Whereas Kolkata earned its sobriquet Metropolis of Pleasure from Dominique Lapierre’s 1985 novel that captured the resilience of its individuals, the storied metropolis holds treasures far past – of artwork, tradition and a timeless artistic spirit. It is a land of thinkers and of fingers that form magnificence. Steeped in wealthy historical past and cultural heritage, the town has lengthy impressed dreamers. We communicate to designers, jewellers, and artists from Kolkata who’re igniting our creativeness – and our feeds.
Shreya Ghosh, Viraj Khanna and Ayushman Mitra
Viraj Khanna, Artist
Fascinated by putting moments from on a regular basis life, Viraj Khanna, son of designer Anamika Khanna, interprets them onto canvas by means of vivid hand embroidered imagery. For his collages, the 30-year-old displays on the endless chase for perfection. These turn into the blueprints for his sculptures, which invite one to embrace imperfection with grace. For Viraj, no place evokes like Kolkata. ‘There may be such an eclectic mix of custom and modernity right here – from the dazzling puja pandals to heritage structure! It is a metropolis brimming with creativeness, and our karigars have as a lot to show you about life as they do about craft,” he says.
Ayushman Mitra, Trend Designer and Artist
Together with his daak naam, Bobo, Ayushman Mitra is widely known for mixing artwork and trend into designs steeped in psychedelic fantasy. A painter since childhood, Bobo interprets his canvas into wearable artwork by means of his label, Bobo Calcutta. “The eyes you typically see in my work, together with different recurring motifs, are drawn from Goddess Durga. She evokes me on daily basis,” says the 36-year-old. For Bobo, Kolkata is each muse and beloved house. “Town affords countless inventive vitality, with karigars whose fingers transfer as if guided by the divine. What makes Kolkata distinctive is the concord during which individuals of various faiths reside and create,” he says.
Shreya Ghosh, Jewelry Designer
After 15 years in Mumbai’s trend world, Shreya Ghosh returned to her roots in New Alipore, Kolkata. There, she turned her gaze to West Bengal’s famed joroa work – a novel mix of classic British jewelry aesthetics and Indian craftsmanship – and felt the necessity for reinvention. Historically beloved by Bengali brides for its gold vines, flowers, leaves and seed pearls, joroa finds a daring, edgy expression in her label, Goddess of Glocal. “I needed to marry joroa with trendy aesthetics to make it related for the fashion-forward,” says the 36-year-old. For Shreya, the town’s best present is its artistic spirit. “From childhood, we’re inspired to color, sing, sculpt, and dance. This tapestry of inventive pursuit is a blessing,” she says.
Arka Patra, Photographer
A non-conformist in each sense, Arka Patra has constructed a visible language that’s as unrestrained as it’s deliberate. Educated as a mechanical engineer, he deserted conference to pursue images. His lens dismantles long-held perceptions with pictures that problem and provoke. Arka’s work typically attracts inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelites, the nineteenth century artwork motion, marked by luminous color and meticulous element. “My gaze is colored by Kolkata’s socio-political and cultural panorama, in addition to the riverside city I grew up in – the historic Chandannagar, with its echoes of Indo-French structure. I doubt I might ever deliver the identical authenticity to my work if I had lived elsewhere,” displays the 31-year-old.
Monalisha Manna, Jewelry Designer
Monalisha Manna left behind an engineering profession to chase her ardour, launching the silver jewelry label Earthaments. The 31-year-old celebrates the wealthy tribal tradition of West Bengal by means of designs with a contemporary edge. ‘Rising up in Kolkata meant being surrounded by artwork in its purest kind. The colonial layers merging with Bengal’s personal aesthetics formed my world – whether or not it was heirloom jewelry or the textures of Kalighat roads,” she says. However above all, it’s the ladies of Kolkata who she loves essentially the most. “Fierce and fearless, they embody the Divine Mom. Their energy, resilience, and beauty encourage every bit,” she says.
