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| Sunil Sharma |
This March completes the last segment of
the three-month calls based on the stunning visuals of Robert Maddox-Harle,
the famous Australian artist who poeticises the pictures and visualises images
in his works of diverse genre.
Call them Ekphrastic--- a technicality;
name of a form of literary communication; kind of taxonomy.
Or, conversations with artifacts of
different types---interdisciplinary dialogues, interactions between
creative minds; responses of artistic kind.
Creating synergies.
How artists inspire others through their
individual works, that is the driving force of such projects.
Last three months have been pretty
productive in this direction.
Setu
often features works of the phenomenal Robert Maddox-Harle.
He is still largely undiscovered.
These enterprises aim to stimulate
conversations around him as an artist of exceptional vision and
liberal-humanist orientation, two vitals sorely missing in the contemporary
landscape of writing, painting and cinema, worldwide.
No longer art questioning status quo but
promoting fantasy, monsters and bestiality, as the norms of being alive in a
hyper-competitive world driven by an unquenchable thirst for super profits.
In such scenario, sex, violence, explicit
language, murder, rape and serial killers sell---not serious art that
emancipates consciousness from the shackles of lies and untruths, and, unveils
truth in a dramatic moment of recognition and facilitates changes for a better
life.
In short, radical art for a radical world,
a world of equality and harmony and peace.
Last fifty years of the production of art
are very dismal.
It is, as the French theorists happily
point, more kitsch than serious art.
Even such radical critiques are missing in
a deradicalized world.
How we miss a Lyotard, Picasso or Brecht,
among others.
In such a grim situation, Robert
Maddox-Harle---aka Rob Harle--- comes as different, as fresh air.
Talking of his inspiration, Rob Harle
says:
"When I took this photo, it
struck me as ironic that the jetty was mainly occupied
by birds, they can't read, they don't need to read because they know how to
survive
unlike stupid humans. The sign is only there to protect the 'greedy' owners
whose jetty
encroaches public space from litigation."
How Rob acts as a stimulant can be seen
from this comment by a participating poet-artist Marjorie Pezzoli:
“I really have enjoyed Robert's
photographs for writing inspiration over these last few months."
Please enjoy these conversations around
him, titled “Unveiling Meanings”.
.
This month is also about the celebration
of Woman Power.
We invited eminent poet-presenter-senior
bureaucrat Neelam Saxena Chandra to guest-edit a section of poetry by
some top women. She came up with a selection of some heart-felt and sincere
poetry dedicated to the feminine, a tribute to Women's Day.
Talking of woman-centric poetry, Neelam
says:
"The poetry of eminent women writers captures the struggles she endures
and the resilience with which she rises."
We are grateful to her and other poets for
this.
.
Lastly, we are serialising a novel
composed in Verse form---rare these days. John Clark Smith returns with
this type of novel for our readers. A challenging form, expertly delivered by
the gifted novelist John Clark Smith.
Hope you enjoy this and other writings!
Sunil Sharma,
---Managing Editor, Setu (English)
A highly thought-provoking editorial!
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