Amidst nationwide protests, how artist Appupen aims to elevate art and change minds

In 2003, as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy completed 20 years, artist Appupen volunteered to draw visuals for them. “That’s the first time I really thought my art was being used in a good way,” says Appupen in an interview with Firstpost. Straight out of college, having previously worked in advertising, he “ran away from it, as far as possible.” After Bhopal, he went on to work for several non-governmental organisations, including Greenpeace, and later founding the artists’ collective, Brainded India — a movement focused on independent thought, amidst a deeply agenda-driven, propagandist mainstream, through humour and visuals. He also publishes his own art, and has created four graphic novels, all situated in the mythical dimension of Halahala, a world that mirrors our own, presenting biting satirical commentary about it. “For some time now, I’ve been thinking that all sorts of art, whatever we do, needs to have an objective, have something that we’re addressing.” While art should still be celebrated in notebooks, “whatever we’re putting out should have some message or the other, something we believe in.” [caption id=“attachment_8011121” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Illustration by Ponnappa. All following illustrations by Appupen. All photos from Facebook @inHalahala.[/caption] Through art or poetry, through the visual or the verbal, an artist with greater communication prowess better explains the abstract, and gives voice to the feelings with which a community identifies. While nationwide anti-CAA-NRC protests have gained momentum over the past few months, the importance of artists like Appupen has fountained, and the subculture they exist within has broadened, as they vocalise an anti-establishment sentiment. “Over the last five-to-six years, the country has also woken up to that mood,” Appupen says about the political dialogue among masses. In making it their life’s work to raise questions, speak truth to power, and voice a people’s anguish, thought, and passion, artists like Appupen posture themselves as the conscience of a society. As an artist then, Appupen’s challenge is to balance two concerns. First, educating people. “Humour and art, or beauty, are ways we can put a foot in the door. Because the people we’re trying to talk to are coming from the other side. So, if I get them to laugh or appreciate the art, then I have a way in.” And secondly, elevating art. “We have to see that with what we say we bring in the quality, the thinking, and the bar is raised a little more.” Appupen’s art doesn’t aim to change the world — instead, it intends to change people’s minds. “What I look at is how to elevate society in some ways, or your art-understanding in some ways. We’re not looking at changing the world — that would be stupid.” The space for art, according to Appupen, exists in the area of influencing people’s moods and perspectives. “We hope people will look at it and think and then take their call. I like this because it sort of presupposes that our audience is intelligent and capable of taking a decision on their own, which I don’t know if we should go with now, but as a human, I would like to speak to that idea.” In posting his art online, while he often receives encouragement and support, vile hate and trolls are also abundant. “Suddenly you’ll see a lot of people who haven’t seen such a post in their life, so they’re just reacting and venting under that post. Then you know it’s reached outside your usual reach of people.”

In practising dissent online, besides trying to reach new audiences, there’s also the challenge of then communicating an important matter to people within a small available space. “All these social media things — they’re very shallow. If you say more than two lines, I lose my audience.” While the ones who read more deeply are essentially the same circle of interested people, his goal is to reach beyond that leftist echo chamber. “To bring it to a newer audience, [I’m] always wondering how. Because these topics are not fun. And somehow, we have to tell people that it’s not going to be all fun. If you think that news is fun, then you’re probably wrong and you have to get out of the comfort zone.” Satire can perhaps inherently be entirely defeating sometimes as well, like his illustration depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “Robocop dictator figure”, which started receiving praise from his audience. “It fits the idea. What we put out as a hideous representation fits the idea of somebody else. I don’t know, some people think that’s cool.”

Even though negative response to one’s art always exists, the Bengaluru-based artist appreciates the changing narrative the protests are bringing. “What I hope for is to get these corporate people out of their offices and thinking about this, going for protests.” While earlier the narrative in offices revolved around how “development happens only when you push out one or a few communities,” they’re not saying that now. “They’ve been waiting for profits to come, and that didn’t happen. So then they’re like ‘something is wrong’,” explains Appupen. Along with an increased consciousness, he also hopes it’ll bring more powerful people to talk. “CEOs should talk. Bollywood should talk. They are the people who control the masses. Not some tiny artists who are putting things up for free. We can hope. That’s generally the thing of art. But when something like this happens, we need a lot more push,” the artist says, as he’s about to head off to an anti-CAA-NRC protest after the interview. “I hope the momentum lasts.”