In an age where we are overburdened with images 24/7, how does the contemporary artist respond to such a reality? Globalized modern artists are free to choose as their own any tradition from any corner of the world and from any period, but how does a critic respond to it? And how can viewers prepare themselves to approach such works of art? What kind of emotional urges drive an artist today? We are long past the age of insisting on some single ideal against which every work of art needs to be examined and evaluated. In this situation, what norms can critics and viewers use to appreciate a contemporary work of art? Is it possible for them to view current art activity discerningly, without being enthusiastic supporters or violent opponents to one or another point of view?

These are some of the concerns and questions that KG Subramanyan tries to address in ‘Creative Circuit’. As a practicing artist and an academician, he offers us a unique perspective. His artistic philosophy is informed by his mentors in the Bengal school, but is not limited to them. Neither does his horizon know any bounds, since he may well cite Baudelaire or Rilke, Kalidasa or Tarkovsky to explain his reinterpretation of concepts like modernity, eclecticism or nostalgia. In this enriching and invigorating collection of essays, KG expounds on his unique insights to help us understand how a new language for contemporary visual culture may be constituted today.