Interview with...Osheen Siva

Who are you? How do you view yourself?

I'm an illustrator and muralist from south India.

You're now based in Goa but you grew up in Taiwan, China and India, how would you say those cultures have influenced your art?

Yes! I recently shifted away from the city and very much look forward to a slower pace of life and being closer to nature. 

Growing up and always being the "outsider" in different environments made it difficult to identify with any one tradition or culture, art is a form through which I attempt to decipher that question.

Was there a moment when you knew you'd be an artist? What was your path?

I've always been interested in the visual language as a means of expression, something that has always felt instinctual and deeply personal. However, I graduated as a graphic designer for stability and worked as a designer for a couple of years before finally trusting my instincts to take up this current line of work. Its daunting and thrilling at the same time but commercially an art career is still a challenge!

What did your shift from graphic design look like?  

Started as doing illustration after work as a full time graphic designer then gradually got more interested in the later and committed to freelancing about 2 years ago. 

Did you just suddenly do a mural or get a commission? 

I started doing murals as a personal project then eventually got recognized for a commission

How long until you had a showing or started making a living as an artist?

Around 2 years ago

Your art is graphic, active and yet there is an element of tradition (Museum next door, or your pieces referencing Kali) in it too, how do you reconcile the old with the new?

In my art practice I try to reconnect with my roots through studying the Tamilian architecture, culture and mythology. More so whenever I visit my hometown in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. For instance, the colours of my childhood neighbourhood plays a major role in the colour pallets in my artworks and all the ancient temples and stories I grew up being exposed to also have remnants in my works now. 

Favourite Indian art city and why? Favourite art city globally?

I quiet enjoyed my time in New Delhi, especially for its vibrant art culture. From independent artists with some great art shows to some prolific local street artists that assert their tags all over the city, its quite unique. Delhi also has a booming uncoming music scene thats something to look out for. The city that absolutely inspired me to venture into public art and realise the possibility of visual art as a career is definitely Hong Kong. I love everything about the city! I worked in an area called Sheung Wan (the art district) and all around me on my way to work I would be mind blown with the amount of detailed, radical and absolutely beautiful murals surrounding me. Also great underground and experimental gigs to be found around the city. 

What's the street art scene in India like? Is it something that people like and value?

Street art in India is definitely up and coming especially thanks to globalisation, social media and its influence and to non profit organisations like St-Art India Foundation that has dedicated their energy to uplifting and creating public art districts all around the country. In recent times public art has also become a powerful tool of dissent and revolution. When the reining right wing government in India decided to impose the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Bill), banning all muslim refugees and displacing thousands of muslim communities present int he country today, thousands of protestors took to the street and many expressed themselves by painting acts of solidarity and murals against islamophobia on the streets of India. 

What are some examples of the art that came out of this? 

Everything around Shaheen Bagh protests and Jamia Malia University. Examples of this can be found here, here and here.

You also get involved in brand deals, how did that start and is that different from doing your other work?

Commercial works are always different depending on the flexibility of the brand, its personality and its legacy. More often than not most brands that approach me usually do so because of our similar aesthetic and mindset. I also quite like the idea of how far I can express myself with the constraints that might be there in a particular project and am always looking to collaborate and work with like minded people and organizations.