Remember those illustrations by famous cartoonist and illustrator RK Laxman which everyone could understand and relate to? Illustrations and pictures can indeed go beyond words. Nafisa Nandini Crishna is one of those illustrators who believes in this firmly. She says, "I am a strong believer of the fact that an image is worth a thousand words, but when put together, an image accompanied by thought waves creates a powerful point of connection between the artist/author and the recipient, even if they never get the chance to meet."
The young illustrator holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Illustration from EINA, Centre Universitari de Disseny i Art de Barcelona and a Master’s Degree in Narrative Illustration from ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering in Barcelona and now, is preparing for a solo exhibition of her illustrations that showcase the places which she has travelled to over a period of time. Ēkākī Rāhee — The Lone Traveller is the title of this illustrative exhibition which will soon be organised in Bengaluru.
Explaining the purpose behind her illustrations, Nafisa says, "In the day and age of selfie tourists, the traveller is a rare breed. I belong to the rapidly disappearing sect of people who still journey to explore — the solo voyager and the intrepid wanderer. In my mother tongue, we call this Ēkākī Rāhee — the lone traveller. The main idea behind this project is to explore the feeling of wanderlust and the personal growth that occurs when one travels to places to learn about their essence, and in turn, explore different and unknown sides of their own personality. Being a shy and extremely introspective person, my work is a reflection of my thoughts and emotions which I combine with my writing to form a visual narrative for the viewers. When the viewer gets a chance to look at my art, they, for a brief moment, see the world through my eyes and converse with a deep, intrinsic part of me."
For this project, Nafisa has chosen to illustrate multiple cities that she has travelled to in the last three years, which includes Krakow, Barcelona, Seville, Ronda, Lisbon, Paris, Hanoi, Chicago, Dehradun, Bengaluru, Hampi and Coorg. She says, "I have spent considerable amounts of time in each of these places and they have all left a lasting impact on me. Travelling to various places has affected my learning and growth curve as an individual, an artist and a woman. I choose to draw the spaces, both urban and natural, that evoke some form of emotion, introspection and creates a conversation between me and the universe."
This young artist loves to draw everything in black and white rather than in colour. "Every piece of art that I have created can take up to 32 hours and is done completely freehand without the use of any technical equipment other than a pencil and a pen," says Nafisa who has illustrated several children's books, including Animal Homes by Pratham Books, The Dot That Went for a Walk by Caterpillar Wings and a few more.
