We live in times of strange contradictions. Even as means and mediums of artistic expression are burgeoning in numbers, artists everywhere are being compelled to school themselves to more painfully constricting guidelines on rectitude. A new breed of artists though is dodging it all—and bravely so. They are the ones taking Instagram by storm as they showcase bold new concepts fearlessly, post after post, to a live worldwide audience 24/7. We got the fiery warrior Pia Alizé Hazarika to share with us her ammunition.
Pia Alizé Hazarika shuttles between Delhi and Mumbai as she nails one cool project after another as an illustrator. An indefatigable doer as much as a provocative thinker, she spent many long hours during the #MeToo movement, coordinating legal aid and counsel for the women who shared their stories in the public domain. It is not surprising then that she would think up a scathing, unpretentious and informative, comic-format guide on feminism in India, Feminism AF: A Primer For Everyone, (co-created with illustrator Malathi Jogi). With a hyper-productive work space called PIG Studio, this fireball diligently pricks every pretentious, goody-goody bubble on her path.
All for comic timing: “Though I enjoy it all—editorial and brand-centric illustrations, communication design, layouts and typesetting—I can never have too much of comics, especially the educational variety.”
What makes your work extraordinary?
“More than just building an extraordinary body of work, I seek uncompromised clarity in my inner voice and objectives—and that too is a process of evolution and flux. I am keenly conscious and picky of the work I engage with.”
Latest punch in the gut: “A project with ARA Trust in Delhi on migration and asylum. It’s a booklet that will be available in six refugee languages, and can be used to spread legal awareness within refugee women, a majority of whom are barely literate.”
Key influences: “Quentin Blake, a barrage of DC/Marvel Comics illustrators (I’d practice by trying to replicate their pages), Becky Cloonan, Alan Moore, Guilermo Del Toro’s general aesthetic, and a whole lot of Manga.”
Portfolio swag: Adidas, The Caravan Magazine, The Health Collective, Penguin Random House.
Featured photograph (Pia Alizé Hazarika): Bikramjit Bose
