Artist Sneha Dasgupta: 'Women can be beautiful even when they are unabashedly being themselves'

Contemporary: Living or occurring at the same time. Google’s definition of ‘contemporary’ gives the word gravitas, a deeper meaning if you like, especially when you pair it with art. The two words are like a warm handshake, a glove that fits perfectly. We also imagine the creators of contemporary art to be melancholy souls behind their (now digital) paintbrushes, trying to dictate sentiment and create stories through their imagery. Sneha Dasgupta, however, couldn’t be further from that stereotype. [caption id=“attachment_3857913” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  From Sneha’s series, ‘Paris’.[/caption] The 23-year-old lives by a simple philosophy: To evoke, and not dictate. “I’ve learnt that as an artist, you have to be willing to keep experimenting with your work and to take risks with it,” she says. “Every year, I would look for some kind of inspiration that would make me draw anytime and anywhere. Whether it was an artist online, whether it was some fancy new pen in the market or whether it was just some wacky idea I had, I would push myself to pick up different tools and give it a shot.” Sneha’s artwork is inspired by her personal experiences, the people around her and just the daily strangeness of real life. [caption id=“attachment_3857947” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  ‘Alair and Theo’ series.[/caption] Sneha however, has not created a Facebook page or a website dedicated solely to her artwork, because she does not want any degree of separation between her personal life and her art. Instead, she posts her works on Instagram, under the handle — @the.inkpot. “I would have changed it to Quack if I could,” she says, chuckling aloud. “But I think over time, people just remember you by your Instagram handle as an artist so I haven’t felt the need to change it”. [caption id=“attachment_3857977” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  From poignant pieces like ‘Dad’ (left) to a contemporary piece on Vincent Van Gogh (right), she covers a variety of topics.[/caption] The pressure of pleasing her followers also does not deter her, unlike a few others who have succumbed to the audience’s demands and ended up compromising on their work. “I used to feel hesitant to upload anything before, contemplating inevitable judgments, but over time I’ve become extremely transparent with my followers. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” [caption id=“attachment_3858031” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Her latest series ‘Pretty Unpretty’ for The Pind Collective.[/caption] Her latest series “Pretty Unpretty” was created by her for a collaborative art space between artists of India and Pakistan called The Pind Collective. The main aim was to “depict women exploring themselves without adhering to the social norms of beauty.” “Women can be beautiful even when they are unabashedly being themselves. In today’s time, it’s just important to realise that, seeing the kind of outdated visuals that are adopted to depict women. I guess the overall look of this is quite far from what I usually illustrate.” Her style can change quite a bit from artwork to artwork, as is evident in every piece she creates. “I myself still don’t know what I’d like my work to be known for. All I know is that I want to keep drawing to join my thoughts together and keep surprising my viewers and myself along the way.” [caption id=“attachment_3858087” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  ‘Elise’ (left) and ‘Miles’ (right)[/caption] Her personality reflects her art and vice versa. A person who describes herself as ‘cows and sprinkles, yaar’ is definitely an artist with the perfect amount of fun, control and passion. Check out more of her works here!