KOCHI: Scrolling through Ajith Shaji’s Instagram feed, it is hard not to be impressed by the sheer versatility of his work. As a practising artist and a working graphic designer, Ajith has delved into all mediums, genres and styles over the years amassing a prolific body of work that defies easy categorisation. From creating mystifying and surreal digital compositions to sketching intricate portraits, it is evident that the 26-year-old with a degree in fine arts is quite the master when it comes to his craft.
Even so, upon closer scrutiny, one finds an underlying homogeneity in Ajith’s works. A continued affinity to fantasy and everything mystical that is reflected in most of his works. What is further interesting is that Ajith combines his preoccupation with everything other worldly with his love for hip-hop, sync wave and other counter culture movements.
“I am deeply inspired by various performative forms and alternate genres that often operate in margins and resist the mainstream. I try to include that in my art, which has mostly fantastical elements, through the use of intense colours. My interest in fantasy comes from imagination and dreams. I think the two seemingly different aspects or components work really well together. I love to employ colours but there is usually a dark and ambient mood to my illustrations,” says Ajith who is a native of Wayanad.
As a young boy, Ajith remembers his father, a government employee, using his free time for artistic pursuits. Eager to imitate him, Ajith would doodle on his notebook. His earliest memories of sketching were when he was just five years old. “My father is popular in my town as a gifted artist so he was my first influence. As I grew up, I became more and more sure about taking up fine arts in college. I think art will be a part of me all my life. I sketch everyday and work on different mediums.
Both analog and digital mediums have their own advantages so I don’t particularly prefer one over the other. The important thing is to create and practice,” adds Ajith who runs a design and animation studio in Kochi. Evidently, his use of neons, deep reds, pinks, greens and blues form the mainstay of his digital compositions while his pen on paper sketches mirror the hatching technique which is characterised by drawing closely spaced short parallel lines to create a tonal or three dimensional effect.
Ajiths previous exhibitions held at Durbar Art Gallery and Kashi Art Gallery comprised his digital creations. Having worked with Reliance Education, OnePlus and Malayalam movie Undo, Ajith plans to pursue masters in fine arts abroad in the near future.
Follow Ajith on Instagram @aji_ppaan