Art is anything that people wouldn’t look at and say ‘oh, how pseudo’. To me, it is simplicity and depth-Pranati Khanna, Media artist Media artist Pranati Khanna talks about her inspiration, work and her future plans in an interview to Sunday Hans. What do you think art is all about? Art, in this day and age, is anything that people wouldn’t look at and say ‘oh, how pseudo’. To me, it is simplicity and depth. At the same time, it helps in expressing one’s thoughts and emotions in ways that everyone can relate to. It’s expression in colour as well. What inspired you to be a media artist? I grew up with a computer. I took to animation and was exposed to the world of creation on a medium that wasn’t paper. So, while I was doing 3D work, I started to explore drawings on my digital tablet (WACOM) more than ever. I have been exposed to the world of rock music, bands and album art as well. Many artists and photographers abroad have influenced me. Please tell us something about your unique style of graphics and about your discovery? My style of art is something that’s new to Hyderabad, but a lot of it is done abroad! I have been exposed to numerous album covers of rock and metal bands. The artists who come up with these covers work largely in digital/new media format, merging photographs, drawings and other elements to make graphics. I followed and studied many of such artists’ works and thus began my discovery of what I feel is an incredibly expressive and versatile medium of art. I kept working at it and eventually broke away from trying to ape other people’s styles. I developed my own style which I'm very proud of! What is the significance of the title ‘Metamophorescence’ that you have coined? This title is basically a portmanteau -- the merging of the words “metamorphosis” and “phosphorescence”. My mum helped me coin the word. She’s an incredibly talented author! I wanted a unique word that would convey the theme of my exhibits: turning the negatives in life into positives. So, we settled on this one. It states very simply that I took all my lessons in life, absorbed them, and now I’m radiating out (or illustrating) the outcome of these experiences on my canvases. How did you get to this form of art? I got to this medium of art after mastering the basics of traditional mediums like pastels and water colours. Once I started my 3D animation course, I learned about digital mediums and that’s how I began my journey of experimentation. Eventually because of my exposure to the music culture, my influences lay in album covers, websites, hours of research etc.You say your exhibition is all about turning the negatives in our lives into positives. What does this mean? What it means is: I grew up. I have learnt that everything we believe in is a lie; and everything we’re told is mostly false. We need to pop this bubble of idiocy most of us live in and realise where our true peace really lies in our lives. How would you compare life in Dubai, India and the US? As far as art goes, each is so unique! So, I can’t really say. Has being artist Krishna Khanna’s grand niece helped you in any way? It’s been nice to be his grandniece only in the sense that I have learnt a lot from his art and also from the stories about his life.Why have you not taken to traditional form of painting? It just happened. I’m not sure why. Besides, I wanted to be among those artists who break away from tradition a little bit and try to encourage progression. I do, after all, belong to a new generation and I want us to have something unique when it comes to art. Askari Jaffer, Source: The Hans India, Image: flickr.com
