Interview with Indian Artist Samosa Rani | MakersPlace Blog

MakersPlace had the privilege of sitting down with Simran Wahan, aka Samosa Rani, who graciously took the time during a hectic move from her hometown of Tamil Nadu, where she’d moved for the duration of the pandemic, to Bengaluru. 

MP: Your work often comes with a 30-minute art therapy session. What have you learned from this exciting way of bridging artist and collector?

SR: People have been very excited about it. I’ve heard from many of my collectors that it’s one of the best NFT utilities they’ve come across. They get to meet the artist and have an interactive session over Zoom. We make art together, and hopefully, they learn something. It’s not just therapy — it’s art and therapy. One of my collectors bought my work because she wanted an art therapy session. I think people like interacting with the artist. They get a bit of mindfulness, a bit of therapy, and make some art. It excites people. 

MP: What’s your background with art?

SR: I’ve been an artist since as early as I can remember because art runs in the family. My grandmother, my great grandmother, everybody would make art. So I’ve learned that from my mom. But of course, it has kind of matured over the generations. My mom used to do crochet and knitting, but I moved into more fine arts or abstract art. 

I learned abstract art from my older brother. All my abstract colors and combinations — all of that comes from him. But of course, you kind of figure out your way. So now, when I paint Indian women, I put all those influences together. 

I’ve also learned in my NFT journey. I finally figured out my sweet spot with work I can continue making for the longest time. 

MP: Has digital art affected your physical art practice? And vice versa? 

SR: Yes, because the NFT market is a very different market. I come from a traditional background. I still have a pen and paper. I make a basic skeleton on pen and paper. Most of them are hand drawn or painted on paper, watercolor, or acrylic on canvas. Then I transfer them into a digital image. On my iPad, I add little details. In most of my work, there’s a background texture of paper because that’s the actual image. I’m open to collectors. If they want me to ship them the actual piece, I’m open to that. 

So I can’t let go of my roots because that comes easy. If I have to start drawing on the iPad, it takes me a lot of time. But it’s quick for me if I have a pen and paper or paint. And the iPad gets boring. I’m a traditional artist; I love the feel of paint and brushes.

MP: “Aranyani” is a new piece of yours that feels like a step in a new direction. 

SR: This was an experiment. It was for a contest to make a derivative of a Bored Ape. The Bored Ape has a leopard print and green background. So I thought, “Okay, let’s try something new.” That’s why I did these Moroccan patterns, all of that Islamic…