00:00Rehan Vajra is making all headlines and speaking to India today exclusively over an exhibition controversy.
00:07Priyanka Gandhi has also jumped in on this. Priyanka Gandhi Vajra, the mother of course of Rehan,
00:11has said that she's proud of her son. But what is the controversy about?
00:17Rehan Vajra has said that the removal of his artwork is an act of political bias
00:21and that Bika Nair House in Delhi has removed the photograph even of the tricolour.
00:26And this is not simply about protests but also street photography.
00:30He said he asked Bika Nair House for written objections, if they feel so,
00:34and claimed he was given only 30 minutes to remove 70 artworks.
00:38Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vajra meanwhile speaking up in his support and said she's proud of him
00:42but also taking an indirect swipe at the government or those in power,
00:46saying when someone with power becomes afraid of expression of another,
00:49they don't yet know it but they've already lost the very power they're trying to protect.
00:54The Congress is criticising the government over the removal of these artworks.
00:58I reiterate, these are claims by Rehan Vajra.
01:02We do not yet have a statement from the Bika Nair House.
01:07As an individual artist, as an upcoming photographer,
01:10how do you view this as an artistic point of view,
01:14you know, removing 70 to 80 percent of your collection,
01:17which you're saying you've worked for almost three years?
01:20I feel, you know, it's basically, I was quite surprised.
01:24You know, I think any type of curtailing of art is wrong.
01:28I would understand if there's a, if, you know,
01:31if there is something that's a little too overtly political,
01:34that, you know, there are slogans being put,
01:37or that, you know, there's graphic nudity in some artworks,
01:40that is understandable.
01:44But, you know, just blanket removing 75 photos
01:49because they may be objectionable to somebody does not work,
01:52you know, and it's wrong.
01:54Then you can't call yourself a cultural institution
01:57or you can't call yourself a stakeholder in the arts
02:00if you're going to curtail freedom of expression.
02:02If you can describe, you know, what really happened last afternoon?
02:07So, actually, my exhibition was,
02:11I was holding an exhibition for the first time after two, three years.
02:16And it wasn't just about the protests,
02:18but it was a, it was a exhibition of my body of works
02:22over the last, taken over the last three works, three years.
02:26The head of, who runs Beaconhead House, he came,
02:30the principal resident commissioner,
02:32and he gave me an explanation that because of the context
02:36and the timing of what is happening in India and in Delhi,
02:42that makes these works political in nature
02:44and therefore they're against the policy.
02:47So, I tried to argue that how can timing
02:52or outside context make artwork political
02:55and that's not in their policy.
02:56But anyways, they did not listen.
03:00And I got a notice at around 3.30 p.m.
03:03saying that if you don't remove the artworks,
03:0574 artworks by 4 p.m.,
03:08you will have to,
03:09we will have to cancel the exhibition and seal the building.
03:12You are wanting me to take down a picture of the Indian flag.
03:16They never gave that to me in writing.
03:18They left one photo up.
03:19I went home to change for the opening.
03:23As soon as I left the premises,
03:25they went in and took it down.
03:26And I have a video of them taking down that picture.
03:32Yeah, so that was the...
03:34And then, you know, we left the walls.
03:38Let's try and understand this further.
03:40What are the claims coming in from Rehan Wadra?
03:42The exhibition initially featured
03:43100-plus photographs and artworks
03:47by Rehan Wadra,
03:48who's the son of Robert Wadra and Priyanka Gandhi Wadra.
03:50The works included wildlife
03:52and also part of recent protest images in Delhi.
03:57Now, Rehan is claiming that it was 70 photographs
04:00specifically were asked to be removed
04:02and the reason primarily was about the protests.
04:06Around 40 artworks were left on display.
04:09There were large rooms at Bikaner House
04:11that were left largely bare,
04:14even though with regard to the pictures that were on display.
04:18Now, that is what is coming about in this regard
04:20and this is what is happening
04:21is being termed as a political bias
04:25that was done against Rehan Wadra.
