Manjit Thapp is a United Kingdom-based illustrator with a wide range of artistic expressions including murals, movie zines, children’s illustrations, fashion illustrations in stylist magazines, and more! When speaking about her creative process, she emphasizes her focus on representing herself and the female experience of being a South Asian woman. Growing up she would rarely see herself represented in art, so when she creates art she draws from her culture and mental health. In our class discussion during Week 10, we focused on mental illness and creativity and how a person’s mental illness/wellness is impacted by being creative and vice versa. She explains, “I really wanted to put a lot of myself into the work, especially in terms of the way that I feel, but I also want to make it open enough for the viewer to kind of see themselves in the work and interpret it in their own way.”
She released her first graphic novel, Feelings: A Story in Seasons, in March 2021 which is described as “an illustrated journey through one woman’s year of emotions from the saturated highs of early summer to the gray isolation of late winter.” When she was beginning as an artist she didn’t expect to have art become her career but her passion for art led her to where she is today.
Manjit Thapp displayed some of her art at her first solo show at NOW Gallery in London which was open from July 23 to October 31, 2021. Her show, My Head is a Jungle, featured prints, mirrors, tapestries, murals, and animation all formatted in a maze-like setting. Her gallery focused on representation and the importance of East and South East Asia (ESEA) Heritage month. She is most comfortable creating 2D art, but she moved outside of her comfort zone into 3D art as represented in her first gallery. She spoke about her desire for South Asian girls and women to be reflected in her gallery.
Manjit Thapp also creates personal and fashion illustrations. Some of her pieces are shown below:
To learn more about Manjit Thapp:
Website: https://www.manjitthapp.co.uk
Instagram: @manjitthapp
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Hi Kelly, I really enjoyed learning about Manjit Thapp through this blog post! I absolutely want to learn more about her art and work across mediums In particular, I really think it's incredible that she sought to capture emotions and experiences throughout a year in the book "Feelings" - that really shows the impact of art and creativity in connecting to one's own emotions and with others, as well.
ReplyDeleteHi! I really enjoyed learning about Manjit Thapp and her art. I really like the way that she uses color and nature to embody her feelings. The use of colorful imagery really encapsulates what she's trying to express, and I love that! I am definitely going to look into her work. Great post!
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