You can only appreciate art when you’re not worried about putting food on your plate: Abhay Deol – Times of India

From reimagining retro burlesque posters to painting Albert Einstein in water colour, farmers protest and more, Abhay Deols social media posts have given us enough reasons to appreciate his inclination towards art. We caught the actor during a hurried trip to Kolkata to be part of his friend, artist Harshit Agarwals solo exhibition, EXO-Stential - AI Musings On The Posthuman, at a city art gallery. The exhibition that started on September 11, came to an end with a talk, The Arts They Are A-Changing, in which Abhay was one of the speakers. After the talk, CT had a quick chat with the actor. ExcerptsYour recent photograph with artist friend Shilo Shiv Suleiman broke a lot of fans' hearts.(Laughs out loud) Please dont take me seriously is what I would say.We noticed you were asked for autographs. Do you get autograph requests frequently in the time of selfies?Not that much. Mostly, it's selfies. You are right. It happens. Not that it doesn't. But not as often. I mean, I prefer autographs for sure. You dont always want to be photographed. But I generally tend to say yes rather than say no (laughs).

We see a lot of your paintings on your social media.

(Laughs) It is a hobby and I paint every now and then. Not as often as I would like to. I put it on my Instagram. I am not a professional though.

How conducive do you find our country to practice and perform arts of any form?

Honestly speaking, art is a luxury. Of course, there is a reason why richer nations tend to have a lot more invested in art than pooper nations. You can only appreciate the beauty when you are not worried about putting food on your plate. Thats the truth. But yes, we have the middle class who are doing well. There are people who are doing well. It's not like we dont have business that runs successfully, not like there isnt infrastructure. We have had a lot more success in the past couple of decades than before. That has led to people having money to spend. So, you do see a lot of art and appreciation for it today than before I think.How are you planning your festive season?

We are, as a family, not so ritualistic. From a very early age I've noticed that on Diwali days, we burst a lot of crackers that end up irritating in my throat and spreading a lot of smoke in the atmosphere. On Holi, a lot of colours have chemical ingredients harmful for the body. So, I have always questioned since my childhood that if it's not good for the environment, is it really good for god? I am very objective with festivals. In Indian culture, gods and goddesses represent the elements. It is one rare culture that worships nature. I think that is a beautiful part. We worship elements and our gods and goddesses represent those elements. I hope to see festivals that celebrate a clean environment and community.

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You can only appreciate art when you're not worried about putting food on your plate: Abhay Deol - Times of India