mechanical pedals and electronic panels into the mazelike structure so that spectators could actively engage with the work. “People will be actors in the work, which includes light and sound,” said the show’s curator, Daria de Beauvais, by telephone. “It will be a unique experience for the audience because they will be able to hear, see, walk, feel and smell the work.” “Bordel Monstre” is the culmination of Mr. Waqif’s fall residency in Paris, which was supported by SAM Art Projects, and is the first exhibition to be displayed in the recently expanded Palais’s Music Temple room, a space originally dedicated to creating electronic music. Describing the large room as “challenging to work in,” Ms. Beauvais said she was impressed by the artist’s ability to make it his own. “The way some people work with canvas, Asim works with space”.” Inspired by Gayatri Rangachari Shah ow.ly/gdOGc image source SamArtProjects ow.ly/gdOCp

Bharti Kher the 43 year old British Indian contemporary artist whose work encompasses painting, sculpture and installation has been profiled by Carla Raffinetti in an article published on Artlyst titled ‘Bharti Kher’s Surreal World Of Cyborgs Bindis And White Elephants’. Raffinetti states “Bharti Kher’s is one of India’s best-known contemporary artists. …Although the artist was born and bred in England, she settled in India permanently in 1992 after meeting her future husband there, the Indian artist Subodh Gupta.  As the daughter of first generation Indian immigrants to the UK, Kher’s work explores themes of identity and belonging, of being of Indian descent but of not quite being Indian, of being raised in Great Britain but not being quite British either. Kher’s world is a place where all metanarratives have broken down.  Her work collages an uneasy mix of socio-cultural memes together.  As an Indian insider-outsider, Bharti Kher questions cultural and social rules through her art.  Taking her own disjointed identity as a starting point, Kher’s work walks the tightrope between ancient Indian customs juxtaposed with modern Western values.  Outside of the narrow frame of Asian art, her work serves more broadly as a metaphor of the multiple meanings that can be ascribed to an object or a situation, depending on its context. … whilst Kher delves into her ethnicity for imagery, she does not do so exclusively, preferring an approaching that is more culturally ambiguous.  Says the artist, “The figures I make always resist all classifications of class, race, time – they could be anybody at any time.”

Inspired by Carla Raffinetti ow.ly/fKfP6 image source Arken ow.ly/fKfKN

Celia Paul the 53 year old British Indian painter who she was taught by Lucian Freud, becoming his muse and having his child named Frank Paul, who is also an artist.  In an interview with Matilda Battersby for The Independent Paul speaks about the effect their relationship had on her own work. Battersby states “Lucian Freud said it was “like walking into a honey pot” when he first saw Celia Paul’s paintings. What Paul, who met Freud as her tutor at the Slade in 1978, didn’t realise then, but laughs wryly at now, is that the sweet thing he was taken with was her 18-year-old self, as much as her artwork. “I really didn’t know anything about his womanising,” Paul says. “I didn’t realise how predatory he was.” She later discovered that he’d taken the job as visiting tutor at the famous London art school because his relationship at the time was going wrong and “he wanted to find a new girlfriend”. The teenage Paul was caught in Freud’s spell; and a potent one it proved. …”I was really quite disturbed by his predatoriness. It felt quite complicated, because obviously I was compelled by his art, which I admired so much.” But the 55-year-old Freud, whose mesmerising qualities had at that point already earned him 13 acknowledged children, won Paul over. It took several months for them to become lovers, and two years for Freud to paint Paul. But she would become a significant muse for him in the early 1980s.”

Inspired by Matilda Battersby ow.ly/fmFrE image source Cassone ow.ly/fmFk0

Thomas Chandy the Indian CEO of Save the Children has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘India’s malnutrition problem is a systemic issue’ describing how girls in India are more malnourished as “inadequate resources of families are divided preferentially among men”. Chandy states “…India has still not managed to get a grip on the problem of malnutrition its children face, a fact that India’s prime minister this year called a “national shame”. The facts are daunting – as many as nearly half of India’s children below five years are malnourished. Girls are even more malnourished … grow[ing] up to be anaemic, deliver underweight babies who face an increased risk of dying and being sick right after their birth. India ranks 76 among 80 middle-income countries rated for the “best place to be a mother” according to the Save the Children’s Mothers’ Index released in May 2012. The problem of malnourishment in India is a reflection on its deeply entrenched poverty and a lack of functionality of its systems. Policymakers from the comfort of their oversized public-funded accommodation while examining the failure of their policies often argue that a country of India’s size – both in terms of geography as well as population – is difficult to administer. What they admit a little reluctantly is that the government-supported institutions are neither effective nor accountable to the people, and that the budget allocations in sectors critical for people’s well-being are still abysmally low. India’s wealth – no longer so new-found – has so far not filtered down to the areas which would make considerable difference to the lives of its common people.”

Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/f5tEu image source Facebook ow.ly/f5tCj

Should become a protean movement of ideas (December 24th)

Arundhati Roy the 50 year old Indian novelist and Booker Prize winner has explained in an interview with Arun Gupta her sense of comfort from the Occupy Wall Street movement, stating “…it seems to me, intellectually and theoretically, quite predictable this was going to happen here at some point. But still I cannot deny myself the surprise and delight that it has happened.” In the interview Roy states, “I don’t think the whole protest is only about occupying physical territory, but about reigniting a new political imagination. I don’t think the state will allow people to occupy a particular space unless it feels that allowing that will end up in a kind of complacency, and the effectiveness and urgency of the protest will be lost… I think the movement will, or at least should, become a protean movement of ideas, as well as action, where the element of surprise remains with the protesters.”

Inspired by Arun Gupta http://ow.ly/82M2G image source Jean-Baptiste Labrune http://ow.ly/82Ma9

Free market democracy is in fact an oxymoron (December 4th)

Vandana Shiva the 59 year old Indian philosopher and activist, believes the 99% as represented by the Occupy Movement have nothing to lose but their disposability and dispensability. In an article published by Aljazeera, Shiva states “Freedom in our times has been sold as “free market democracy”. “Free markets” mean freedom for corporations to exploit whom and what they want, where they want, how they want. It means the end of freedom for people and nature everywhere. “Free market democracy” is in fact an oxymoron which has deluded us into believing that deregulation of corporations means freedom for us … The new movements understand this. And that is why they are indignant and are occupying the political and economic spaces to create a living democracy with people and the earth at the centre instead of corporations and greed.”

Inspired by Vandana Shiva http://ow.ly/7A30w image source http://ow.ly/7A3lI

Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani the 54 year old Indian executive chairman of India’s largest private sector enterprise the petrochemical company Reliance Industries, has criticized western based philanthropy as a disempowering tool that increases dependency and reduces initiative and enterprise. Ambani described philanthropy as “a system where the more privileged is able to share a certain proportion of their wealth with the less privileged … It doesn’t create the necessary human capacity to make communities self-sustaining and independent”. Ambani has previously spoken in support of a more equal distribution of wealth though direct anonymous giving based on traditional values providing the giver personal satisfaction in lieu of the publicity that surrounds the western concept of philanthropy. However critics point to Ambani’s opulent life style that overshadows India’s hundreds of millions of poverty stricken people.

Inspired by France24 http://ow.ly/5DirR image source WEF http://ow.ly/5DiD4

Source of energy other than calories (May 12th)

This work is about iconic people, places and events of our day.  Recorded visually through daily compilations of manipulated digital images, the work is posted online and disseminated via online media and social networks. The works are diaristic in nature, that metaphorically record a spectator’s experience of the contemporary digital age.  The resulting work intentionally has a painterly aesthetic acknowledging the artists historical painting practice. 

Adapting Pop Art’s notion of mass media imagery into a context of the contemporary digital age, the work draws on a myriad points of reference. Utilizing fractured images to provide an allusion to the digital noise pounding away daily into our sub consciousness.  The work diverges from the traditional Pop Art notion of a pronounced repetition of a consumer icon, instead this work focuses on the deluge of contemporary digital content. The compilation of the fragmented imagery is vividly distractive, not unlike cable surfing or a jaunt through Times Square.

The work is premised on the basis that Pop art in its beginnings, freeze-framed what consumers of popular culture experienced into iconic visual abstractions. With the advent of the techno age, visual information circulates in such quantities, so rapidly and exponentially, that to comprehend a fraction of it all becomes a kind of production process in itself.  Hence this work considers fragmented elements of Pop Culture through an artistic and conceptual exploration of specific people and events of the day.

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