Art is a Voice

MY THOUGHTS

Art Is a Voice by Kripa is a coming together of different voices to introduce readers to activism through art and a magnificent way to showcase the immense potential of art to unite people as a community for a common cause.

From the first page, which reads, “They tell me, paint flowers. I paint what I see. Protests blooming”, the readers understand that this is a book that will urge them to think beyond what they see. Every page begins with a verse and a pullout or flip-open element, which shows an art form and a few lines from an artist speaking about an issue. The book showcases how artists depict Protest, Discontentment, Displacement, Deforestation, Gender, Intolerance and other issues. Each one of these pages is profound and open-ended.

Kripa brings together art and quotes from contemporary Indian artists, and we are treated to different media and ways in which these artists have voiced their protest. The illustrations that accompany each page are pictures of detailed collages made from clippings of protest signs, textured and patterned paper, and symbolic images from various events in the past few years. Book designer and co-author Rohina Thapar deftly intersperses the verses, collages, and art to create a book that will leave the reader spellbound.

Art Is a Voice will be at home on your coffee table or amidst your picture books. This is a book you will find yourself turning to time and again when you want to have important conversations with children or when you want to immerse yourself in the power of art. This book is powerful and electrifying, and in its own gentle way, forces you to look at things around you a little differently, to dig deeper, to form your own opinions, and to express what you feel.