“I feel strongly about certain issues and LGBT rights is one of them. आदर्श बालक is a way for me to put those ideas forth.” - आदर्श बालक (Priyesh Trivedi)
Priyesh Trivedi’s आदर्श बालक artwork for Homegrown got an instant laugh out of us – it’s so familiar, it’s almost like an inside joke. Indian kids of the 80’s and 90’s congregate in this unlikely combination of nostalgia and subversive humour, sparking – so to speak - a phenomenal following in the series.
“I think it has got to do with people visually reconnecting with something that they grew up with but lost touch with along the way,”
“So it's the nostalgia bit with the hilarity that comes from the context it's presented in. Seeing expected things in unexpected situations always works.”
आदर्श बालक
Scroll on for our entire interview with him:
I. HG: Tell us a little bit about when you started drawing and how your style developed.
PT:
II. HG: Tell us about your relationship with surrealism and psychedelic art. What is it that you personally enjoy drawing the most?
PT:
III. HG: What was your experience with working in the animation industry like? What kind of
feedback did you get on your character designs from the ‘experts’?
PT:
[One of Priyesh's claymation films]
IV. HG: Tell us a little about how your आदर्श बालक project came about, especially with respect to its visual styling.
PT: आदर्श बालक
Toke
V. HG: The original Indian classroom charts of the 80’s and 90’s were published by Indian Book Depot in Delhi. Is there anything you’d like to say to the publishers?
PT:
VI. HG: Are there any other visual styles that you would be interested in reinventing?
PT:
VII. HG: Recently, you got a 100 limited edition signed posters to a concert at Mehboob studios. How did this ‘pay-what-you-want’ experiment turn out? What was it like watching strangers react to your posters first-hand?
PT:
VIII. HG: You’ve previously mentioned that your आदर्श बालक project is partially inspired by Joan Cornella, Spanish illustrator popular for the instant chuckle -inducing effect his dark humour and bizarre comics have. How and when did you discover him? Who, would you say, are your other influences?
PT:
IX. HG: With such quick gain in popularity of the art, the credit the artist deserves is sometimes forgotten in the chaos. What are your thoughts and experiences regarding this?
PT:
X. HG: Tell us a little bit about the train of thought behind the comic with आदर्श बालक and his friends hoisting a rainbow flag.
PT:
XI. HG: Tell us a little bit about your ideating process for the upcoming posters in the project and the direction in which you want to take it from here.
PT:
XII. HG: We absolutely loved your artwork for Homegrown! What was your approach when you went about designing it?
PT:
XIII. HG: अगर ट' से 'टोक' तो ‘ब’ से - ?
PT: बौंग
XIV. Quick question round:
One track you’re currently listening to?
'Tie In' by Recondite
Your dream collaboration partner?
Joan Cornella
An artwork you wished you had done?
The Transfinite by Ryoji Ikeda
Your favourite munchies?
Anything spicy and crispy
How to deal with creative roadblocks?
A short nap.
Image Credit: आदर्श बालक