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In many ways, cities shape the people we become. Cities, much like people come with their own unique personalities and quirks. Like many people, they grow around us and from within us. But can cities shape the way we look at art, at how we create and how we immerse ourselves into the maddening creative process. At Homegrown, we wanted to know how the city has shaped these creatives and their identity - how it transpires into their art.
In the first of the series, we talked to five Chandigarh based creatives to weigh in on how the city beautiful has defined their body of work and shaped their creativity.
Working her magic through the camera lens and striving to create an incredible body of work is Aayushi Bansal, an experimental artist who is creating a storm with her work in the fashion industry. Promoting fashion as art through photography, Aayushi’s work ranges across a diverse medium of portraits and photoseries. Think flash photography, rebellious style statements and en vogue conceptualization!
Chandigarh means different things to different people, for some it is a nostalgic moment in time, for some it is the romanticism of daily life and for some an aging city dispelled in slowness. What does Chandigarh mean for you?
I tend to travel a lot based on my work but whenever I return back to my home city, it’s like coming back to my place of solace. It’s more like wearing your favourite pyjamas after a long day at work for me. “Der aye durust aaye, apne ghar ko aaye (it’s better late than never coming back to your home).”
Do you see a glimpse of Chandigarh in the work that you create? How has it impacted your creativity?
For me, Chandigarh stands out from other urban cities’ chaotic nature and the way it’s well planned, unlike many others. I think my work style is inspired by Chandigarh’s design structure and well-planned strategy to some extent. I have to have a plan before any of my shoots. Each sector in the city has something new to offer and I want my audience to expect that quality from every project of mine as well.
What is the one place in Chandigarh that inspires you, that one place that keeps your imaginative and artistic creativity flowing?
I like to explore old and new places again. I believe no location is overdone if you haven’t tried it because it’s your vision, how you imagine it, direct it. Chandigarh has beauty in each sector but Sector-17 is something else. I have shot there many times but whenever I revisit, there is always a new place to start with. It has so much to offer. My artistic self is happy there.
What’s your favourite spot in Chandigarh?
Ahh definitely Underpass! But if we’re talking about food, the list is way too long to suffice.
Chandigarh-based photographer and visual storyteller Farheen Fatima has a unique style that makes her work easy to recognise from the rest. Trying to capture the beauty in both the extraordinary and the ordinary, her portraits are both strikingly raw and stunningly natural. Her photos are a beautiful combination of fine art, fantasy, and fashion, landscapes, and atmospheres. If you scroll through her Instagram, you’ll notice that most posts are accompanied by a strong concept along with the story behind each shoot.
Chandigarh means different things to different people, for some it is a nostalgic moment in time, for some it is the romanticism of daily life and for some an aging city dispelled in slowness. What does Chandigarh mean for you?
I have grown up in different cities and Chandigarh for me was the first city which I called home for a decade. For me, it will always be the first city I called my own. Chandigarh and the way the city feels have had a strong influence on the way I see, observe, and create. The subtle minimalism as well as the symmetrical beauty of this city has seeped into my personal aesthetic.
Do you see a glimpse of Chandigarh in the work that you create? How has it impacted your creativity?
The city has inspired me to create whole projects which are centred around its beautiful gardens and magnificent architecture. The quiet hum of Chandigarh is something that we might not notice in our everyday life but it slowly and steadily starts changing the way we look at our own creativity. This city helped me discover my love for architecture and nature. And both of these themes play an important role in my work.
What is the one place in Chandigarh that inspires you, that one place that keeps your imaginative and artistic creativity flowing?
It would definitely be the gardens. So I can’t really name one but some of my favourite gardens are Rose Garden, Leisure Valley, Bougainvillea Garden and Shanti Kunj.
What’s your favourite spot in Chandigarh?
Again very difficult to pick one but Rose Garden is one of those places that never disappoints.
Artist, model and entrepreneur Sagal Singh has been turning quite a few heads in recent times with his collaborations and various creative pursuits. A creative to the core, his self-expression isn’t limited to a medium.
Chandigarh means different things to different people, for some it is a nostalgic moment in time, for some it is the romanticism of daily life and for some an aging city dispelled in slowness. What does Chandigarh mean for you?
Garh; “ghar” (Home).
Do you see a glimpse of Chandigarh in the work that you create? How has it impacted your creativity?
In ways where words wouldn’t justify the impacts this place has created in my life.
What is the one place in Chandigarh that inspires you, that one place that keeps your imaginative and artistic creativity flowing?
Wish it was a place. I have treated my brain like a place and since I can remember every place felt like home.
What’s your favourite spot in Chandigarh?
Studio.
Calling his music “An expression of inner thought in the form of a musical saga” Sangram Malik is a singer-songwriter best known for the simplicity in his lyrics that are able to connect with his audience. Vulnerable and raw, the artist’s honest lyricism coupled with their gentle strumming of the guitar makes for soulful renditions that are able to enrapture audiences.
Chandigarh means different things to different people, for some it is a nostalgic moment in time, for some, it is the romanticism of daily life and for some, an aging city dispelled in slowness. What does Chandigarh mean for you?
It is a city without a soul, but a place of unfathomable convenience.
Do you see a glimpse of Chandigarh in the work that you create? How has it impacted your creativity?
One can never escape their experiences, so stating that it does not influence my work, would be a blatant but cool lie. My endeavour is to bring out my creativity, uninfluenced by my worldly experiences.
What is the one place in Chandigarh that inspires you, that one place that keeps your imaginative and artistic creativity flowing?
Within and around the monotonous grey and red buildings, the windowless structures and the brittle mentality, there are numerous green spaces, beautifully maintained by persons who receive less or no gratitude, these gardens and forests are my inspirational spaces.
What’s your favourite spot in Chandigarh?
My isolated and insulated room on the roof. I can call myself a man living in a bubble.
A disruptive artist with a distinct visual grammar, Sharma creates monochrome abstract artworks that in many ways depict complex human emotions and weave narratives. A fascinating artist of our times, @sushisurge is sure to make an impact on the art and street culture of the Indian scene and is definitely an artist to watch out for.
Chandigarh means different things to different people, for some it is a nostalgic moment in time, for some it is the romanticism of daily life and for some an aging city dispelled in slowness. What does Chandigarh mean for you?
Beyond being ‘home’, Chandigarh also stands as a big source of Inspiration in my creative career with glimpses of the city’s design history, heritage and conception reflected in most of my creative practices.
Do you see a glimpse of Chandigarh in the work that you create? How has it impacted your creativity?
Chandigarh, its design and its philosophy has definitely ingrained themselves in my art practice through principles like minimalism and abstraction. The simplicity of exposed concrete and minimal ornamentation across massive structures in the city is almost directly reflected in most of my artworks.
What is the one place in Chandigarh that inspires you, that one place that keeps your imaginative and artistic creativity flowing?
Corbusier Center is the one place I often go to look at Corbusier’s old sketches, art and design process. I find it very inspiring to be in the presence of the city’s creative process and its documentation. The serene build of the structure and its landscaping also make me want to reflect on my own practice and plan new artworks.
What’s your favourite spot in Chandigarh?
Corbusier Center.
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