Bakery Prasad

Siddhesh Gautam is a mixed-media artist and designer, based out of New Delhi. He uses political satire to shed light on caste inequality and other social issues. His work has been published by the BBC, the Wire, Stir world and The Hindu. Gautam, better known as ‘Bakery Prasad’ on Instagram has also been invited to deliver talks at NYU, Tufts, SOAS, and the International Institute of Social Studies. His distinct style and tongue-in-cheek illustrative prowess elevate him from the grain and add an edge to his personal brand. 

We sat down with him to discuss his style, creative process, and his newest project! 

Tell us about your begginings.
I am a visual artist, a designer, and a poet! I like to believe that I am like a treasure hunter, a dreamer of sorts. I am an Ambedkarite, and this determines a lot of how I work and and what I create. I graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in 2014 did my masters from NIT, and went on to work as a professional designer in a studio. However, I soon realized that what I actually wanted to do was create visuals for the ‘void’. I want to create work for the people who we only hear about in texts but do not get to see in real life, as they remain restricted to still lives and portraits. I wanted to give life to the characters who exists in this void-like state.

How would you describe your work? 
I like to think of myself as a social designer. I work mainly on the anti-caste movement, and climate justice and firmly believe that social justice is the foundation for climate justice. People from marginalized communities are always the first to suffer when there are extreme climate patterns. My work aims to give voice to the vulnerable marginalized communities that bear the brunt of the decisions taken by ‘elite’  communities. The objective of my work is to challenge mainstream notions about Indian society that goes beyond our conventional understanding of Indian culture and norms.

What inspires your distinct style?
My grandfather was orphaned as a five-year-old. As he grew older he began to commission pieces from local artists. He got them to make paintings of him and his father, through the years. This series of paintings is essentially a reimagining of his childhood, and what is interesting about these paintings is that my grandfather seems to age with his father in the imaginary portraits. The palette and energy of these paintings inspire me. The worn-out blue, which has a tinge of grey in it has inspired my own colour palette in my work. 

I grew up in Uttarakhand, without much exposure to art created by the great masters, so my style was shaped more by the local flora and fauna, and the work I was exposed to within my own home.

Tell us about your primary influences.
My biggest political influences are Dr. Ambedkar and Savitribhai. Dr. Ambedkar is like a great umbrella that grants us freedom across social divides. And Savitribhai is a great influence as she has fought endless hardship and carved her path, to ensure education across caste divides and gender binaries. They provide me with endless courage to create and inspire me with their bravery.

Angela Davis inspires my political inclinations as well as challenges sedition. This strikes a chord with me as the laws are similar here in India, and my work tends to lean towards telling the stories of political prisoners and activists. 

Do you have any exciting projects up your sleeve?
I am working on a magazine called All That Blue, with editors Anurag Banerjee, Jai Singh, Bhumika Saraswat, and Srijana Sridhar. It is an art magazine that explores stories from anti-caste people. We feature photographers who work within the principles of equality, fraternity, and liberty but who cannot always find space within the mainstream art world. 

We have contributions from all over the world cutting across the age groups of fourteen to sixteen. We plan to launch this August and I am very excited carve a new niche in the Indian art world!