My artistic interest lies in effective communication of new knowledge and research that may help create positive understanding and response to the emotional, social and political landscapes we live in, in order to live fuller happier lives.
Creating effective moments of interaction through art and design is powerful as the experience you have is unique and stays with you - lingering and resurfacing at different points in time. I work across illustration, graphic design, sculpture, and music to create these lucid moments
Hi, I'm Samia. I'm a graphic designer and an artist based in Chandigarh, India.
Some of my skills include illustration, graphic design, web design, packaging design, design thinking, brand strategy, printmaking, UI & UX design, storyboarding, photo styling, making comics & music.
I am the Creative Director of Preet Nagar Residency, an artist and writers residency that I run with my family, in Preet Nagar. An intended community set up by my great grandfather in the 1930s between Amritsar & Lahore, the two cultural hubs of pre-partitioned Punjab.
Oh, and I make music with my Delhi based band Station Ikigai.
Recent work
Editorial Illustrations have always fascinated me. What can illustration bring to the table so that when put together, the story and the illustrations have more impact on the reader.
All Too Much: The Absurdity of the Tandoori Momo, by Sharanya Deepak
There is nothing about a tandoori momo that is not unnecessary. It is a dish that takes the momo, a perfectly good steamed dumpling, rolls it in a marinade of bright orange tandoori masala, and pokes it inside a flaming tandoor. When the tandoori momo emerges from its kiln, it is charred, and bright red — a kind of dense, carb-heavy chicken tikka with a crunchy casing. The baked momo is then topped with fresh cream, chaat masala and served with mint chutney; or sometimes add-ons of hung yoghurt (Afghani tandoori momo), achar (tandoori achari momos) or mayonnaise (so far, unnamed). When eaten hot from the tandoor, the momo’s spicy outer layer cracks and spills its meat filling into an orange pool of cream. Much of its appeal lies in this showmanship, that includes spice, liquid, fire, and heat. It is a dish that unsettles Delhi's aspirational food culture ─ one of eating mild-tempered Western foods ─ with its id of flaming grills and "masalaydaar" dishes flooded with spice.
The ‘Estranged Students’ project aims to understand the challenges faced by estranged students. Funded by the Carnegie Trust and the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), work is already informing policy, to ensure these students feel as ‘at home’ and connected as their classmates.
This is just one important way forward, and urge more action on targeting isolation, stigma and a lack of resources. Being careful not to assume all students have families may make estranged students feel more seen and supported.
The postcard messages presented in this booklet were produced in our various workshops, conferences and seminars and are intended as training, support and information resources.
"I find that for myself, without exception, the more I deal with the work as something that is my own, as something that is personal, the more successful it is.” – Marian Bantjes
Photo Credit: Kazuhiko Monden
Door to Asia, Japan
I am grateful to be part of a think tank of Asian designers who are working to improve disaster affected businesses through design and intersectional collaboration. Read more
Exploring the North East
The sketch for this was made in a jeep while driving up to Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh from Guwahati, Assam for a music festival. Nobody could quite say how long the drive would take. Everybody we asked had a different answer. My friend and I braced for a 7 hour drive but it ended up being close to 12 hours and to top that off we had a drunk driver who kept taking "breaks"! After getting the taxi driver out of one of his various drinking stops and banning his breaks (only in India) - to calm down, I started to sketch the magnificent tropical forest and all the signage BRO ( Border Roads Organisation :)) had put through the endless mesmerising forest. A rare long drive where you see the jungle and barely any human settlements.
Etching, Edition of 10.