Self-taught collage artist and stylist Seher Khan, inherited her artistic predisposition from her grandfather, who was not only a photographer but also a splendid illustrator and calligrapher. She was also influenced by her father, who collected ceramics, crystals and paintings. It was at the young age of fourteen when Seher decided that she wanted to enter the fashion industry. Sketching dresses and styling her friends during free time, came naturally to her. The Muscat born artist, who moved to India at the age of 20, went on to study Fashion Design and later traveled to London to study further for a short period. She tells me, ‘The inclination towards the art I create now began in 2013, when I bought an iPad and got introduced to digital art being created around the globe via Pinterest. I realised that I understood composition and colour really well, both essential for collaging. I would constantly research and experiment with images, both digital and analog, to create something that made creative sense to me. Before I knew it, I was creating something substantial.’
Her art functions as a creative release for Seher — the process brings her utmost satisfaction due to its therapeutic nature. Collage art is an extension of herself and her skills as a stylist. She adds, ‘It enables me to express my mind in complex ways. Both styling and my artwork deal with composition and colour. They’re interconnected for me.’ Seher’s intrepid, vivid colours represent her maximalist and lush aesthetic. With a very vast taste, she finds inspiration in not only Ellsworth Kelly’s minimalism, but also in Henri Matisse’s bold patterns and colours. Full of happy hues, flowers, butterflies and textures, as she puts it, her collages are in a constant state of evolution because as an artist, her skills and taste move towards betterment.
The process for her collages begins with research. The artist places special emphasis on research as the basic nutrient for any kind of creativity. For her research doesn’t just involve mere mood boards created on Pinterest or glancing through fellow artist’s works. It is a rather laborious process, that sometimes involves books, places, actual photographs, a visit to the museum or reading up on botanical elements, rare birds or whichever element she includes in the artwork. Seher begins searching for an image that poses as the subject for the collage. Staying true to her job as a stylist, she tends to mix fashion with art. Lately, she has taken to involving pop-stars as the subject of her artworks. The subject image acts as the most crucial piece as it sparks ideas for the other pieces. ‘I go through innumerable images of renaissance paintings, modern paintings, architecture, still-life photography, images of people and the wildlife, till I find what catches my eye. This can take hours. After collecting a number of images, which seem random at first, I start weaving a story. Visualising a narrative, a mood, a scene, I start cutting out the section of the image I require and discard the parts I don’t need,’ she explains.
Post this, she tries out different compositions, styles of collaging, digital effects and even digitally paints a few elements, to lend some structure to the frenzied setup she began with. As a perfectionist, she keeps revising and revisiting the artwork until each element falls into place. It finally comes down to naming and describing the artwork, and brainstorming to come up with something that represents the spirit of the artwork. Talking about what she wants from the audience, she breaks it down, ‘I want people to stop suddenly and stare quietly. I want them to fall into the colours and textures and feel my heart. I want them to zoom in or step close, and see the details and stay in a moment of wonder. My artwork roars with colours and everyone could use some of that when they’re feeling blue!’
Her strong belief in the strength of manifestation was what helped the artist crusade through all the challenges 2020 brought along with it. She elucidates, ‘I feel, by constantly visualising my success, I motivated myself and manifested the opportunities I’m receiving now. Surprisingly, 2020 has been one of the best years for me for so many reasons! I started creating a lot more art this year than I did before. When the world was at a standstill and so was my work, I turned towards my art to find solace. My artwork is time consuming since it’s research heavy, so I wanted to utilise this time to improve my skill, work on new styles and create content. I decided to create at least three pieces of artwork every week and I did exactly that.’
While the lockdown levied unprecedented emotional load on everyone, it also highlighted the human ability to rapidly adapt to varying emotional and environmental conditions according to Seher. Motivation to produce more art is not something that is always available at the drop of a hat. Clarity in thought is one of the most important precursors for her to start weaving one of her colourful narratives. She further allows herself to naturally progress from feeling low to feeling alive again. When there’s a slump in energy, she resorts to activities that fuel her fancy. This includes reading, looking at works of artists she admires, making mood boards and even listening to oldies.
In the future, Seher plans on renting out a studio space and creating gallery size artworks, with a mix of analog and digital pieces. She further wishes to develop merchandise with the prints she creates. On a parting note she excitedly adds, ‘I have decided to wholly, solely and completely dedicate 2021 and beyond to creating magic with my artwork.’
To know more about the artist and her work follow her on Instagram.
Text Unnati Saini