5 months ago
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Illustrator and ocular creator Taarika John explains however she came to make her illustrated book, Sacred Rhythms, Painted Faces, connected 10 classical creation forms of Kerala and Kerala-inspired creation generally. “The longer I stayed distant [from Kerala], I gravitated towards Kerala,” says the creator who studied creation successful Bengaluru, and divided her clip betwixt Kochi and New York, wherever she completed her Masters from the School of Visual Arts.
With her latest publication she dives into classical dance/theatre/music forms similar the ensemble Panchavadyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Theyyam, Pulikali and Kummattikali among others. The book, illustrated successful the deep, jewel tones with striking images, tin beryllium starters to these creation forms for children arsenic good arsenic for culture-curious adults.
The illustrated book, ‘Sacred Rhythms, Painted Faces’ celebrates Kerala's classical creation forms | Photo Credit: Prem Sam Paul
Taarika has done her probe connected each form, speaking to experts, speechmaking up connected the Net and watching show videos connected YouTube. For instance, she speaks of her probe connected the hairstyle for Mohiniyattam, to fig retired which broadside of the caput the dancer puts up her hairsbreadth successful a bun.
She had been collecting bits and pieces of accusation arsenic a foundation. As portion of her 100 Days of Kerala bid connected Kerala’s accepted creation forms and culture, connected her Instagram handle, she has showcased akin illustrations of accepted creation forms. The ones she has utilized successful her existent book, however, are new.
From Taarika John's illustrated book, ‘Sacred Rhythms, Painted Faces’ which serves arsenic an instauration to immoderate of Kerala's classical creation forms | Photo Credit: Prem Sam Paul
This enactment has been thing with which she had been toying for a while. “I wanted to enactment connected a Kerala arts related book. As I started spending much clip distant from Kerala, I wanted to bash it more. I did not cognize truthful overmuch astir Kerala and wanted to cognize more, which compelled maine to commencement connected the book.” The publication delves into aspects of the accepted creation forms similar the mudras [hand gestures], the symbolism of the make-up, philharmonic instruments and different details.
What is absorbing astir the publication are the visually appealing illustrations. Taarika confesses that arsenic an creator she feels compelled to gully images which are not stereotypically ‘beautiful’. “I don’t privation to gully idealised images. I privation practice — to spot myself, to spot radical I know.” Hence the conventionally beauteous pictures successful shades of pick and disconnected achromatic are few, alternatively the tegument tones are heavy and rich.
Her aesthetic, successful each her works, has been consistently Indian modern and she has strived to support it adjacent successful this book. “The benignant of colours and the typography, for example, are important for the creation [in this book]. Even erstwhile it came to the illustrations, a proposition was to marque the illustrations of immoderate of the artists ‘delicate’. But that would beryllium going into stereotypes. I wanted to spell into darker tones.”
As portion of her freelance work, Taarika has worked for the United Nations, Columbia University, Levi’s, Loewe, Wipro, Adidas, New York Times, Nat Geo Traveller among others. Her different works includes comics and zines similar the colouring books, The Malayalee Alphabet and The Secret Garden, notebooks and journals, manner accessories and location decor.
Sacred Rhythms, Painted Faces priced ₹1,750, is disposable connected taarikajohnshop.com
