Tête-à-Tête with an Indian Papercutting Wizard

From the dropout dreams, street graffiti, mortgaging his bike to finally landing on a surgical stencil, find a glimpse of Parth Kothekar’s journey in this interview!

Parth. I knew from the beginning that academics was not going to be my pursuit of life. I have always been an art lover as far as I can back in time. Idle sketching led me to won quite many accolades and recognition during my school days.

Since Papercutting Art arrived on my existential scene a little later, the peer pressure of having to complete my schooling years became a tug of war against my plan to drop out. But, I consider these obtrusive events of life as a catalyst.

The silver lining was unfolding itself in front of me - having been to places where I felt like I didn't belong became an intrinsic channel to understand myself and narrow down the one niche where I fit effortlessly.

For me, Papercutting Art was the mojo against all odds.

Parth. Animation School was a trial run. I went to animation school because I was still exploring the possibilities of art as a career. Any other discipline of study would have been a disaster to even ponder over. Animation school was a failure because I was being taught 3D animation and my dream covenant was of learning 2D art.

I also received an opportunity as a graphic artist for a firm but I quickly realized that working in a run-of-the-mill corporate routine was not for me.

Yet, ranting my way out over the animation school would be hugely wrong because I launched a series - PaperCutting Animation, recently and whatever I was taught there came in handy.

Parth. Every day that I have lived my dream of pursuing my passion, I have, also, frequently met with the reality check of having to find my audience and financial ground within my hibernated nuances.

Starting, I was an alien to the art industry. And, Papercutting Art being a newly devised art career in India worked as icing on the rugged cake. My biggest challenge was monetary. It takes money to exhibit art and selling art in India is a hell of an arduous task to carry.

I am reminded of something that I look back at with humor. I had to mortgage my motorbike 7 times in need of money. The funny part is that I was denied the 8th time! The consistent facet of this journey is that there is no path laid in front of me. I can only see one step at a time and I keep walking.

Parth: The reception has always been very remarkable. And, it remained the same way the first time I ever showcased my artwork at Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad.

2013 exhibition was a pure manifestation act. For once, carrying around the piles of artwork wherever I would go became worthy of a career. It was a 3 days exhibition. On the 2nd day of the exhibition, 6 local newspapers wrote an article about it which brought many curious visitors. They wanted to see how something like this can be created out of paper. The exhibition was a hit.

Especially, from having to evolve from campus displays, monochromatic canvas, stencils, and street graffiti, the exhibiting stage of my art has its essence, and finding the concentrated amazement on the faces of my audience feels fulfilling.

Because this niche is still box-fresh, the greatest scrutiny has remained around the purpose of its being, rather than technical interpretations among Indian audiences 10 years apart since 2013.

Parth: Intricately precise - that's how I describe my art.

My creations might look easy at first, but, in pure honesty and microscopic foresight, it takes up a good 10-12 hours of immense dedication to bring my concepts to art. I hope, someday, everybody gets to experience the miniature cuts on my art pieces.

Parth: I would rather say India; I have not found myself restrictive in commemorating my hometown alone. For me, Indian culture and heritage, in all its glory, would have a very special place in my heart as well arts.

The Heritage Series is the most reflective of my home and is quite close to my soul. My father lived in the old city of Ahmedabad at a time when the houses had regally architectural doors as shown in this series.

On a secondary note, I do feature the perspectives surrounding me. For example, I have featured the inspiration of my mother and sister in the feminine series - Mermaids in Saree.

Unfortunately, I am not much of an extrovert individual. I spend most of my time within the walls of my room or say, creative space. So, my culminating threadwork possesses much of my inner child gasping on the chaos outside.

Parth: I would account for three prominent features in order- History TV, Instagram homepage feature and finally, the Google feature. I am still awestruck and wonder what could possibly be a greater reward than being featured on Google!

Parth: I received an email from the art director of Google on 8th of December 2022. The schedule was pretty tight and, so I had to be vigilant on my creative flow. Google had presented me with two themes for the doodle - Raisina Hills and Republic Day Parade.

To be able to follow up with my natural routine, I spent hours watching videos of Republic Day Parade. From here, I started out with sketching different elements and aspects while incorporating the desi motifs to procreate the sense of confluence.

I submitted a rough draft on 28th of December, 2022 and received the official approval by 10th of January, 2023 after progressive refinement of the sketch.

Parth: My cathartic connectivity falls under the wings of M.C. Escher, the Dutch graphic artist. His mathematical structures and lithographs - the abstract woodwork and optical illusion - have influenced the Cut and Fold series.

The geometric patterns and precision is closely knit based on Escher's work in this series, prominently "Relativity" lithograph, with inverted cuts on a single sheet of paper - a 3D deception.

Parth: Exhibitions in New Zealand in 2016 to the most memorable chart of my art displays. I was invited by the New Zealand government to represent my work. The audience in New Zealand who visited my showcase was quite articulate. It was a refreshing moment to see people being intrigued about the complexities and technicalities of Papercutting Art rather than just hitting me with the same typical questionnaire of the basic storyline.

The international audience has always been a blessing as they come prepared. In another way, I would say they do their homework, diligently, on interpretive notes seeking answers underlying the artist's skin.

Parth : My artworks have graduated with the reckoning appreciation of my friends, local neighborhood, online communities, and most peculiarly by International audience, altogether. I would not outright defy the love I have received in my motherland. I began my artistic career here.

The difficulty of being able to display my arts or getting sold out has dawned on the horizon progressively over the years. When I look back in time, 10 years seems like an uphill battle - an era of evolution. Yet, speaking transparently, the artistic situationship has not changed much in India.

The foremost cause, I believe, is my pick of art category. When I started out, nobody around me had a clue of this art niche. And, still today, the majority of prying pov originates from uncertain future of this art form.

I have had an opportunity to speak to a Sanjhi artist few years back. He emphasised a similar struggle of monetizing art. In comparative hindsight, you would expect for Sanjhi art, being an ancient art form practiced for ages in India, to not face these issues. Yet, here we are!

Parth : I am taking one day at a time. I am still exploring the 'Cut and Fold' series and looking to experiment with the half cuts. Other than this, having to exit the black-and-white canvas and playing with vibrant lightings has taken an optimistic toll on my creative spine. So, I would keep spinning the bottle on different themes.

Recently, I have also been drowning my hours watching Mubi - getting to know alternate cinematic experience; could be the next lucky charm of a concept art. Who knows!