It is perhaps the first novel about the intriguing world of art by an insider, one who knows the artists and the art market. Published by Hachette India, Artist, Undone is the debut novel by V. Sanjay Kumar – a Chennai based art collector and one of the directors of Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai – who has been part of the art world for over two decades now. The novel written over a period of two years, hence, is inspired by his own journey into the confusing yet exciting world of art, marriage and friendships as seen through the eyes of Harsh Sinha, the protagonist of the novel who calls himself “fat, f**ked and forty” and who buys an expensive painting because the subject in it looks like him even if it ends up ruining his personal life.
Sharp, rough and written with biting candour, Artist, Undone, is a beguiling narrative of one man’s understanding of the creation, the commerce and the critiquing of contemporary art. It is also a montage of lives changed – mauled, redefined and occasionally redeemed – by it.
“I have inhabited the art world since 1988. It is a fascinating area where aesthetics and commerce mostly collide and sometimes walk hand in hand. The art world is a small place but the players are unique and their life stands apart from the rest. The book tries to capture some of the spirit that pervades this world,” says the author who is also a father of two teenaged daughters.
Kumar reveals that though he took off to the residency Sangam House in Nrityagram to complete his book, a lot of this fictional story “is based on my experiences and does take from people I have met, shows that I have seen and incidents that took place. The line between fact and fiction is a thin one, deliberately so. I believe it provides an edge to happenings in the lives of the characters if the context seems real. The fictional and the real walk hand-in-hand in the book.”
Speaking of his background, Kumar shares that he had a management orientation in the early part of his career where most things were viewed through the lens of commerce. “The art world made me question my assumptions and to this day I am quite confused as to how prices get fixed in the art bazaar and how an artist becomes successful is still a mystery sometimes. My writing takes from the way artists paint; they define something and leave a lot to your imagination and personal experience.”
Kumar ably recreates emotions of people connected with art through a breezy and humorous narrative. For instance, his character Roongta’s sensibility is what is considered “mainstream” as he thinks that a pretty landscape or a beautiful woman is good art, while Souza’s work would come across as “ugly to most people at first”. “I have taken nothing at face value; that is the view that the art world deserves. The book hopefully works at multiple levels. I would be glad if readers tried to dig deep and found something more than a simple novel about art”.
Prior to this novel, Kumar had attempted another; it did not work but it helped him in many ways. “And once I was onto the art world as a canvas, I was on sure ground. 20 years in that world have given me a wealth of material.”
Ask him what expectations he has from his debut novel and he says: “Till now, people who are familiar with the art world seem to have responded more strongly. They also look for places and people that they can recognise. Of course the book is not just about art and uses in a sense the art world as a setting for broader issues. I would want those completely unconnected with arts to read and understand the layers in the book.”
Kumar is already working on a couple of areas for his next book. “I continue to be inspired by the art world. I am also looking at goings on in a street in Chennai and trying to write about people who live there,” he signs off.
Poonam Goel is a freelance journalist and has covered the arts for over 15 years. She contributes on visual arts for various newspapers, magazines and online media. More about her on Story Wallahs. Write to her @ poonamgoel2410@gmail.com