A performance art piece titled, ” Homeless Artists” outside the National Art Gallery of the Maldives on 3rd May 2019 brought to light one of the biggest concerns shared by artists in the Maldives.
Borne from a space of despair, this piece intended to draw attention of the government and the ministry towards the concerns of the creative community. Particularly in regard to the poor standard of the gallery, urging immediate action.
In the last seven years, the National Art Gallery of the Maldives has been reduced to a name board displayed outside the building designated as the National Art Gallery.
Without a permanent art collection on display the building is neither designed nor built to function as a gallery. To this end, it has neither the facilities, resources nor requirements to hold exhibitions, let alone national art exhibitions. This is deeply demotivating and a common cause of despair to many artists in the country.
What is more upsetting still is how the government utilizes the space by renting it out for events not related even remotely to the arts. The repercussions of this is extremely damaging to the institution and even the entire industry as it takes from the prestige and stature of the institution. Where holding an exhibition in the National Art Gallery should be something that younger artists aspire to, today the sad reality is that anyone can rent out the space to hold any manner of event – taking away the appeal and allure of the institution.
The Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Yumna Maumoon tweeted, “I hear you and we are working on your concerns about the Art Gallery.” in response. The Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage also tweeted promising a permanent collection soon and emphasizing the commitment of the ministry to “ensure necessary changes to prioritize the National Art Gallery.”