Strange-and-Absurd is the new Black
A conversation with Pranjal Kaila. A medium agnostic designer who works with
3D modeling softwares and creative coding platforms.
Photo: Courtesy of Pranjal Kaila.
Delhian creative Pranjal Kaila goes by the moniker “ajeeb” which translates from urdu to “strange” and “absurd”. He is an independent interdisciplinary artist, designer and a huge fan of design books. Much like his moniker, his work makes use of “ajeeb” with eccentric or unconventional combination of tools and concepts to create paradoxical pieces of work that symbolize our space in the universe. To answer the question of what he does is tricky; he primarily works with brands to create their visual identity and brand strategy. Pranjal enjoys creating interactive spatial and sensory experiences, exploring our monumental yet minute paradoxical space in the universe, a conundrum in itself. His artworks make use of code and generative algorithms with his visual sensibilities, to create unique moments of reflections for the spectator. Ajeeb has participated and worked on book designs, illustrations, digital design language, interactive installations, filters for Instagram, animated short and audio reactive identity among others.
For this issue, I reached out to him to understand his relationship with technology and the importance it carries in his work.
Karen: How did you develop your style and artistic identity?
Pranjal: I believe that artistic identity is about distilling your thoughts and point of view into tangible pieces of work. As an artist and designer, I don’t stick to a unilateral style as it usually tends to limit you. My professional work is always in response to a brief and the artworks are a product of my thinking process taking form as a design solution. However, my passion for exploring new mediums and tools only to deconstruct them again has been dominant since I was a child, so that somehow becomes my identity, of a tinkerer. Someone who saw the box but was never confined to it, breaking the convention in thought and execution. That stems from being a person who questions themselves constantly and drives decisions based on instincts. Having a constant self-enquiry has consistently guided me towards my identity, which is also ever-evolving.
Photo: Courtesy of Pranjal Kaila.
K: In your opinion, what’s the impact digital practices are having over contemporary art?
P: I think that digital is the evolution of contemporary art. Digital practices have metamorphosed exemplary art into a social and participatory experience. Artists are also welcoming and adapting to this change. KAWS went AR with his sculptures, bringing his trademark ‘Companions’ to a limitless, scalable world. The rejection of digital in an attempt staying true to legacy and craft is a knee-jerk reaction to the overwhelming impact of digital advancement in our lives. Majority of truly innovative and brave digital art is not going to be beautiful for today’s masses, much like the work of impressionist painters when they first started. The flipside, however, is museums and art galleries designing their spaces to be more digital-friendly in a way which is more detrimental than progressive. They are mostly turning into shallow walkthroughs with no actual thought gone into creating an experience. Only a superficial setup that makes them Instagrammable.
Photo: Courtesy of Pranjal Kaila.
K: In your opinion, who are the digital artists that every upcoming artist should know about? Does anyone of them influence your work?
P: I look at everything other than art and artists to be inspired for my work. I am especiallyinterested in astronomy and philosophy. But there are a few really great people that are worth mentioning like Vera Molnar, Yash Chandak, Noland Chanhila and Katie Paterson.
K: What tools do you use the most during your creative process?
P: I am medium agnostic so I switch between various tools, anything from a 3D modelling software to a creative coding platform depending on my mindspace and how I feel about it, with the creation being a direct response to the same. For some projects I read up a lot, so books are the most traditional yet useful tool for my process.
Video: Courtesy of Pranjal Kaila.
K: You participated in the N/Core campaign, Raise the Flag, whose main objective was to create awareness and social entrepreneurship, and to push the best talent to solve one of India’s biggest development challenges. How important is it for you to participate in these types of projects that seek to raise awareness? Is raising awareness in social issues part of your goals as a Digital Artist?
P: In 2019, N/Core launched an open call to develop a social campaign that highlights, and sensitises people to address the problem of economic, social & political subordination of women’s rights in land ownership. I proposed Raise the Flag for a symbolic impact. For centuries, humans have denoted ownership and marked their territory with flags. The examples are everywhere around us: the French Revolution painting of Liberty leading people, Neil Armstrong planting the American flag on the moon, the universal symbol of gay pride and the LGBTQ community it’s all marked with a flag. Flags are more than just a representation of ownership; they can evoke powerful emotions within the community & amp; unite them for a cause. Also, the idea was to get maximum participation with a budget constraint so the movement had to be one that could be carried forward by people all across the country. And like I said, flags are a key element in a successful revolution. I strongly feel that art and design are always in response to something that could be deeply internal or social. What makes your art successful is not the artwork itself but your resilience to make it follow through. I don’t mean to criticize, but I feel this is something that more artists and designers need to understand your artworks can’t blossom and branch out to raise awareness if you don’t understand the grassroot. In all fairness, I’m on a journey of evolving as well and I may not be fully ready right now, but I hope to be one day.
Photo: Courtesy of Pranjal Kaila
K: What’s your role as an artist now in these uncertain times? Has the pandemic affected your artwork in any way?
P: I had already decided on spending a chunk of this year on self-growth and developing my own practice, the pandemic coincided to accelerate the process. I believe our world has always been uncertain, with or without the pandemic, and we are in a constant fight for our very existence. As humans we need to actively work towards bringing a change and as artists we need to highlight those pressing issues to the general public. Journalists and news channels can present facts to tell you how bad the situation is, but art can make you care.
K: Any advice for those who are starting their career as digital artists?
P: My advice to those starting out would be to think about your interests beyond art. Remember that art is only a medium and your point of view is the true soul of every artwork. To show someone an interesting perspective, you first need to have one.
K: Your graduation project for Graphic Designer was an interactive experience exploring questions about our existence, and our search for life beyond Earth. How much do you keep this search and this type of questioning in mind today in your work?
P: Astronomy was my first love and it was truly heartbreaking to discover that my home country didn’t have a manned space programme. My design job doesn’t give me a lot of ‘space’ to work with these questions, but the quest for life and philosophy has always been at the core of my personal work and will be for the future.