In this compelling interview with Siddhesh Gautam aka Bakery Prasad, we explore the intricate relationship between art and activism through his lense that challenges dominant narratives around caste, freedom, and political inequality in India. In His debut exhibition We The People (Too), at Museum of Goa redefines the concept of freedom beyond state independence, drawing from Ambedkarite philosophy to present a bold critique of social injustice. The artist’s unique blend of surrealism, minimalism, and personal experience creates a powerful platform for dialogue on caste inequality, activism, and the role of art in shaping societal change. Through graphic novels, handbooks, and a multidisciplinary approach, he aims to connect deeply with audiences, using his art as a tool for education and awareness, while reflecting on his own roots and influences from global thinkers and movements. In this interview, the artist shares insights into his process, inspirations, and the challenges of maintaining artistic integrity amidst public scrutiny.
Your exhibition ‘We The People (Too)’ challenges the dominant narratives of caste in the freedom struggle. How do you envision this exhibition altering the current discourse on caste and freedom in India?
The exhibition is aimed to challenge and rethink the meaning of freedom itself. Is the state’s independence from a colonial rule is only freedom? This exhibition brings the many facets of freedom and how for many centuries people have been fighting and resisting oppression and inequality. I believe an equal and just society is a free society.
You often use surrealism and minimalism in your work. How do these art movements help you convey your messages on social issues, particularly caste inequality and political dissatisfaction?
For me, both surrealism and minimalism have deeper meanings than their visual distinction. I use surrealism to alter time and memories through my work. I use minimalism to be more direct and straightforward with my subjects and my viewers/consumers. And the combination of both with a little bit of agitation is a perfect blend of creativity and communication for me. The essence of these art movements make it easy for me to communicate with the masses, for whom my work is meant for. But to be true to myself, I’m more inspired by the semiotics and values of the Ambedkarite movement and Ambedkarite aesthetics. I believe that we are rediscovering Ambedkarite aesthetics and Ambedkarite movement with art being produced by many artists such as Pa Ranjith, Arivu, Shrujana and so on, all of them taking inspirations from various movements; local and global. I believe that everything that an artist create is on social issues and every creation is a political stance that an artist takes. Calling oneself apolitical is itself a political stand. Even strokes or splashes made to create flowers and butterflies are a result of our privileges and cultural burdens.
Your art critiques the current administration and its policies. How do you balance your role as an artist with your activism, and how do you ensure that your art remains impactful without compromising its aesthetic qualities?
I am a global citizen who happens to be an artist too. (At least I like to think of myself as that). When the world is your house, you do feel the freedom of maintaining it well. Keeping it clean. Keeping it prosperous. Keeping it welcoming. Keeping it peaceful. It only comes natural. I don’t think it is activism. It is just the love for our house. For our surroundings. For our people. It may just be a very selfish deed at its core, but it seems to be effective for a longer run of reforming the society to make it inhabitable and just for everyone.
I think we derive aesthetics from our ideologies and values and not the other way round. If our mind is occupied by any emotion that we feel and care for, it will reflect in our work. And that will derive the aesthetics for our work. We should study the aesthetics practiced by various communities and individuals but that doesn’t mean that we have to follow them. I don’t run after making good compositions or choosing the right colours. There is nothing good or right about art. My work is educational in purpose and so are my aesthetics. I only followed aesthetics when I was studying in college, because it was forced upon me. But ever since I left these institutions I don’t really bother about aesthetics anymore.
You’ve mentioned that Ambedkarite ideals significantly influence your work. Can you elaborate on how Ambedkar’s philosophy shapes your approach to art and activism?
As I talked about feeling like a global citizen, this emotion is the result of Ambedkar’s work and his life. A child who once was made to sit out of the classroom in his own country, was able to find books from all the continents on his table in the US and UK while he was perusing his higher education. Even in his work he gives so many global references that you do get inspired and influenced to want to know more about what’s out there. Ambedkar’s fearlessness is something that still encourages me to create what was not even considered art a few years ago. Ambedkar also became an anchor to the history of my community. The institutions that I studied in did their best to keep me orphaned from my own history.
Your work includes a graphic novel and a handbook on Dalit affairs. How do you use different media and formats to communicate your messages, and what challenges have you faced in these diverse artistic endeavors?
I guess, I keep it simple. That’s the gist of my practice. To keep it simple so that more people can engage with it. Different media is sometimes just a subconscious decision, sometimes it occurs much organically. When you keep studying so many works of the great artists from the past and present, you tend to become faster at making such decisions. I strongly believe that artists should never stop studying other artists, there is so much to learn from each other. And, it only makes your practice better. I don’t think that creation is challenging. What’s challenging is what happens after the creation. Certain works makes you more vulnerable to the outer world and it is your decision whether you want to put that work out now, in future or never.
How do you see your work contributing to the broader conversation about freedom and equality in India? Are there specific outcomes or changes you hope to achieve through your art?
I believe each artwork, if produced thoughtfully, is a contribution to world knowledge creation. My work is a contribution to that knowledge system, which we all will handover to our future generations. In this knowledge system the conversation around freedom and equality is out there in open, in mainstream, in underground, in households and in many minds. It has been the theme for many artists for centuries. Freedom from inequality and discrimination based on gender, caste, race, language, and so on, has been the major subject for artists. Freedom has been the supreme goal for almost all art movements. I guess one has to first accept that the desire or passion to seek freedom is only natural in human beings and artists use their art to express that.
The color blue plays a significant role in your artwork. Can you explain its importance in your practice and how it connects with your personal and political identity?
Like most of the children born in 1990s, my first memory with art was through advertisements in colourful newspapers, coloured televisions and colourful advertisements banners on roads. The first contemporary artworks that I saw as a child were commissioned by my grandfather to local artists. My grandfather lost his father when he was 5. So when he grew up to earn money, he would commission paintings of his father growing old with him. He commissioned these when he was young. When I grew up, I saw these artworks as my first introduction to contemporary art. Even though they were created by the ‘unknown’ local artists but they were as contemporary as they could be. I could notice the influence of pop culture that was around me through advertisements in those artworks. But since the artworks were not preserved very well, they started to accumulate dust and other things. The blue started to turn a little grey, and a little green. The bright green began to look a little brown. The skin got darker, the water more greenish as if it had algae. It was very easy for me to pick up a palette for my own aesthetics. Even though I was orphaned from my own history through academic institutions but I found my history through education and using that education to trace my roots. To trace the roots of my community that contributed equally to this global and local knowledge system throughout the history of humankind. I have shared some of these traces of my roots in my current exhibition ‘We the people (too)’ at Museum of Goa.
You have drawn inspiration from movements and thinkers such as Dadaism, Banksy, and modernist theorists. How do these influences manifest in your work, and how do they inform your critique of contemporary issues?
They were definitely my early inspirations when I was just starting out. I would definitely acknowledge their influence on my work and foundations. But I have come a lot far from that. As I started to get more exposure to the global world and started to amalgamate it with my own identity, a new world opened to me. I started to learn more. Unlearn more. Relearn more. I believe I have remade my foundations many times. Currently, I am more influenced by the works and words of Dr Ambedkar, Frida Kahlo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Dalit Panthers, Neelam Productions, Bhumika Saraswati, Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project, Nalanda Academy and Eklavya Foundation. With so so much happening around. I am very eager to remake my foundations in the future because of the works of present generation.
How do you handle the tension between being a public figure and maintaining your personal artistic integrity? Have you faced any backlash or criticism for your work, and if so, how do you address it?
Umm… I don’t think I am a public figure. I’m an artist. That’s how I see myself and that’s how most of the people who know of my work see me. I also like to see myself as a poet, storyteller, dreamer, treasure hunter, thinker, and so on. But I don’t know expect me to see all of my sides. I sometimes get extra attention for all the good and bad reasons. I enjoy it sometimes. Other times I am more concerned about so much that I have to produce in such less time. Our lives are indeed very short.
I am continuously criticised for my work. Some of these criticisms have made only made me better. I have great respect for the people who see my work critically and are unbiased and polite at the same time.
Given your multidisciplinary background, including design, writing, and storytelling, how do you integrate these various elements into your art? How do these different skills enhance or complicate your artistic vision?
I guess it only gets easier to express as you experiment and learn more skills as per your interest. I love to experiment. It’s okay to fail. It’s alright to learn. Just keep expressing. That all is important. I feel like we as a society are becoming like plastic. We follow more trends. We like to look similar. We like to seek validation from outside. We are afraid of failure. I appreciate individuality coexisting with community. The acceptance and love for the ‘other’. The acceptance and love for ‘self’.
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