This artist encourages voters to reject bribes with art campaign

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Performance artist Paramesh Jolad has been using live art to address social issues since 2016. He has been trying to reach out to the public directly by staging art campaigns to promote various socially motivated messages. Since April 2023, he has been campaigning for people to vote and to declare that their vote is not for sale.

As part of his campaign, called ‘Nanna Matha Maaraatakkilla,’ (My vote is not for sale) Jolad has been using various freebies like a cooker and mixer, which is typically given to voters before elections, to form an artistic assemblage. His goal is to raise awareness about the negative impact of vote-buying and encourage people to vote based on their own beliefs and values, rather than being swayed by offers or incentives.

Jolad has also invited the public to take part in these campaigns that he is independently undertaking of his own accord. This is not the first time Jolad has used his art to increase awareness about voting. During the last elections, he ran a campaign called 'Vote Therapy' to increase awareness about the importance of casting a vote.