Making a Mark

Irreverence is not a quality that Kallol Datta needs to work on. All through his career,the designer and artist has stayed true to his beliefs — even if it meant annoying a certain section of the creative arts and fashion fraternity. So while his last fashion outing at Mumbai’s Project 88 gallery saw him scoff at the overuse of quirky prints and blindingly bright sequins in Indian clothing,the artist in him is pushing newer boundaries through a limited edition series of sexually graphic digital prints that are being unveiled at Delhi’s United Art Fair. The works — Datta’s debut set of digital prints — will be on display from September 14 to 17.

The maverick that he is,Datta emphasises that working with this medium was a necessity as he couldn’t have expressed himself in so bold a manner through apparel. “There are two sets that I have worked on: one is a series where sexual practices that are looked upon as deviant have been depicted in a textbook cover format. Another set of works called Heart to Arse deals with societal taboos that generally get swept under the rug,” he says.

He relied on mixing photos with zigzag prints to create digital collages that portray personification of inanimate objects and question gender roles in society. “Art is a great way to express oneself. I,for one,wanted to vent my anger and these prints seemed like a good way to go about it,” he says.