Ep 12: Char/Coal Country

In this episode I, Kamayani Sharma, am in  conversation with artist Prabhakar Pachpute, among the winners of the  Artes Mundi Prize 2020 about his artistry and engagement with coal  mining in his native Chandrapur District, Maharashtra. Pachpute "works   in  an  array  of  mediums  and  materials  including  drawing,  light,   stopmotion  animations,  sound  and  sculptural  forms.  His  use  of   charcoal  has  a  direct  connection  to his  subject  matter  and   familial  roots,  coal  mines  and  coal  miners."



We discuss  highlights from 10 years of Prabhakar's practice including recent shifts  therein, his formative years as a young artist at Mumbai's Clark House  Initiative and how the aesthetic mode he adopted captures the political  and ecological aspects of mining in the era of extractive capitalism  (disguised as "development"). We also talk about frequent comparisons  with South African artist William Kentridge, inspiration from  contemporary artists grappling with history under antagonistic regimes,  and the value of artistic research and practice as a collective,  peer-driven process.

Click here to access the Image+ Guide & view the material being discussed in the podcast: https://sites.google.com/view/artalaap-podcast-resources/episode-12.

Click here to access the English-language transcript for this episode: https://bit.ly/37HrjIB

Credits:

Producer: Tunak Teas

Intern: Priya Thakur

Translation and transcription: Akansha Naredy & Priya Thakur

Images: Experimenter & Artes Mundi 9

Design & artwork: Mohini Mukherjee

Marketing: Dipalie Mehta

Additional support: Raghav Sagar, Kanishka Sharma, Amy Goldstone-Sharma, Shalmoli Halder, Arunima Nair, Jayant Parashar.

Audio courtesy: Vernouillet by Blue Dot Sessions [CC BY-NC 4.0]

References:

Manik 'Grace' Godghate, 'Ti Geli Tehva Rimjhim', Chandramaadhaviche Pradesh , 1977.

Lajja Shah, 'The Wall Street Journal', ART India, pp. 87-89, Vol. 20, Issue 3, 2017.

Ana Bilbao, 'Mining Colombian contemporary art: histories, scales and techniques of gold extraction', Burlington Contemporary, May 2019.

Kathryn Yusoff, 'Mine as Paradigm', e-flux, June 2021.