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The great grandson of Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Sundaram Tagore is the owner of galleries in the US and Hong Kong dedicated to the exchange of ideas between cultures. Andy van Smeerdijk talks art, culture and the environment with the suave art historian.

Commerce and
art, the irreconcilable differences: Art doesn't serve a purpose, it's the realm of the imagination. The purpose is the imaginative side of life. It has a message but
not a function.

But commerce has changed art. When it prevails, it's not about dialogue. Art must bring people together. Corporations cannot create art.

Creating a cultural hub: It's okay to import artists to a place like Dubai but you must also allow local people to interact with them. You need to create a platform - venues, workshops, lectures and so on. That's what I'd like to set up here. It's important for artists to connect with others of kindred spirit.

My spin on the environment: When I was in Argentina, surrounded by seals and penguins, I looked around and I couldn't believe there were Coke cans and other trash floating nearby.

And it's the same concern in Africa and other wild places - it's important for us to preserve something so primal. Without wilderness, you won't be a human being. We can't dominate nature anymore. The earth seems to be diseased and we have to cure her.

The way forward:
If a real environmental movement is to take root, the only way for it to work is if it will be profitable.

Government incentives are needed otherwise . Also, we need a paradigm shift. Beautiful containers are not a priority. But there's hope. Humans are resilient and because of that there's hope.

We've done incredible things artistically; we have the capacity to find a solution.

The true melting pot:
All around the world, the new generation is different; they're intercultural people. It's a result of the environment they live in. Some are bicultural people... that's the true melting pot idea. You can see it here in Dubai, it's fabulous.

• NAME: Sundaram Tagore
• NATIONALITY: Global citizen
• OCCUPATION: Curator and owner of the Sundaram Tagore Gallery
• FORMER JOB: Director, Asian division, Pace Wildenstein art gallery, New York.
• LIVES IN: New York
• WEBSITE: www.sundaramtagore.com