I have known Rita Datta as a very fine and sensitive art critic. She was someone who wrote with great sensitivity. When Rita came to an art exhibition, she would take her time, she wouldn’t rush through the exhibition. She would look at each and every work very carefully before she wrote about it. She was very particular about what she would like the readers to know.
She belonged to a very rare tribe of art critics in our time because where do you get anyone to write like her anymore? People nowadays are into sound bites and a quick couple of lines with adjectives like amazing and mind-blowing. Words like that, Rita would never use. She would sum up her feelings very eloquently and articulate her thoughts very well. When one finished reading her write-up, they had something to ponder on. Even if one had not seen an exhibition, they could clearly imagine the artworks she was talking about.
'She was my lens to Kolkata, its art and art fraternity'
I speak about her today with great nostalgia and fondness as I have known her since the late 80s. In the early 90s, when I started exhibiting, I had the great fortune of having her visit the exhibition as a critic. I remember in 1991, I had curated an exhibition in Delhi with designer Sharbari Datta’s kantha stoles and dhotis for men and I called it 'Purushutsav'. Back in those days it was completely unique since I also had an all-male fashion show with men walking down the ramp. Since Rita was Sharbari’s sister-in-law (they were married to two brothers), she came to Delhi to see the exhibition. She was so delighted to be a part of it since it was two women doing something with men’s clothing. She showed interest in everything from textiles to weaves. I also remember, once she went back to Kolkata, she wrote about it. She might have not published it anywhere but wrote it for us. She was also very close to Sharbari Datta and her sudden death had gravely affected her.
'She went to an exhibition for the sheer joy of looking at paintings, sculptures and photographs'
Very recently, before my last show in Kolkata on (Bangladeshi photojournalist) Shahidul Alam’s retrospective, I asked Rita if she would come and see the show. She said, “Of course I will come and see the show but I don’t review photography. Someone else will be doing that but I will definitely come and see the show because you are doing something and I am sure it will be good.” That is Rita Datta for you. It was not her job but she was really passionate about it. She went to an exhibition for the sheer joy of looking at paintings, sculptures and photographs. And because she enjoyed it so much, we as readers could also feel that joy through her writing.
Rita Datta with her family
Living in Delhi, whenever I would go to Kolkata, I would be eagerly waiting for the Friday editions to read her reviews on art exhibitions and then go and visit them. I also met her quite often. A couple of years ago, before the pandemic, a relative from her father’s side had invited me to their ancestral house in north Kolkata. There we met and had a lovely time discussing art and other things. My visits to Kolkata were never complete without meeting her.
I was going through our WhatsApp chats where we were discussing two volumes of TAKE on Art, a prestigious art magazine published in Delhi. I was editing them and my subject was Bengal. Different people were writing on different aspects of the city. But when it came to art, I had to ask Rita to write. It was about the new-age art gallery, Experimenter, and who else could have done justice to it apart from Rita? She had readily agreed even though I told her that I might not be able to pay her. She came up with a beautiful piece. So, Rita for me was that person who I could just pick up the phone and ask for help. She would also often message me and ask, “Are you free to talk?” and we would get chatting.
I was always in touch with her. The news of her passing came as a shock to me. I am still processing it. As I live in Delhi, she was my lens to Kolkata, its art and art fraternity. Today, losing her has made me lose that lens and I will see Kolkata a little less clearly.