“Not always do you see visual artists enjoy the same recognition as cricketers, film stars, and musicians in our country,” says Santanu Hazarika. The multidisciplinary artist and illustrator, who hails from Guwahati, rose to fame after winning the Red Bull World Doodle 2014.
Since then, with each piece of his art, he has moved closer to success. Recently, the 39-year-old visual artist collaborated with beverage brand Budweiser for their recent #YoursToTake campaign.
Indulge sat down with Santanu to get to know him as an artist who works with organic structures, and abstract shapes and draws inspiration from pop culture, greek mythology, and heavy metal music.
On his colour palette...
I didn't go to an art school. I am a self-taught artist. So, all I had was a pen and paper. I always used to write or draw with a black ball of paint. That's how I started off. Then I got into comic books thus most of my earlier inspiration was derived from that. The most important part of comic books is comic book inking. That is primarily the reason I am drawn to dual colours like black and white. Plus, I associate well with the colour black because I am into metal music.
On abstract artwork...
I am a firm believer in the fact that any art form is an error. Art as a phenomenon or an entity is a giant error that people can never really figure out. I can not draw straight lines because I have shaky hands. I can not do structured artwork. I have figured out a way to outdo the little handicap that I have to draw properly. I resorted to making organic structures my strong point. That's why you see a lot of organic structures in my pieces. That is my way of making an ‘error’ useful for myself.
On inspiration...
As an artist, I can not take out the experience from the artwork that I create. Every piece I create is an expression of the experiences that I am going through. I filter it out with my perspective and I put it out there for others to observe it.
If they can observe it from the same point of view as I did while making it, I have done a good job. If not, I still have a beautiful piece of work. The whole motive of any artwork is to start a conversation. It should strike a chord in your head, it should inspire you to start questioning, and maybe even find answers.
On struggle days...
Yesterday, I believed in myself and today the world also believes in me. Budweiser invited me to the FIFA World Cup. Milestones like these give me confidence that I can take on the world. It is a great and rare occasion that a visual artist has been recognised and this will inspire more artists to do their best. It will help them build the confidence to take on the world.
On current style...
Right now, I am into abstract expressions. If you look at my artwork, most of my artwork is highly detailed with a lot of elements, forms, and organic structures going on. However, I am trying a different approach where I am going completely minimal. Currently, I am really into old greek mythology. I am trying to get inspired by those themes and mix them with modern concepts like pop culture.
I am changing my style from highly detailed to abstract and minimal. This is the phase I am in right now. Honestly, your art can never be the same. You are never the same person. Your experiences and your skills will grow and that will reflect in your art.
Email: muskankhullar@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @muskankhullar03