Babneet Lakhesar

Babneet Lakhesar babbuthepainter

'I was supposed to be a pharmacist. I might even have pursued my dream of becoming a Bollywood actress. If all else failed, I was going to become a university professor and teach art,' contemplates Indian-born, Canadian creative entrepreneur, Babneet Lakhesar when asked about what she'd be doing if babbuthepainter hadn't taken off as wonderfully as it did. Luckily for the rest of us, the all too well-known face behind and in front of the refreshingly resounding persona has only amplified her voice, favouring the downfall of a stagnant society. From giving South Asia’s cultural ups and downs her own kitschy spin, to battling the literally ancient perceptions of women in the Indian sub-context through era-appropriated pop-art, babbuthepainter brings plenty to the table for the world to see and hopefully observe. 

As made apparent from her alternate career choices, Babneet's alter-ego champion of feminism and punk renderings didn't start off with an eye for amalgamating desi and immigrant perspectives with offbeat yet effective stylings. Her roots in design are primitive, having majored in sculpture and installation from Toronto's OCAD University. And while her current artistic outlook may not closely resemble the fact, it's not far too off from her lessons in university. 'My paintings are definitely inspired by my background in sculpture. I love the build of paint and the shadows it creates, I get great pleasure from combining the two. However, I am diving back into sculpture and I have a new series of sculpture work which will be released very soon.’

Babneet Lakhesar Photograph by Kieran Darcy

Photograph by Kieran Darcy

Babbuthepainter wouldn't be the same without the myriad of old-school Bollywood references and pop-culture throwbacks. The posters and t-shirts, created for the sole purpose of accurately depicting such an obsession, run slightly more vintage themes, especially from her personal favourite and nationally loved Hindi feature narrative, Mughal-E-Azam. Despite her inclinations towards the film industry from a decade long past, she wouldn’t be closed off to the idea of her art reflecting today’s Bollywood, proceeding to list out some widely revered names. 'Highway, Udta Punjab, Ram Leela, Dear Zindagi, Bajirao Mastani, Piku, Jagga Jasoos and Barfi. The list still goes on! I love Bollywood! My dream growing up was to become a Bollywood star (laughs).' Also a dead give-away, it outlines her interests in the country's historically royal, and has always played a role in the makings of babbuthepainter. The Mughal dynasty in particular effected a visible impact, considering just how much it had to do with the era’s portrayal of women. A rendering bound to be special to an artist who has time and again proven herself a painter. 'I fell in love with how women’s sexuality was painted so openly and beautifully in the Mughal dynasty and how they explored the relationship between love and sex. It was a perfect match because they're all the ideas I explore and love to express—uplifting women through love and sexuality.'
 
Her string of products, paintings and posters have identified her with a certain niche. Whether it's the career-boosting art show, Bad Beti (bad daughter) or her breakout Bakwaas (nonsense) clothing and merchandise collection, each property channels feminism, duality and musings of an Indian living abroad. Having said so, an artist succeeding in and because of a generation driven by content-pumping social devices might feel the need to value frequency almost as much as she does art, a balance that would have otherwise been dealt with at a different pace. ‘Instagram keeps you on your toes, I am producing work at a way faster pace than I would like to. I always feel like I’m missing something or I could add more. But I think I’ll always have that feeling when it comes to my artwork.’

Babneet Lakhesar

It goes without saying that every artist regardless of era, sensibility or discipline, is at least once confronted with the dreadful creative burnout. Babneet fancies herself the simpler joys in life to get out of any fix she might find herself in. It usually involves a steady diet of red wine, great conversations and night-outs. Luckily for her fans, running out of content isn’t one of her worries. 'I have an endless supply of ideas and an abundance of excitement to act on. Executing the ideas is the more stressful process. But it always works out! I have an angel watching over me.’

A lot has been said about babbuthepainter’s influences and themes. A modernised art form, reconciling her Indian heritage with her Canadian upbringing with a little help from ancient history and mainstream Hindi features, coupled with biting sarcasm. But there still remain a few stray concepts she wishes to experiment with. ‘I explore a lot of different ideas but they always have a humorous undertone to them. I want to and [am working towards] exploring the same ideas but also sharing my own personal experiences that weren’t always pleasant. Love in a twenty-first century South Asian household is something I’ll be exploring.’

Babneet Lakhesar

babbuthepainter dons a portfolio that features bakwaas-painted kettles and bindaas (liberated) stitched into denim jackets. She jokes about how shot glasses would probably be next in line when challenged to come up with a similar pairing right off the bat. As far as her actual upcoming projects are concerned, things are looking up for Babneet Lakeshar’s no-nonsense, fusion success. 'I'm planning a show that'll be going to London, Toronto, Chicago and let's see where else it makes it. Also working on a Halloween campaign this year very similar to Bad Beti. Other than that I'm starting a new venture in the beauty and fashion world.'

As one of the lucky few doing what they love, Babneet knew right away what her favourite part of it all is. 'Nothing makes me happier than sharing my artworks with everyone, and meeting the most amazing people around the world. And travelling!' By the look of it, this particular painter, model and photographer won’t be slowing down anytime soon, and in the meantime will probably be churning out art that in her own words are 'Loud, Happy, Makes-my-heart-mushy and South Asian.'

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Text Shristi Singh