Amrita Sher-Gil’s Heteroglossic Art in the Context of Indian Diaspora and World Culture: A Philosophical Perspective

Abstract

If a nation is an entity on the lines of being a macrocosm of the world, ‘diaspora’ could
be considered as a space of dispersal manifesting microscopic consciousness of culture
and its people. The interconnectedness between the world and nation is one of the
significant ways to underline what diaspora is, as it provides the essential link between
distances and destinations. The philosophical ramifications of Indian diaspora result in
connecting the entire world together. A diaspora existence is unique in its ability to live
or co-exist within several communities simultaneously. In this paper, I would like to
invest critical attention in Indian diaspora as a “mode of cultural production”
(Vertovec), further elaborating upon the Sikh diaspora contributing to its home country
and the world by the production and reproduction of a transnational cultural
phenomenon. The paper takes as case study the diasporic identity of Amrita Sher-Gil
to lay claim to be among the precursors of the transnational, global and cultural
exchange of art, as well as the pioneers of Modern Art in India. It would be argued that
Sher-Gil’s art as artistic contribution to India and the world underscores that diaspora
is that aspect of culture which instead of being essentialised, should be understood as a
heteroglossic concept or inculcated as something dynamic or adaptive.