BENGALURU: In 2023, the Super Mario Bros movie became the highest grossing video game film, toppling the opening number of Disney’s blockbuster Frozen. But while beloved video game characters are breaking world records on the big screen, the 8-bit and 16-bit visual styles, reminiscent of classic video games, are thriving in contemporary art because of their distinct, nostalgic allure.
Amita Sana, a visual artist in the city, collaborated with musicians Kalmi and Abhilash to create Chiporu, a music video that depicts the story of a South Indian farmer and his pet goat chasing a moth through the village of Chiporu in an 8-bit pixel art style. “The first time I heard the music without the visuals, I thought of Mario but with a touch of South Indian music. It had a very Indian-ised Mario vibe to it. So that is how we came to the idea that the video should be pixelated since it’s always connected to our nostalgic side,” says Sana.
With TV show hits like Stranger Things popularising ’80s nostalgia and arcade games, pixel art was bound to see a revival sooner rather than later. While it might look easy, Sana says the attention to detail makes it extremely demanding. “If you see some pixel art, you think it will be pretty easy because it’s made out of boxes but when you actually start, it really takes a lot of work and attention. To make something that looks good in pixel art, you really have to pay attention to all the details. You have to show all the characteristics with fewer pixels and simplifying it to pixels takes practice,” she adds.
From its origins in early computer graphics, where artists had to navigate the constraints of limited pixel counts, pixel art has evolved into a versatile medium for creative expression. Another freelance illustrator in the city, Jeevanath Viswanath (@jeevdraws) draws inspiration from the pixel art from old video games that he used to play.
“Even though there is a growing interest in pixel art, I feel it still has not completely reached the mainstream. But there is definitely a lot of potential in the market especially because people are tapping into the nostalgic part of art right now,” says Viswanath, who worked as a visual designer for a company who specifically wanted a pixel artist.
While there is a certain lack of awareness as to which softwares to learn for this kind of art, people are exploring it more, says Vishwanath, adding, “If you are able to find the right gateway, this art is really fascinating and relaxing. You can make a huge artwork using just small squares which is very satisfying for me. Currently, I am working on a personal project where I am creating a video in the 8-bit style animation because I know there is a lot of potential in it right now.”
The revival of pixel art is further fuelled by the simplicity of the style which allows it to seamlessly be adapted to different forms of art apart from animation. Prayag Bellur, co-founder of Koha, a platform that creates custom portraits using bricks to mimic the pixelated effect, saw an
opportunity to introduce pixel art to the Indian market in a unique way. “We wanted to bring this pixelated art concept to India because of its visual appeal,” says Bellur, whose venture has also got its name on the India Book of Records for the largest pixel art in the country. Each portrait has around 6,000 pieces in 40-50 different colours which takes hours to assemble depending on its size,” he adds.