HCJ: Plenty, I’d say. Basquiat had a big influence on my early work. But as I delved deeper into art history, I found myself drawn to abstract expressionism, especially the ideas of artists like Barnett Newman and, to some extent, Rothko. Rauschenberg’s approach to materials and compositions intrigued me as well, but conceptually, it was Dadaism that really propelled me forward in developing my own themes. Visually, I’m not the type of artist who is clean, meticulous, or highly technical. I’m expressive by nature—spontaneous and often unplanned. I prefer to be raw, childlike, and direct in my approach. I work broadly with the theme of conflict, which is inherently complex. That raw directness helps me address conflict in a straightforward way for myself, but for the viewer, it may require some decoding. Or perhaps it won't seem like a conflict at all. From that perspective, my work is open to multiple interpretations.

HCJ: The challenges, I think, were mainly in understanding the professional side of things—which I’m still learning, honestly. Otherwise, the resources available today are vast. I don’t believe any artist, or anyone really, should struggle with learning the basics. The real difference comes down to who you’re learning from, because even the basics can always be taught in better ways. Having been involved in art and design education, I’ve come to understand that. But any profession is a continuous learning journey, and if you’re committed to being a lifelong learner, having an academic background doesn’t necessarily matter. That being said, I do think I would have appreciated parts of it. I would have liked access to other artists, shared studios, taught environments, and structured history classes. But at the same time, I’m glad I didn’t go down that path, because it allowed me to avoid being confined to traditional art school thinking. So, I’m conflicted about it—obviously.

HCJ: Perhaps it was meant to be. For many years, I found myself doing things that led me away from art. From choosing to attend business school for my undergraduate studies to pursuing design management in postgrad, I took paths that kept me busy and away from art as a career. I also ran a business with my mother and remained involved with it, which didn’t leave me much time to focus on art. But, in a rather stereotypical way, I’ve loved art since childhood—likely because my mother studied and practiced art too. My time in London, however, truly pulled me into the art world. I took every opportunity to visit museums, attend shows, events, and talks. I was fortunate enough to see works by artists like Rothko, Rauschenberg, Anselm Kiefer, Kusama, Picasso, Basquiat, Warhol, Claude Monet, and so many others in person—artists I had only read about. Experiencing their work up close completely changed me. When I returned from London, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I dove right in, and that’s how my journey as an artist began.

HCJ: I began my art practice formally after completing my master’s degree. Before that, I wasn’t serious about it and wasn’t actively pursuing it. However, my master’s program definitely influenced my practice. It taught me the importance of research and helped me develop my own creative process—something I value immensely.  

Davangi: Are there any artists, their methodologies, or aspects of their lives that inspire you? (This could include peers whose work you find particularly exciting.) 

HCJ: Many artists inspire me, to be honest. But I’ve never really delved deeply into their methodologies or lives. The stories of artists from the Madras Art Movement greatly influenced some of my earlier works, and I even appropriated some pieces by S. Nandagopal. However, after that, I began to step away from going too deep into other artists' practices because I realized that reading and learning about them started to affect my own work. That said, I do follow plenty of artists whose work I enjoy, including Amit Ambalal, Ayesha Singh, Biraj Dodiya, Aravind Sundar, Al-Qawi Nanavati, Anirudh Shaktawat, Vyom Sura, Martin Paaskesen, and Richard Rainey.

HCJ: Currently, I don't have anything specific planned, except for experimenting with collage. I've been a huge fan of collage, especially after engaging with the works of Robert Rauschenberg and Richard Hamilton. The idea of layering, juxtaposing existing imagery, recontextualizing it, and altering its meaning is something that excites me. Perhaps this exploration will open up more avenues.