‘My average screen time is seven hours’: Visual artist Viraj Khanna on digital dependence and its influence on art

Coming from a lineage of originative excellence, Viraj has forged his ain way arsenic a multi-disciplinary artist, transitioning from the concern broadside of fashion.

His travel began arsenic a spontaneous originative workout during the pandemic and has since evolved into a profound exploration of identity, societal behaviours, and the interplay betwixt contented and innovation.

In an exclusive interrogation with indianexpress.com, Viraj opened up astir his “accidental” creator journey, his experiences increasing up successful a creatively charged environment, and his reflections connected however modern beingness influences his work.

Edited excerpts below: 

Q. You transitioned from the concern broadside of manner to pursuing creation during the pandemic. How did this displacement happen?

Viraj Khanna: During lockdown, we needed contented for our manner Instagram page. When my duplicate turned down my petition to marque a fewer collages, I decided to springiness it a shot. I started cutting up magazines and different books connected my terrace, and posted immoderate of it connected Instagram. It caught the attraction of gallerist Somak Mitra from Art Exposure and invited maine for a meeting. During the meeting, helium asked maine to bash a show, and adjacent decided connected a venue and time. I took it up arsenic a challenge, and that’s however my travel arsenic an creator began.

Q. Has your mother’s plan doctrine influenced your attack to art, particularly successful your exploration of textiles and layered compositions?

Viraj Khanna: Absolutely. Growing up astir textiles, I absorbed a batch unknowingly. After graduating from University of Southern California successful 2018, I joined the household concern to look aft concern and embroidery. I would terms antithetic embroidery samples based connected prime and technique. This taught maine a batch astir embroidery. My signifier arsenic an creator present has developed from this. I americium taking everything that I learnt portion doing this to archer my ain stories.

Q. How did your upbringing successful a creatively charged situation signifier your position connected creation and storytelling?

Viraj Khanna: The embroidery I person seen successful our covering has played the astir important relation successful my practice. The equilibrium of colour, the premix of materials, and the method prime of the embroidery successful our covering person helped maine recognize oregon make a definite aesthetic. My practice, which is for a antithetic purpose, utilises each these visuals. Even now, whenever I spot thing absorbing oregon caller successful our culture, I deliberation astir the antithetic ways successful which I could usage each of it. So, determination is changeless extraction successful antithetic ways. Recently, I person started moving with worldly not traditionally utilized successful fashion. Maybe determination volition beryllium a reverse migration.

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Q. You’ve explored assorted mediums, from collages to sculptures. What challenges person you faced portion transitioning betwixt these? How has your creator dependable evolved?

Viraj Khanna: Each caller mean comes with its ain acceptable of difficulties. There’s changeless self-doubt, honestly. “Is this bully enough?” “Am I wasting time?” are immoderate thoughts I conflict each the time, but that’s portion of being an artist. It requires a batch of patience and courage. My method expertise lies successful textiles, but art, similar life, is ever a enactment successful progress.

Q. Your exhibitions often critique societal media’s impact. What inspired this theme?

Viraj Khanna: Brain Rot reflects however I navigate societal media. One portion featured a partition of fiberglass mobile phones to remark connected surface addiction. My sculptures seizure radical glued to TVs oregon taking Instagram-perfect photos. The logomania was influenced by our changeless request to beryllium seen successful a definite way. Our lives are curated for societal media, and what we spot determination isn’t reality––we spot conscionable 1 broadside of people’s lives. Social media amplifies comparison, making happiness much elusive. Earlier, we compared ourselves wrong tiny circles; now, we’re competing with the full world.

Q. Imperfection is simply a cardinal constituent successful your work. How bash you equilibrium the thought of quality with intentional flaws successful your sculptures and collages?

Viraj Khanna: I wouldn’t telephone them intentional flaws, and honestly, I don’t spot them arsenic flaws. Everything is beauteous successful its ain way. If you look for imperfections, you’ll ever find them. I permission stains successful my paintings, embracing them arsenic portion of the process. As an avid creation collector, I utilized to obsess implicit tiny marks successful artwork; now, it doesn’t matter, and I tin bask the collections truthful overmuch more. Otherwise, determination was ever thing to beryllium disquieted about!! This tin beryllium existent for truthful galore things successful life.

Q. Brain Rot critiques changeless integer engagement. How does this interaction creativity?

Viraj Khanna, ocular artist, and Sanjana Shah, originative manager of Tao Art Gallery, astatine the grounds ‘BRAIN ROT: The Life You Live?’ (PR Handout)

Viraj Khanna: While I americium speaking astir encephalon rot and commenting on-screen times, I indispensable accidental that my mean surface clip is 7 hours, which I find precise absurd. I’ve tried quitting but ever instrumentality owed to the quality of my work. Now, the full satellite is wrong scope and determination is simply a batch much comparison. There are besides truthful galore low-quality memes that we perpetually prosecute with. Social media apps are designed to hook us—dopamine hits from notifications support america engaged. We seldom acquisition boredom anymore, but boredom is indispensable for creativity.

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Q. What connection bash you anticipation the viewers instrumentality distant regarding their narration with exertion and societal media?

Viraj Khanna: I haven’t been capable to bash overmuch astir it personally, but I ever urge this publication to people––Digital Minimalism. It talks astir the effects of societal media connected radical and what we tin bash astir it.

Q. Looking ahead, what themes oregon ideas are you anxious to explore? Any aspirations to merge fashion, art, and storytelling?

Viraj Khanna: Everything happens organically. Lately, I’ve worked with materials not utilized successful clothing, which mightiness power manner successful reverse. My creation already appears successful prints and embroidery patches already. I’m presently exploring however societal media shapes us. Richard Prince did thing precise absorbing successful 2014 erstwhile helium took screenshots of people’s posts connected Instagram and past added his comments connected them and printed them connected canvas. It was a commentary connected however radical interact. I find this full abstraction fascinating, and it is perpetually evolving. My caller enactment besides talks astir Instagram, but much astir however it affects america personally.