‘Most art is political’: Raihan Vadra slams Bikaner House for removing 70 photos from exhibition

Visual artist Raihan Vadra, son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Thursday criticised the Bikaner House administration for removing photographs from his exhibition, arguing that an art institution cannot prohibit political content. He said officials had also removed a photograph of the national flag in his absence.

Vadra’s solo exhibition, titled No Idea Is Final, was scheduled to open at 7 pm on Wednesday at Bikaner House in Delhi. However, the administration objected to several photographs documenting recent protests in the national capital, asking him to remove them on the grounds that they violated its policy.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Vadra said the management had approached him 24 hours before the opening, expressing concerns that some photographs might be objectionable or against its policy. He asked the authorities to provide their objections in writing and said he was willing to discuss the matter.

According to Vadra, he received no response until 11 am on Wednesday, when the management team visited the exhibition space and inspected the photographs. He said the team had even complimented some of the images.

However, at around 12.30 pm, the deputy resident commissioner informed him that 70 of the 105 photographs had to be removed because they allegedly violated the venue’s policy, Vadra said.

He said he had already set aside some photographs containing overtly political slogans after reviewing the policy. He was also willing to discuss images featuring flags and political leaders but sought a written explanation for the objections.

Vadra said the principal resident commissioner subsequently told him that the photographs were political in the context of the protests and developments in Delhi.

Despite his team removing some of the images, officials returned to inspect the exhibition and insisted that all the objectionable photographs be taken down, warning that the show would otherwise be cancelled, he said.

‘They removed a photograph of the Indian flag’

Vadra said his team eventually removed the photographs, except for two images of the Indian flag. He questioned why the images had to be taken down, arguing that the venue’s policy did not prohibit photographs of the national flag.

He said he asked the officials to put their demand in writing if they wanted him to remove the two images. However, no written communication followed.

According to Vadra, the officials left one photograph in place but removed the other while he was at home getting ready for the exhibition’s opening. He said he had a video recording of the incident.

Questioning the venue’s restrictions, Vadra said most art was political and argued that an institution dedicated to art could not prohibit political content altogether.

He also criticised the administration for raising objections at the last minute, saying he had shared the exhibition layout a week in advance. Although the authorities had responded to the layout, they told him on Wednesday that they had not been able to review it, he said.

Bikaner House defends its decision

The Bikaner House Society said on Thursday that it had asked for certain photographs to be removed after finding them inconsistent with its policy. It added that the remaining photographs continued to be displayed.

In a statement, the society described Bikaner House as a public cultural institution dedicated to promoting art and culture. It said exhibitions and related activities must comply with the Bikaner House Management Society Policy.

Robert Vadra backs son

Raihan’s father, Robert Vadra, said he was proud of his son’s hard work and the effort he had put into organising the exhibition.

He said Raihan had attended the recent protests, carrying his camera and documenting the experiences and expressions of protesters, including students. He subsequently decided to organise an exhibition around the subject.

Robert Vadra said his son had submitted a PDF of the proposed exhibition to the Bikaner House authorities about a week before the opening, but they had not raised concerns or indicated that the content was controversial.

He alleged that officials arrived during the final stages of the preparations and demanded that photographs be removed just two hours before the exhibition was due to open.

Describing the last-minute intervention as shocking, Robert Vadra said he was proud that his son had proceeded with the exhibition using the photographs that remained.

PTI