Horn – OK – Jeepney

One of the best locations to spot the raw appeal for art in India would have to be the Indian HORN-OK-PLEASE. You got that right, I am referring to the bright, lotus-clad, ‘chintu-pappu‘ named Indian trucks! Almost no two trucks look exactly like each other, which in this world of over standardisation is a breath of fresh air.

This post, however, is not about them. Its about their far twin in Philippines – the Jeepney!  The jeepney is a common form of public transport in Philippines. The origin lies in the post-US war days, where the people decided to use the US army tanks creatively by incorporating them into their public transport system. The creative part doesn’t end there though.

Each jeepney exhibits a riot of colours and artistic work, much like its desi cousin. Here are few glimpses of the jeepney:

Image Courtesy: Lotushaus

Image Courtesy: Rjose

Image Courtesy: Genvencampaigns

A Child’s Play

Two young kids playing around on the street with absolutely nothing. This brother-sister duo almost instantly caught my eye because its almost the scene one takes for granted on the streets.

You must know the girl is uber modern name, Monica. Her brother is named Kushal.

Must I say I adore what she is wearing more so the way she pairs it – a kurta paired with a skirt. How many of us grown ups have the confidence to wear comfort with such ease?

Tête-à-Tête Tuesday: Art meets Fashion

On Cult, I am always on the lookout for some unique talent. This time its Art meets Fashion, an offbeat venture by Aarti Verma.

Art meets Fashion reveals its purpose with its name itself.  This new born label came into being in September 2010. ‘Romance with art is a very old thing which with time started taking different shapes and forms’ says Aarti. Not surprised at her talent, considering she has studied art at the JJ School of Arts.

From the collection Incredible India:

‘Inspiration comes from anything. I don’t like to follow the same style.’ Experimentation is her key indulgence.

From the collection Tribal Inspiration:

‘My favourite subjects are tribal art, bold patterns, Indian art. I love fusing the western cut with the Indian intricacy.’

How different is it from an out there corporate job? ‘Its quite different from a regular 9 to 5 job. The immense satisfaction and pleasure you get after every creation is something money can’t buy.’

More from Tribal Inspiration:

The biggies she admires are artists and designers (happen to be my personal favourites as well) – Sabyasachi Mukherji, Manish Arora, Raja Ravi Verma and Salvador Dali. The price range, fortunately, is more realistic varying from Rs.600 with minimal work on cotton canvas and up till Rs.3500 for silk.

Art meets Fashion products retail at Bliss, Mumbai and Chilli Billi, Bangalore. You can also place orders on the official blog or Facebook page.

Pigflower: The T-Shirt is back!

There was a time t-shirts were the ‘it’ thing to wear. Then the whole fashion brigade galloped in almost stealing away the simplicity and absolute comfort of the simple garment in question. Don’t you fear, you lazy comfort-o-maniac – this time they are back and how.

The shape and silhouette remains, but the prints and statements become bolder. There is art mixed with wit, abstract countered by pop, kitsch with desi. The t-shirt has a voice which is not willing to bow down to fashion, the plan seems to be to lead the way.

Cult through the coming weeks will take you through several off beat design houses involved in this rather unconventional movement of sorts. One such find is Pigflower.

Pigflower, located in Bangalore, was founded in 2008. From what I could hunt out, they retail at the Masala Chai Store, Chennai; Thulp Cafe and Two Monks, Bangalore. You can also purchase them online by dropping them an email.

Here are few of their works.

And there is my favourite – The Fish Finger!

Images Courtesy: Pigflower

For more on Pigflower, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Link: Pigflower

The 3rd India Art Summit: India becomes the canvas

It is that time of the year again where all the artists push away the winter cold with the heated paint strokes. The capital is in gear to host one of the most awaited events of the year – The India Art Summit 2011.

The Summit turns three this year and promises to be much bigger this time round. With about 84 art galleries, 570 solo artists, 60 public installations, video artists and book launches lined up, the exhibit seems to have an interesting line up.

For those of you who can make it to the event, here are the details: January 20 – 23 at New Delhi.

Here is the montage of the Summit from 2009:

Link: The India Art Summit 2011

The India Circus 2011 – Must Buy!

All set to be organised for the coming year, I decided to venture out hunting for a classic year planner. I had almost lost hope to the monotony of the blacks and browns when I stumbled upon this drool worthy planner – The India Circus 2011.

Themed throughout with kitschy pop art inspired by India and all things oh-so Indian, this 2011 planner is priced at Rs 350.

Here are few pictures from within the book:

The visuals and illustrations have been designed by Bubble Design & Visual Communication, Mumbai.

This book also gave me a great idea for few articles here on Cult. Won’t reveal too much, though its worth spilling few beans. Photoshop, everyday street photographs, crazy products? Lets see where this goes.

Hope you love this planner and its theme as much as I do.

Link: Bubble Design,