Plagiarism charges over 16 December-inspired show divide artists, gender activists
Mumbai-based gallery Beyond ‘recreated’ an art work owned by a Delhi gallery despite being denied permission.
A Delhi art gallery that created an acclaimed exhibit after the Nirbhaya gang rape case is suing a Mumbai gallery that had previously worked with it for copyright infringement for creating a similar exhibit on gay issues, in a case that has divided India’s art world.
The 16 December 2012 gang rape of a paramedical student, which came to be known as the Nirbhaya case and sparked international outrage, made Myena Mukherjee, who runs the Delhi art gallery Engendered, decide to host a show called RESIST, showcasing works of artists concerned about sexual harassment. The show included a section featuring the Wall of Solidarity, wherein artists could contribute 1 ft-by-1 ft canvases on gender inequality and related issues. Artists such as Anjolie Ela Menon and Aparna Caur participated in the show, and it received extensive press coverage nationally and internationally.
Gallery Beyond, a Mumbaibased art gallery, had collaborated with Engendered to take the show to Mumbai. The trouble between the two galleries started when Gallery Beyond expressed the desire to recreate the Wall of Solidarity and extend its focus to gay issues. The Sunday Guardian accessed the mails exchanged between the two.
On 27 February, Vibhuraj Kapoor, who runs Gallery Beyond, wrote to Mukherjee that his gallery was associating with Kashish, a film festival on issues related to the gay community, and would like to “recreate and add to the Wall of Solidarity”. Mukherjee replied that it would not be possible as the exhibit was likely to be taken to the US during the time Kapoor wanted to display.
She added, “I sincerely hope the 1by1 format, curatorial content, language, intent and the name itself is not duplicated, recreated or appropriated in any manner ... this is an Engendered property in terms of intellectual and curatorial rights.”
However, Gallery Beyond went ahead and organised a show as part of Kashish, which Engendered considered a copyright infringement. The matter has now gone to court in Delhi, and the next hearing is likely to be held on 25 June.
A source close to Kapoor claimed that Gallery Beyond’s show was completely different from the one presented by Engendered. “Our show focuses on issues related to freedom of choice and expression, whereas her show is about VAW and gender inequalities. We thought we were part of the same thing and could address a much larger scenario this time, but she just did not have the time. Our show is about affirmation and it is completely different,” said the source.
Art critic John M.L. wrote in his blog recently that the quarrel was “childish”. “This issue is very simple. Myena should have let the show hap- pen without any fuss. She should have smiled and let it go,” he wrote.
However, other critics disagree. Georgina Maddox, also an art critic, wrote a piece on a website questioning the actions of Gallery Beyond. “As someone who has watched The Wall of Solidarity grow and who has written about it ... I can say confidently that it is obvious to a person of Kapoor’s experience that the intellectual rights of the Wall of Solidarity lie only with Mukherjee and replicating her idea without her consent amounts to plagiarism,” wrote Maddox.