C for continuous consent
Guided by the force of social change, intrigued by the process of making a difference and belonging to the school of thought that preaches to fight and not flight, she never seemed to give up on the world, only because the times were hard.
Kruttika Susarla, is an Illustrator and graphic designer, who is currently working out of New Delhi. She graduated from DJ Academy of Design in 2013 and has had her hands on various promising projects ever since- 36 days of Feminist Type, Heartbreak Land, Celebrating Women Leaders and Strong Woman.
She happens to depict all that is going on around her and inside her. She is known for successfully illustrating around the ideas of femininity, identity and sexuality.
U for Universalism vs. Particularism
'Post design school, living and working in New Delhi- a city of paradoxes influenced me and by extension, my work. The old monuments of the city, which still seem to sing the poetry of Ghalib co-exist with the modern concrete and glass jungle. The city, historically has been a place of political revolution and change. Living in these contradictions has provided a set of daily experiences that have further piqued my interest in issues of gender, representation, and rights. The desire to bring these critical realities to light has fueled some of my recent projects'
B for Bodily Integrity- Right of every human being to have autonomy over their own body
Her illustrations on love and heartbreak are therapeutic and for her, art heals. It is almost a natural phenomenon for her to take out her tools of art when she goes through an extreme phase in life.
She acknowledges that healing is an aftermath of embracing and accepting the situation one is in.
On being asked about the role of an artist in bringing about an impact in the society, she says, ‘One thing that’s helped me find my voice, is to be honest to my own experiences and be sensitive about the individual society around me. There is urgency now, more than ever with the globally volatile political situation, hate crimes, violence against women to advocate for social change. Art has the power to break barriers, move people, help them organise and dissent. Thus, a politically informed artist becomes an effective medium to bring about an impact in society through their work by focusing on this urgency.’
“Art has the power to break barriers, move people, help them organise and dissent. Thus, a politically informed artist becomes an effective medium to bring about an impact in society through their work by focusing on this urgency”
She is currently working on her own comic series, which might end up as a zine, another comic which is going to be a part of non fiction series on Indian comics for a Swiss magazine. She also has collaboration in the pipeline with a fellow illustrator and feminist for a project around similar themes.
Find out about her upcoming work here- http://instagram.com/kruttika
Text Priyanshi Jain