Sundaram Tagore, NY-based art historian and gallerist, was in town to screen his film The Poetics of Color. We discuss the film, art and Asia.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Sundaram Tagore is a purveyor of East-West dialogue through his artistic and curatorial contributions. His directorial debut, The Poetics of Color: Natvar Bhavsar – An Artist’s Journey, is no exception.

In the film, Tagore examines issues of aesthetics in the context of globalisation. These issues play out through the exploration of the life and work of Natvar Bhavsar, a Indian painter noted for paving the way for subsequent generations of artists who find critical and commercial acceptance in America though they may not originate from there.

The Poetics of Color is a first of its kind. Not only does it document an artist’s life, it is a celebration of the Asian diasporic community and its contribution to American art.

The film premiered at the prestigious Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival in New York and garnered rave reviews. It has been shown in cultural hubs all over the world including Los Angeles, Hong Kong, several cities in Indian and Singapore.

SL: Let’s talk about the film. Did you know before hand exactly how you wanted the film to be?

ST: I had a very set idea how the film was going to be laid out from beginning, middle to end. The biggest struggle was to find a conflict and a resolution. Because that’s what all films have to do – take you up there and resolve it. And then I thought the anxiety of Natvar not finding acceptance in the Western art world was anxious enough to be played. Because of his works, a lot of younger artists got space but he didn’t.

SL: When you chose to document Natvar’s life, was as he honoured or hesitant?

ST: Just imagine, I hadn’t made a film before so it wasn’t a question of being honoured or hesitant. We had to spend a lot of time in Hong Kong, India, Mexico – why would someone agree to spend all that time when I hadn’t shown him any result? I knew I had to convince him and this was how I convinced him – if the film is not accepted by the wider world, then we have archival footage for you. Either way, you don’t lose.

Film still from The Poetics of Color – Natvar Bhavar: An Artist’s Journey - Natvar Bhavsar at work

SL: What were the challenges of filming The Poetics of Color?

ST: Talking about individual as a life that is physically next to you. I was afraid he would impose or he wasn’t going to like it. Once it was screened at the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival when everyone got up and applauded, I knew everything was fine. It was the final stamp of approval. When I showed it in LA, I very nervous because that’s the hub of the film world. But people liked it so I knew I was on the right track.

SL: Do you think your life mirrors Natvar’s life?

ST: Yes we are both transnational and we moved around. I’m a nomad, he’s not, he’s an artist and he has to be in one place. I’ve travelled to 80 different countries and I’ve lived in a dozen different cities across the globe both in Europe, Asia and America. My life is more fragmented, he has been in New York since ’61. He travels, but as an artist, he stays in one place.

SL: Do you still feel overwhelmed by the city when you go to New York?

ST: No, it’s where I feel immediately at home.

Sundaram Tagore Gallery New York, Hiroshi Senju, Haruka Naru Aoi Hikari, December 2007

SL: Do you get that feeling when you go to India?

ST: I used to live there but I feel like I don’t belong there anymore. It’s a weird feeling. I came from a large extended family but nobody lives there anymore. And that’s the baggage I carry. Our home and the people who used to live there are not there anymore. I’m totally comfortable with India but I’m talking about feelings – and the feeling is that everything is falling apart from my Indian side of the story. I wish I could go back to restore crumbling buildings but I don’t have the time. But, when I go to the villages I feel comfortable. There’s a constancy that has a universal quality. Even in rural Europe, you know what a farmer does. you expect the same things, they till the soil. It’s a universal struggle.

SL: You’ve travelled to many places. Which are some of your favourite?

ST: Patagonia, Argentina. Spectacular. When you’re walking, there’s no one there. Just millions of penguins and seals and whales and you’re walking in the middle of it, literally they come and peck you. That has a power that’s just unbelievable. Also in Africa – Ngorongoro, Serengeti plains, Rift Valley. A singular lion or an elephant in the range of what you can see, hundreds of miles and nothing there, what is this one elephant doing all by itself? It’s not possible for this animal to connect with another herd at least for some days or weeks. There’s a kind of poetry and grace and beauty to that. Then you realise we are really a micro-organism. We cannot dominate any other animal just because we are human being. Instead of taking children to Disney Land, they should be given such tours. It’s transformational.

SL: You’ve also been to many artistic hubs in the world. What makes a city an artistic hub?

ST: What makes a city an artistic hub is its audience. And I’m talking about audience with a critical eye. For example, if I’m a filmmaker and I screen a show and your audience does not take an interest in it, next time word of mouth would be that Singaporeans don’t care. But if the response is that they loved it then another artist will want to show their works. That’s how you create a cultural patina. It starts on the micro-level and soon it becomes macro, and that’s how you become an artistic hub.

Sundaram Tagore Gallery New York, Jyoti Duwadi, Red Earth – Vanishing Ice, 2008

SL: How does your team at Sundaram Tagore Gallery valuate art?

ST: A work of art should show provenance. You wouldn’t pay more than 50 million dollars for a work of art, say a Picasso, found in a street market. Let’s say (points to a painting in Marina Mandarin Hotel where this interview takes place) that painting costs $500, but if you take it to the streets and charge the same price, no one will spend more than $50. The difference is provenance. Just the fact that you brought it into this space will make someone out there feel someone evaluated this piece of art and decided it should cost this much. Let’s say I get it at a flea market for $5000, I bring it to my gallery and say it’s got value and charge $50,000 and from there it goes to the Metropolitan Museum and is worth $5 million. Each organisation is endowing it with a stamp of approval. You need an economy to back up art works you are producing. Hence why Chinese art has so much value now. It is a reflection of economic sense.

SL: Where are some of the best places in Asia to acquire art?

ST: There are the big auction houses – Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips and also the new auction houses that absorb art from different places. Art fairs are a good place to acquire art because you get competitive value. A hub of critically serious galleries are also great places to get art from. Auction houses only sell things that are already established.

SL: What are some defining features of Asian art?

ST: An enduring idea of human imagery and human form. The human presence is so strong in classical art whether Chinese, Indonesian or India, even in Singaporean art. Within that there is a strong strain of abstract art.

SL: How does your gallery contribute to cross-cultural dialogue?

ST: We’re the first gallery to focus on globalisation. We have a global community of artists with the idea of interchange and exchange. We would, for instance, pay attention to an artist who has lived in the West, and absorbed certain values, or Western artists who have engaged Asia. We use art as a vehicle to bring together. Also why we do a lot of charitable events to raise money for countries struck by natural disaster or for scholarships. Ours is a “dialogue gallery”.

SL: What inspires you?

ST: Beauty. It’s a kind of inner force that makes you think: wow, I’m so happy, I’m glad I’m alive.