Pune: How does art help imagine a future beyond conflicts, political divisions and historical injustices that shape our present?French-Algerian artist and curator Kader Attia equated art to a ‘Giant’. “The current political, environmental and economic situation has stolen our hope, and the more we drown in it, the less we see the horizon. Art helps society see further, as if you were sitting on the shoulders of giants in a dream. Art could be a kind of giant,” he said.Attia was speaking at Kochi Biennale Foundation’s Let’s Talk event on Nov 15 in Pune. The event was held at Pune International Centre and also featured Jitish Kallat, president of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, and Mario D’Souza, director of programmes at the foundation.Through his art, Attia examines colonialism, the people’s collective memory of displacement and the idea of repair, through the integration of different cultures throughout human evolution. “Humanity is a patchwork of different and unrelated parts exchanged over centuries. It embodies a precious aspect of evolution: diversity. Otherwise, the West would have died from its own kitsch.”However, he emphasises distinguishing exchange of cultures from cultural appropriation by examining who controls the representation and interpretation of a culture.“Communities subjected to colonial rule have historically found ways to reclaim and reinterpret the symbols imposed on them. Traditional jewellery made by rural communities in North Africa use French and British coins bearing figures such as Napoleon and Queen Victoria. My grandmother regarded the coins as decorative elements. The coin was meant to say ‘the ruler owns you.’ But once it became a necklace, it said ‘we own the ruler’s face.’ The so-called powerful faces became pretty ornaments, worn by the people they wanted to control.”Attia expressed concern about the influence of digital technology and artificial intelligence on society and artistic practice. “Photography or cinema did not hijack democracy; social media does,” he said, arguing that digital platforms increasingly bypass human interactions through which societies develop shared values. AI’s growing influence could concentrate extraordinary digital power within capitalist structures. “I am not anti-technology, but I am advocating for the regulation of digital technology, the same way society has always regulated new inventions.”For Aarti Kirloskar, director of the SL Kirloskar CSR Foundation and convener of art and culture at Pune International Centre, bringing this event to Pune was part of a larger effort to strengthen the city’s position in contemporary cultural discourse. “Pune has never just been a bystander in contemporary art. The aim is to ensure Pune is an active participant in shaping them,” she said.
