Avid Learning and Peek a Book Children’s Literature Festival 2018 present daylong interactive sessions with illustrators who have explored the genre in their own distinctive style. Artist, Illustrator, Animator and Researcher Garima Gupta’s session will delve into her process of illustrating and animating contemporary narratives and graphic novels for leading publications as well as her illustrative approach as an independent artist documenting behavioral patterns between man and wild in the Southeastern archipelago. Illustrators and Writers Himanshu S and Aqui Thami of Bombay Underground will conduct an interactive storytelling and zine-making exercise sharing projects they undertake at the Dharavi Art Room where they utilize the medium of art to empower children and women of marginalized communities. The session will be concluded by Illustrator and Artist Sameer Kulavoor who will share his extensive body of work in the realm of illustration for merchandise, installation art, murals and talk about processes and techniques used in the genre of experimental publishing with reference to his illustrated picture book ‘This Truck has got to be special’, a richly imagined collaboration between a Pakistani writer, truck artists and Tara Books.
"Garima Gupta Born in 1985, artist and researcher Garima Gupta’ current field of interest and study stretch from ornithology to nuances of the complex relationship between man and wild. Gupta’s ongoing studies of the wildlife hunters in the rainforests of SouthAsia and Southeast Asia are concerned with environmental catastrophe and large-scale loss of wildlife in the region. Her drawings and documentaries ruminate the connection between imperialist iconographies concerning wildlife and it's mirror images lurking in the psyche of the modern-day east. In the past, Gupta has worked on several narrative projects such as graphic novels and animation films. "
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"Aqui Thami and Himanshu S, together, with consistent support from friends, we operate ‘Bombay Underground’ and ‘Art Room Foundation’, As Bombay Underground, we run reading spaces, libraries, indulge in self-publishing, and interventions in public and private spaces as well as participatory community projects. As Dharavi Art Room, we utilize the medium of art to empower children and women of marginalized communities. We believe that exploring, expressing and exchanging ideas through art creates confidence and stimulates personal growth. Through workshops, exhibitions and story-telling, Art Room creates self-sustained community centres in marginalized neighbourhoods to explore life through art. Over the past fifteen years we have reached more than 6,000 kids and partnered with more than 30 organizations and institutions. For more about us, we are ‘bombay underground’ and ‘dharavi art room’ on Facebook and Instagram, also www.artroom.strikingly.com
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"Sameer Kulavoor Kulavoor’s area of work lies at the intersection of graphic design, contemporary illustration and art. He has been creating a personal body of work, and self-publishing art books and zines that take a look at characteristic mannerisms & archetypal facets of urban surroundings, design and culture. Sidewalks & Coffeeshops (zine, 2009), Zeroxwallah Zine (zine, 2011), The Ghoda Cycle Project (poster-book, 2012), Blued (book/zine , 2013), Oh Flip (flipbooks, 2013) & Please Have A Seat (solo exhibit, 2016) were born out of a keen interest in these peculiarities. He exhibited The Ghoda Cycle Project at WDC Helsinki in 2012 and in Mumbai in 2013 and also collaborated with Paul Smith on a series of Ghoda Cycle Tee-shirt designs that were released worldwide. His book ‘BLUED’ won the coveted Black Elephant (that goes to the best piece of design in India) at Kyoorius Design Awards 2014 and the series was also showcased by Parmesh Shahani (prominent Indian culture catalyst) at YALE fellowship exhibit. Lately he has been working on a number of large scale public art projects and paintings which are on view in Auckland, Bombay (Kalaghoda), Bengaluru & Chennai. Bombay Duck Designs (BDD) is an independent studio founded by him. BDD’s image-making approach coupled with a wide arsenal of tools, methods and mediums have worked well for music & cultural projects, publications, exhibits, motion graphics, animation, advertising and editorials. It is the earliest 'specialized' independent studio of its kind in India. Bombay Duck Designs, is known for their music related art and design projects having directed and designed animated music videos for Pentagram, album art for Zero and Something Relevant, cover Art for Rolling Stone, design for (Indias biggest music festival) NH7 Weekender festival (2011 - 2016) and a number of motion graphic pieces for MTV India. Besides music projects, he has illustrated for BBC, Royal Enfield, Nike, Pepsi, Britannia, Chivas Regal, Honda, KFC, Skoda, NewYork MOSEX, Condenast, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic to name a few. His work has been recognized by Lurzers Archive 200 BEST illustrators worldwide, D&AD, The One Show, Communication Arts, The Art Directors club, IDN, It’s Nice That, Kyoorius design magazine, Complex Art + Design, Computer Arts Projects among others. He has been featured in TV Commercials and on hoardings by Bacardi and NIKE India as an influencer and made it to GQ India Magazines list of 50 young Indian influencers under the age of 40 for two consecutive years. He is the co-founder and co-curator of 100%ZINE - a theme-based visual arts magazine that unearths and showcases a wide range of visual art talent from India and abroad."
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