LuxeBook February 2022

harvest, the two designers have created an impenetrable biomaterial. Bhandari and Mody then plan to release a line of furniture, wall art and lighting using the material. The eco-friendly edit should be co-launched by both design studios later this year. Akshita Gandhi Multi-media Artist A Bombay girl with a global footprint, Akshita Nikhil Gandhi, an artist who has had shown all over the world, including Dubai, New York and London, is inspired by the landscape and architecture of different cities. In her own words, Gandhi says her art is “systematic chaos,” clarifying that there is a method to the madness. Sparks of inspiration She photographs various landscapes that are then printed on a canvas,on the surface of which Gandhi paints designs, motifs and even quotes. Fluid and free-flowing colours and patterns contrast with the still photographs to create a bridge between realityand illusion.Fantastical, surreal, and escapist in nature, Gandhi credits her forever inspiration, Mumbai for her creativity. “There is no place like Bombay, even the mundane routines of the city are so beautiful to photograph,” gushes Gandhi. The pandemic-induced lockdown forced Gandhi to stay put in the city and allowed her to go back to works and ideas left unfinished. In the past the artist would be hopping from one city and country to another, spending not more than two months in Mumbai at a time, but the time to stay still changed things. The freedom to experiment with different mediums and the added advantage of extra time, prompted her to introspect. Creating a niche Hence, the artist describes the work that she developed during this period as authentic, a personal exploration of what home is and what it means to belong. “A lot of the work that came out of the lockdown was almost life changing for me,” admits Gandhi. Another activity that she feels contributed to the flow of creative juices were the 100 art therapy sessions she did pro bono, during what has been termed as a mental-health pandemic. Having studied art therapy, Gandhi first planned sessions for friends and family, but was soon conducting activities like meditation, drawing mandalas, and exploring emotions for bigger groups on online platforms in London, on GoodHomes and India Today. Having suffered through depression herself, mental health awareness is a cause close to her heart, encouraging her to reach out to those who needed it during a time of increased anxiety and uncertainty. Gandhi along with her sister, co-founded the Dua Foundation, which supports vulnerable sections of society, such as old age homes, differentially abled and prevention against child trafficking. Reaching out to the vulnerable members of society, Gandhi is even training some of these young adults to start digitally trading in assets, one of whom has even launched his own NFT (non-fungible token) on OpenSea. Speaking of NFTs, the 33-year-old artist launched one of her own NFTs in the beginning of 2022, named “Gaia.” The digital asset was launched on marketplace Throne and promotes environmental awareness. The 10-second video is listed with a starting price of 0.45 ETH. Cognizant of the fact that most blockchain technology incurs high carbon costs with a negative impact on our environment, Gandhi has partnered with Nori, a carbon removal marketplace, and will donate 2.5% of sales and resale proceeds to the company. Gaia translates to Mother Earth in Greek, and the NFT displays ethereal wings painted over a photograph of Horniman Circle. “There is something very wholesome about the fact that we are moving into different spaces into the metaverse and virtual reality but it’s all still on Mother Earth, so that was symbolic for me,” explains Gandhi. The artist has a few more NFTs in the pipeline, some are fun and cool, and some even have a photo of Akshita herself, a first for the artist. Messages and images of feminism colour these series of NFTs that Gandhi has in the pipeline for the next month. Looking forward The artist is working on a show that will take her art to London, at the Nehru Centre in Mayfair in a couple of months. A special series surrounding pincodes, it will showcase photographs of Bombay, specifically imagery of windows and doors that have been impressed over with zoomed-in motifs from the image itself. A lot of the photos are of slums, featuring blinding, colourful, bright lights and various textures. In 2022 Gandhi is looking forward to creating works that are “more impactful, thought provoking and have a strong message to disperse.” 36| L U X E B O O K | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 | L U X E B O O K | 37