What happens when artists are confined indoors for months on end? More artwork, of course! Photographers, who are usually out and about shooting at various spots and against varied backdrops find themselves without the drama of electric lights and reflectors. For those creating magic with a paintbrush, the physical inspiration is now restrained to the… Continue reading Four Creative Artists On Their Distinct Work Born Out Of The Constraints Of The Lockdowns
With tributes for the much-respected Zarina Hashmi being shared across social media today, I couldn’t help but think back to my first encounter with the artist in 1997. I had just joined New York-based Bose Pacia Gallery, tucked away in a historic SoHo warehouse building, at an idyllic time for contemporary Indian art, pure and… Continue reading Remembering the iconic artist, Zarina Hashmi
Ayesha Singh; ‘Hybrid Drawings’ installed at The Sculpture Park, Madhavendra Palace, Jaipur Till the beginning of the 20th century, sculpting was widely regarded as the preserve of male artists. In recent times, though, sculptures and installations made by women artists have emerged from a dissolution of stereotypes—of both materials and processes. They are challenging the… Continue reading Sculptor Ayesha Singh’s work is inspired by her fascination for architecture
For Aparajita Jain Mahajan, becoming an artist was the most organic decision she has ever made. Having grown up playing in her mother’s garment store, Haveli, which revived ethnic Indian textiles, she was always surrounded by artisans and painters. At her latest exhibition, Tracing Memories, which was a part of the group show Building Ruins… Continue reading Aparajita Jain Mahajan stitches fragments of memories through her art
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… Continue reading Illustrator and animation artist Muhammed Sajid makes powerful statements in a playful voice
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… Continue reading Pia Alizé Hazarika makes comics that are feminist, unpretentious and informative
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… Continue reading Illustrator and designer Chaaya Prabhat on navigating Instagram as an artist
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… Continue reading Textile artist Sarah Naqvi’s feminist work is breaking taboos and starting conversations
Culture is the key that binds designers Shiva Nallaperumal and Juhi Vishnani in their vision to create a new identity for Indian design. Through their Mumbai-based studio, November, the passionate advocates of Indian visual language have created vibrant design elements in the sphere of books, music, cinema and fashion, including an ambitious new typeface, Oli… Continue reading This duo is crafting new ways of putting Indian graphic design on the global map
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… Continue reading Illustrator, muralist, paper cut artist—Kashmira Sarode wears many hats
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… Continue reading Intricate details take centre-stage in Santanu Hazarika’s artwork
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… Continue reading Khyati Trehan on the perks and pitfalls of using social media as an artist
“Everything starts from the fire I have for wanting to see things change,” says Jas Charanjiva. The self-taught artist and co-owner of the lifestyle store, Kulture Shop has been channelling this angst into art ever since she was a teenager. Growing up in California, she was moved by underground artists and skateboard culture to create… Continue reading Artist and entrepreneur Jas Charanjiva on the importance of self-care rituals
A high-flying career in modelling ensured Sheetal Mallar was always in the limelight, but it kept her away from her family, friends and the city she grew up in. “I took up photography to reconnect with them. It happened organically, as a slow process of discovery over the past nine years,” she says. After publishing… Continue reading Model-turned-photographer Sheetal Mallar finds beauty in simplicity for her debut exhibition
At a glance, Nayanaa Kanodia’s artwork might look like it lacks perspective. Her paintings look almost fantastic, bringing forth scenes from our daily lives with her signature tongue-in-cheek approach. “It is very easy to show tragedy and calamity but very difficult to show satire and mirth which can be understood by the viewer,” she says.… Continue reading L’art naïf pioneer Nayanaa Kanodia’s satirical paintings presented at London’s The Brick Lane Gallery
Divya Marie Kato’s artistic journey began when she discovered solace in a sketchbook in her early teens. She was living in London at the time and her parents were going through a painful divorce that left her mother bankrupt, and her house repossessed. Drawing became Kato’s way of venting, processing and reflecting on everything that… Continue reading Tokyo-based artist Divya Marie Kato wants you to draw to quell your doubts
Syed Haider Raza was one of India’s most celebrated modernists. In 1947, while studying at Mumbai’s JJ School of Art, he befriended fellow artists FN Souza, MF Husain, KH Ara, HA Gade, and SK Bakre. Together, they founded the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group in 1947. In 1950, Raza began studying at École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, where he was exposed… Continue reading Everything you need to know about the first major exhibition of S.H. Raza’s works since his death
After seminal artist Frida Kahlo died in 1954, her possessions were kept under lock and key by her muralist husband, Diego Rivera, in their “Blue House” in Mexico. Her wardrobe and make-up were left unseen for fifty years, whilst her icon status rose to Marilyn Monroe proportions. In 2001, a year prior to Salma Hayek’s cinematic… Continue reading Get to know the real Frida Kahlo at the V&A
Five South Asian New-York based artists revisit their roots and discuss influences, inspirations and their practice. Growing up between cultures — her father is Lebanese and her father is Afghani — artist, writer, activist and scholar Mariam Ghani often felt that the place with which she identified most was the border — and that is… Continue reading 5 South Asian artists who’re tackling culture, politics, gender and nostalgia
“My approach to art varies from project to project — it is usually very detailed, methodical, sometimes a little odd. I enjoy cartoons, comics and graphic strong lines, occasional minimalism — but always hand-drawn,” reveals illustrator and designer Janine Shroff, who collaborated with ELLE for our 250th cover issue. “What I like most about art is not knowing exactly how… Continue reading Meet the illustrator who transformed ELLE’s 250th issue cover into a comic book
Whether you call them your ‘tiger stripes’, ‘lightning strikes’, or ‘mummy medals’, one things for sure – stretch marks should be celebrated, loved, and embraced from women (and men) across the world. One woman on a mission to help women do that is Barcelona-based artist and feminist Cinta Tort Cartró, who is turning women’s stretch… Continue reading This artist transforms stretch marks into rainbow-coloured works of art
