VOL-2 ISSUE-5 `100 I NOVEMBER 2017
THINK. CREATE. LIVE
MADRAS & HER MYRIAD MELODIES 08
MONOCHROME PHOTOGRAPHY AN ART WITHIN AN ART 32 1
ER 2017 BREW LIFESTYLE NOVEMBER 2017
Shakthisree Gopalan
“ILLUSTRATION IS MY LOVE’’
today. You google a photo of Herzel (the founder of Israeli nation), and you will find just about two photos. Do the same for any average 18-year-old guy and you will find so many. I started by depicting and illustrating Israeli generation of founding fathers of the country. The reaction to the series was amazing- young and old were all inspired. They had their own perspective of the series; everyone had something to connect with. As I do affordable art, I exhibit mostly in small galleries and pubs, and I sell copy of the illustrations online. I see no shame in doing art that is sold by relatively cheap prices, but has to be seen at everyone’s houses, i.e. the hippy student and the mid age novo-rich. So after the success of Israeli series, I thought people all over the world will identify with this series of illustrations. The history of the last century is heavily defined by its prominent figures – the main leaders who shaped the course of history. I often find myself imagining a world where some of these leaders are less interested in influencing lives and more focused on their own persona. Imagine Gandhi obsessing with his looks, and not about releasing India from British rule or Abraham Lincoln searching for a hip bar instead of abolishing slavery. Although all of these leaders were part of a collective identity, they were all still unique and innovative in their own way. Hipstory tries to recreate these iconic figures and places them in d i f f e r e n t times and cultures – an attempt to create new and altered images of them. At present, the collective identity is less binding and anyone can reinvent themselves. The intention does not lie in choosing the better generation but rather in highlighting the differences, by changing the point of view and introducing a new perspective. It is my hope that this series should encourage us to reflect: upon our leaders, our society, and ourselves. And failing that, Hipstory should at least make us smile.
Which is your favourite illustration from the series? My favourite is probably the Lincoln, after all he was my first illustration, and he is the oldest. He is so detached from the hipsteric scene, and even by his look you can see that he is not related to this whole thing at all. Let me also tell you the truth, I think even some of the hipsters today are detached from their identity, yet they keep it anyway.
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ER 2017 BREW LIFESTYLE NOVEMBER 2017