Kriti Garg is not your average Ashoka Scholar, with an undergraduate degree in Economics– she moonlights as an artist and photographer, with a keen interest in hyperrealism. I came across her paintings on Instagram and my I was immediately stunned– her sketches look more like photographs. With over 3,700 followers on her Facebook page alone, it’s safe to say to assume that most of Ashoka follows her on either one of her social media platforms, and are– if not fans– awed by her work. Some of us even wonder why she is studying at Ashoka when she could be at an art school? The following are excerpts from an interview with Kriti about her passion for art.
Vidhi: When did you start learning art? How did you get so interested in it?
Kriti: I’ve never learnt art formally. My mother used to paint as a teenager, so I think it’s a genetic gift. Till about ninth grade, my parents put me in numerous hobby classes for dance, music, sports etc. but art was something I held on to. I gradually picked up on hyperrealism in my first year at Ashoka. Before that, I was cluelessly sketching just about anything, now I’m clueless with confidence.
I loved experimenting with different mediums like oil, acrylic, poster, pencil, glass. I tried several of them before I stumbled upon pencil colours and then pencils. The techniques employed in using pencils and the resulting subtlety give me satisfaction.
V: What according to you is the relation between art and the artist?
K: For me, the time from the idea of making a piece to the end of the making process is what matters. It is the process of making an art piece which is most crucial to me as an artist. The fact that your hands, your sketching instrument, listen to you and makes exactly what you want, how you want it to is relieving. After a point, you don’t have to use your brain to decide which colours to use– it begins to come naturally and this becomes the point where one can meditate on their work. The calmness and the space one’s art gives to an individual through this very process is something so personal to the artist that no audience can reciprocate or understand it.
V: How do you decide what to draw?
K: That’s a tough one. I don’t sit and think about what to draw. I have a knack for details because of hyperrealism, so that’s something I look for in my subjects. Mundane things like fruits, objects, animals, or water fascinate me.
V: What role do you think colours have while you sketch?
K: I have phases of colours and of monochrome. While I like both of them equally, there is a difference between what I’d draw with colours as opposed to in black and white. My parents don’t like it when I go monochromatic so I’ve been trying to use more colours. I have also been jumping brand preferences when it comes to the colours. But for black and white, Caran D’ache is hands down the best!
V: How often do you use the eraser?
K: I actually use eraser as one of the colours, if that makes any sense. The power of the eraser is highly underestimated. It is seen as an obstacle to one’s growth but I personally love the idea of it. But one should use it as a part of their sketch and not as a correction tool for better results.
V: How do you market your artwork so that people know about it? How do you sell your work– auctions, galleries, or something else?
K: I used to be really shy about my work. I started off by putting up my sketches as my WhatsApp profile picture in 12th grade. People used to message me, telling me that they’re waiting for my next DP change. Later, when I once uploaded a sketch on Facebook, I got some very supportive response. Soon, in my sophomore year, my friends at Ashoka encouraged me to start my own Facebook page to promote my work. While my Instagram and Facebook profiles are still connected to my personal account, a friend recently helped me have my own artist website (kritiart.com). Clearly the people around me have played a big role in marketing this socially awkward person.
I take up freelancing projects through my Instagram and Facebook profiles (and now hopefully through my website too!). People have told me that I should drop out of college and just start my own gallery, but the idea is very intimidating, at least for now.
V: Have you ever had an art exhibition?
K: I’ve never set up an art exhibition of my own but I’ve participated in a few at Ashoka. The response has been overwhelming but I’m really bad at accepting compliments so I avoid floating around during the exhibitions.
V: What philosophy do you take to your work?
K: I don’t know if it’s a philosophy per se but the patience level that am able to achieve through art is what I strive to achieve in my regular life as well. As I have said, it’s a very calming and meditative procedure. A detailed portrait can take upwards of 70 hours of work. Employing the same level of patience at each hour during the process is the benchmark I set for myself when I start each new piece.
V: What are you majoring in at Ashoka? Does that relate to art in any way?
K: I majored in Economics and now am completing my second major in Visual Arts during my fourth year. Both of them are quite different from each other but they together give me a good breathing space since I don’t always sketch or don’t always study. I also like Maths and recently developed an interest in Film Studies as well. So I guess I will never stop hopping into different things!
V: Why choose Ashoka over some art school?
K: I never wanted to do ‘only’ art. The idea itself used to scare me. I wanted to study a lot of subjects and paint simultaneously. College of Arts, Delhi was supposed to be my sure shot undergraduate school option but I soon realised the Indian way of teaching art wasn’t my cup of tea. Ashoka came to the rescue and I’m really happy with my decision. However, I am planning to go to an art school for Masters in a couple of years.
If you haven’t checked out Kriti’s work yet, do go check it out.
She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and her own website.
Edited by Devashree Somani
Photographs curated by Kriti Garg