STORMING THE STAGE
#SouthAsianArtists has been trending on Twitter this month. Much of the pop art that has emerged from the region is astonishing for its vibrancy and the imagination of the young artists
Agalactic warrior in a dupatta and bangles; a mixed-race Harry Potter; a hijabi fashionista—these were some of the pop art icons that emerged when a group of artists launched the hashtag #SouthAsianArtists on Twitter earlier this month.
“We were inspired by hashtags such as #DrawingWhileBlack and #LatinoHispanicArtists. We wanted to create a similar platform for a community that we did not see much of in popular visual arts sphere,” says Pakistani design communication student Fatima Wajid, 18, who led the two-day campaign with Bangladeshi artist Esha (who goes by only one name).
“I was pleasantly surprised by the reception it got,” Wajid adds. The online event drew over 2,000 submissions by 100 artists from across Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines.
Some of it was fan art that reinterpreted existing heroes, superheroes and comic book figures; others submitted pop art peopled by new characters that were flamboyant, sassy and inspired by the visual language and culture of their creator; still others were contemporary art works that took on issues of gender, race, marginalisation and sexuality and would have been at home in a gallery anywhere in the world.
Nineteen-year-old Pakistani artist Amina Malik’s Three Stages of Life, for instance, is a powerful commentary on sexuality, patriarchy and feminism.
“I keep colour differences in mind because they are important markers of ethnicity,” says Southampton-based Indian illustrator Anshika Khullar, 23, explaining her half-Indian Harry Potter. “We desis hardly see ourselves represented as protagonists or heroes. Plus, I wanted to show a happy, healthy, interracial family. It was great to be part of a hashtag created to celebrate brownness.”
Other artists’ works showed darkskinned ballerinas, fat and short Bharatanatyam dancers and superwomen in hijab.
Young artists want to see themselves in their creations and the hashtag is a reflection of this, adds artist and curator Veeranganakumari Solanki. “Boundaries are becoming more porous, but we still want to be rooted in our culture,” she adds.
Aside from exposure and feedback, the spotlight on South Asian artists saw many of them receive new commissions and invitations to collaborate on visual art projects. Others, like Malik and US-based Indian illustrator Akshay Varaham, received so many requests for prints that they are now working to set up e-stores where their work can be bought.
Wajid hopes the momentum will grow and spread.
“The supportive atmosphere has let artists gain confidence and the world has now been exposed to a talented subculture within the online art community,” she says. “Now we wait to see if the world is ready for this art.”