Mumbai-based poet Aamir Aziz has alleged that artist Anita Dube used traces from his poem Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega for her artwork with out his “data, consent, credit score, or compensation”. “That is outright cultural extraction and plunder — stripping authors of autonomy whereas profiting off their voices, particularly these from marginalised backgrounds. Their work is used with out their data, exactly to allow them to be excluded from the wealth produced via it,” wrote Aziz in a social media.
He famous that he grew to become conscious of the usage of his work on March 18, when a buddy knowledgeable him after noticing the paintings on show at Dube exhibition’s “Three Storey Home” at Vadehra Artwork Gallery in Delhi. “That is my poem, written in velvet fabric, one other carved in wooden, hung inside a industrial white dice area, renamed, rebranded, and resold at an unlimited worth with out ever telling me,” wrote Aziz, who additionally shared images of the artworks. He added, “I’ve despatched authorized notices. Demanded solutions. Requested for accountability. In return: silence, half-truths, and insulting provides. I requested them to take the work down. They refused. The exhibition at Vadehra Artwork Gallery is now prolonged until twenty sixth of April.”
In a press release, Dube responded: “I realise that I made an moral lapse in solely giving credit score, however not checking with Aamir utilizing phrases from his poem. Nevertheless I reached out and referred to as him, apologized, and supplied to right this by remuneration. Aamir as a substitute selected to ship a authorized discover, after which I needed to go to a lawyer as properly. So far as the accusation of my desirous to monetize the poem goes; I instantly put the works not on the market. I hope to resolve this challenge in a good method.”
An alumnus of Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, Aziz has written common poems and songs of dissent, reminiscent of Achche Din Blues and The Ballad of Pehlu Khan. His poem Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega gained prominence throughout the anti-CAA protests in Delhi. Pink Floyd’s co-founder and English rock musician Roger Waters additionally recited the poem throughout a protest in London in 2020.
Dube is thought to have interaction along with her socio-political atmosphere via her artwork that usually questions hierarchies.
Having exhibited at prestigious venues and occasions the world over, she was additionally the curator of the fourth version of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2018-19.
In his submit, Aziz additionally alleged that Dube has used his poem for her work up to now as properly. “I found she had been utilizing my poem for years — together with in a 2023 exhibition titled Of Mimicry, Mimesis and Masquerade, curated by Arshiya Lokhandwala after which once more displayed within the India artwork honest 2025.”
Aziz added: “It’s shameful how far she’s gone and the way far her gallery is keen to go simply to dodge a easy fact: that Anita Dube constructed her artwork on a dwelling poet’s phrases, they usually each refuse to acknowledge or compensate him.”
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In a press release issued on social media, Vadehra Artwork Gallery stated: “We’ve got been in contact with Aamir Aziz and his authorized representatives for over a month. This can be a state of affairs that we’ve got taken very significantly. We instantly ensured that the works Aamir Aziz has issues with weren’t supplied on the market. We hope that the discussions which are ongoing between Aamir Aziz and Anita Dube may be resolved in an amicable and constructive method.”
Dube additionally famous: “I’ve been in love with Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega, particularly some traces which swirled round in my head like dervishes. As a visible artist I work with supplies that I like, that turn into means to critically remark, and the intent of quoting phrases from Aamir Aziz’s poem was to have fun them. ‘Haman hai ishk mastana, haman ko hoshiyari kya’ is an effective solution to describe this. It’s the misplaced previous world the place there have been fellow-traveler solidarities, spirit of the Commons and Copy Left. I’ve quoted Martin Luther King, Bell Hooks, and others in the identical spirit on this exhibition and elsewhere.”