Visual artist and designer, Kushagra Gupta, may be based out of Bengaluru but he is lucky enough to work with people all across the globe. The designer looks at art as his own “bricolage upon bricolage.” He further believes the key to creativity is developing an interest in multiple things, all at once, so when you’re looking at a blank canvas there’s a concoction of ideas and imagery in order to create something new and innovative. “It also helps pick up patterns of convention and transgressions, so you can ultimately be mischievous, which is always the aim.” We’re in conversation with the artist as he breaks down his process for us, amongst other things.
As an artist, do you think you've managed to find your voice?
I think it’s difficult to define a singular artistic voice for me. A lot of my art comes from intuition and experimentation, so I like to think that my ‘voice’ is a stream that changes and adapts with my endeavours and dispositions. I do identify with constantly allowing my art to evolve, by exploring new techniques, themes, and styles. At the same time, I try to avoid taking myself too seriously — at the end of the day, I think I’m just a creative kid expressing and having fun with some great technology.
What does your work in progress look like? Take us through a normal day at work.
For my client projects, I like to assign some linearity to my process, for my sake and the clients’. I start out with a concept — I like to sketch out the basic ideas that I want to convey. Which then gets transformed into a 3D artwork. There are usually several iterations of the same scene, where I play around with composition, materials, and lighting.
My personal pieces have a more ‘visual playground’ sort of process, where I push the limits and rules of my techniques to see where I land (hopefully not with my computer crashing!). It’s a lot like sculpting or pottery because I’m playing with 3D substances, but also like photography because the question I ask myself is — ‘what’s the most interesting form-space relationship that I can make out of this?’ A normal day begins with caffeine, procrastination and some warm-up sketches. The non-art part of freelancing can get overwhelming really quickly, so I need to ensure that I’m regularly stimulating the art-part of my brain.
Finally, what's coming up next?
I’m kind of taking it easier this year, though I do have some fantastic projects in the works! I feel like sometimes I work too much, so I want to travel more, spend time with my family and my dog, and I really just want to get a tattoo.
Words Unnati Saini
Date 17-07-2023