The Hindu Business Line : Art is not for `shock's sake'

From what I remember of school art classes, the artists among us were judged solely on the basis of our drawing, painting skills. To be seen as a true artist, one needed both talent and technical proficiency.

These days, though, art seems to be valued only for its ability to shock. And if it isn't shocking - it isn't art.

But what happens when people start to become `shock-proof'?

I met with Sacha Jafri, Oxford graduate and young British painter, and among those moving away from what some call the `cultural pollution' of unmade beds and pickled sharks.

Jafri's outlook comes across as both contemporary, with an ability to clearly exhibit his own emotions, and yet something of the traditionalist able to convey a deep awareness of real art and bring this to the eyes of his audience. His inspirations include filmmakers Stanley Kubrik and Sam Mendes, and authors Rohinton Mistry and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

But his environment has to be his biggest influence, his travels, conversations, natural surroundings.

Says Jafri, "My work is the complete antithesis of shock art. I aim to be dynamic, beautiful and uplifting - not to give the viewers something momentarily which won't stay with them forever." The energy, sounds and smells of his travel to West Asia, India and Southern Africa are huge inspirations. He stresses his Indian lineage, his grandfather being a close friend of Gandhiji. "When I visit or even think of India, I always get uplifted by a sense of adventure and romanticism. There is nothing more powerful in India than the people and the non-man-made landscapes."

Growing up in London, with Indian, French and English heritage, Jafri won an art scholarship to Eton College, England, coming first in the country in art A'Level, with his headmaster buying his first painting done at the age of 18. He adds excitedly, "I clearly remember her taking down her Mondrian to see what my painting would look like on her wall — this was my first major thrill!"

Jafri went on to complete MA in fine art after which he began his first collection, displaying it at the Wentworth Gallery. This was a sell-out with an average painting price of £20,000 breaking records for an artist under 25.

He says it is all about the process and the passion that goes into making each piece of work. "In order to make more people aware of the painter and the fact that art can still involve the oldest tools in the world — the brush, the oil and the canvas can still be incredibly poignant." Recently, an audience of 5,000 at the Royal Albert Hall, London, watched Jafri paint live. He is working towards a solo exhibition at London's Alexia Goethe gallery focusing on London's `Disappearing Landscapes.'

Of course, all art aims to evoke some sort of reaction. Even Manet's painting of Olympia, possibly the most famous nude of the nineteenth century, offended the conservative of the post-Revolutionary middle-classes of France. Should an artist have to worry about the sentiments of millions of individuals? According to Jafri "Lazy, fast, shock art - some of it is nonsense. It is massively overpriced." Art critics have compared Jafri to Pollock and Kandinksy.

What does he think of buying works of art as investment? "It means that they see your work and feel that it enhances their home environment and the way they feel every day - this is a great compliment and very humbling, inspiring and rewarding for me. Buying for investment is also a compliment to someone's belief in you: your work, direction, and abilities - so this is also rewarding". His work has drawn interest from celebrities and royalty. One painting was recently auctioned for £130,000.

This one is definitely an exciting young painter to watch!

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