April 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 19
INDIA NEWS
NEWS FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Stolen antiquities in Australian museums owing to lack of due diligence The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) and the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) restituted stolen antiquities to India a few years ago but there are still some pieces left which were plundered from the country
C
onventionally, it would not be wrong to assume that state-financed art galleries and museums have stringent guidelines and policies for acquiring ancient works of art for they have accountability towards masses whose incomes in the form of tax revenues are utilised to make the purchases. However, what came as a major jolt approximately seven years ago was the discovery of the blatant disregard of the red flags by museums such as the NGA, the AGSA and the AGNSW. These museums have turned out to be gross failures in matters such as due diligence and provenance. Following these disconcerting exposures, the Australian government, in 2014, released the Australian Best Practice Guide
which says: “Provenance includes the full history and chain of ownership of an object from the time of its discovery or creation to the present day, through which authenticity and legal title are determined” and “Due diligence requires that every endeavour is made to verify the accuracy of information before deciding a course of action, particularly in identifying the source and history of cultural material considered for acquisition.” Return of the Dancing Shiva but museum denies accountability In 2019, thousands flocked together in the South Indian town of Kallidaikuruchi in Tamil Nadu to welcome the arrival of the Dancing Shiva (Shiva Nataraja), a 16th century bronze statue. The 100-kilogram bronze statue was
plundered from a temple in early 1980s and then illicitly exported. It had been in possession of the AGSA for nearly two decades and was among the eight antiquities with values ranging from $225,000 to $5,000,000that Australia has sent back to India since 2014. The decision for repatriation was taken after the discovery of irrefutable proof that all these ancient art works had been stolen from their place of origin. The museums in question denied having any inkling about the authenticity in the provenance of these antiquities despite stolen antiquities investigators like Vijay Kumar asserting emphatically that even a superficial glance at the provenance documents of the idols reveals several glaring inconsistencies. Kumar who is the author of ‘The Idol Thief’ and co-founder of the India Pride Project claimed that the NGA still has nine antiquities while the AGNSW has three pieces that were robbed from India in the 1970s or afterwards. He is nonplussed at the attitude of the Australian museums as they agreed to repatriate only the idols for which in-situ photographs could be produced as evidence although the paperwork for the other pieces were also conspicuously fraudulent.
Subhash Kapoor was linked to at least six of the eight antiquities with dubious provenances which were repatriated by the Australian institutions to India. The Australian museums and art galleries in question had purchased these idols from Kapoor, the owner of Manhattan’s Art of the Past gallery, who is now in custody in an Indian prison awaiting trial for allegedly running an international network of illicit trade in stolen antiquities.
British adventurer and art dealer accused of smuggling and illegal excavation Bangkok-based British explorer and art dealer, Douglas Latchford, who died last year, had been under investigation for misrepresenting provenances and for producing false documents in order to cover up the fact that the South-East Asian antiquities supplied by him since the 1970s to art dealers across the globe were either stolen or obtained through unauthorized excavations. The
US-based Indian art dealer linked to illicit antiquities trade New York-based art dealer,
New York District Attorney’s office which had indicted Latchford revealed that a 2000-year-old statue of Seated Buddha, which the NGA returned to India in 2015 had been supplied by Latchford. According to Jason Felch, an expert on illegal antiquities trade commented that if any kind of connection is found between Latchford and any piece of antiquity should sound the alarm bell for art dealers who have the moral obligation to thoroughly check the documents proving the veracity of the idol in question. However, the NGA, the AGSA and the AGNSW have denied any connection with Douglas Latchford though they did claim that numerous objects with doubtful provenances were being investigated.
Multi-award winning WA tech firm takes home state government award for multiculturalism
L
eading WA technology company, Illuminance Solutions, has been recognised for its contribution to multiculturalism and inclusion by being honoured at the 2021 Western Australian Multicultural Awards. On March 18, the company’s Managing Director Nilesh Makwana was presented with the Multicultural Business Award by at a gala event at Optus
Stadium. The award recognises WA businesses who have shown leadership in supporting diversity and multiculturalism in the workplace. This included not only employing people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, but also providing professional development opportunities for them within the business. Both of the founders of Illuminance Solutions - Mr
Makwana (India) and Mr Vincent Lam (Hong Kong) have first-hand knowledge of the challenges encountered by migrants and those from a diverse linguistic background. “We speak from experience when we say it can be really difficult to get a foothold in the workforce when you are new to a country or live with a disability,” Mr Makwana said. “We are humbled and thankful to receive this award which recognises our efforts in fostering an inclusive work environment and creating opportunities for our state’s migrants. “This award is dedicated to the Illuminance team which represents various skill diversities and abilities including 24 nationalities in a team of 30 in total that includes 14 women and people wih disabilities and with an age group ranging from 19 to 64 and a team speaking 34 languages. “From providing mentoring and editing services for those whose
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first language is not English to supporting the celebration of religious holidays, we look to provide an all-inclusive and wholistic approach to multiculturalism in the office. “We understand our team members may have to communicate with their family members during office hours as their families may be based in different time zones, so we provided a room for those that need to make private phone calls
in their own language. There is also a space available for those that wish to conduct faith related activities.” Mr Makwana took the opportunity to call on other Western Australian organisations to become more inclusive. “The company’s focus has always been on supporting our employees by providing a compassionate and inclusive environment,” he said.
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