The Justice League: A Card Campaign – The New Indian Express

Express news service

CHENNAI: These days, the term social justice is used quite often. While this is a refreshing change, how many of us – those who are not from political or legal backgrounds – know its true meaning? Asks Priyanka Ulaganathan of Revamp by Aaval-The Postcard Project. In an attempt to spread the principles of social justice, which constitutes an important layer of Tamil Nadu and its politics, and to explore the thoughts of the rulers who sowed his idea, the Creative, as well as the artists Hasif Khan, Shajan , Jainth and the creators Vishnupriya and Shivaram, organized a postcard campaign.

The postcard series aims to harness the power of art to challenge issues, move people and bring about social change. “The idea is to advance the need for social justice in the current context, through postcards. People can buy the cards, write down what social justice means to them, and send or keep them as a reminder, ”she shares.

Self-respect, equality and rationalism. From reinvented works of art, from imagery stepping on surrealism to those tapping into pop culture – creatives tell us how they want to make a social impact in the real world through their works. Set of 12 cards (3 of each) `175. The 24 set (6 of each) costs 350. Cards will be delivered in 5-7 days. To order, visit Instagram @revamp_by_aaval or WhatsApp 9345372520

Vishnupriya Nanjappan & Shivaram SR, creators of My Dear Manorama
Instagram @ Mon.Cher.Manorama
The artist’s tale
“What are Tamil memes without Vadivelu?” “,” Where are the memes of art in our regional context? “,” Why aren’t there enough regional memes with a one-size-fits-all approach? Questions like this led agriculture and Viscom graduates, Vishnupriya and Shivaram, to create a page on Instagram last year. Called My Dear Manorama, the page started dialogues around topics of social importance.

Path to justice
My Dear Manorama in its contribution to the postcard series features an image of Aringnar Anna. “If he had felt that politics were not important then, what social justice envisioned by leaders before him would have remained theoretical and would not have become mainstream. Anna also needs to be celebrated. So we chose to choose his image and overlay it with a quote from him that is relevant, ”explains Vishnupriya.

What is social justice?
“Social justice, for me, is equal rights and opportunities. The representation of women is important and achieving it is social justice.

Hasif Khan, cartoonist artist
Instagram: @hasifkhan
The artist’s tale
“Much of my curiosity in the art field came from my observations of a close childhood friend, who was creating wonderful art. It triggered something in me. And being an introvert, art helped me carve out a place for myself… it was the tool, rather the key to loneliness, ”shares artist Hasif Khan, who has also been the designer of Tamil magazine Vikatan for a long time. decade now.

Path to justice
For the postcard series, Hasif portrayed social activist and politician Periyar EV Ramasamy in a different light. “I was working on a series of artwork that mainly had the colors red, black and white in its palette and it was an exploration of the surrealist art movement. When Priyanka approached me for the project, I decided to create a Periyar work of art that went beyond what we had already seen, ”Hasif shares. His creation presents Periyar in a reinvented surrealist space. “The spark came from a suggestion Priyanka made. Although I had inhibitions initially, the creation process was enjoyable and the work was also well received, ”he shares, adding that he hopes to champion ideas of social justice through his designs.

What is social justice?
“There should be no discrimination. People who have been oppressed must be guided, must be made aware that their marginalization is not the norm. They should be out of their oppression. This education, and breaking this discrimination, is social justice for me. “

Jainth, artist
Instagram @Jainth_ & @ nirami.colourization
The artist’s tale
Media student Jainth ran a YouTube channel with a group of friends and produced videos until he hit a roadblock in 2020 when the nationwide lockdown was announced. “We couldn’t continue our work. So I was thinking of other ways and modes of doing my job, ”he recalls. If the colorization of the photos had always interested him, the lack of time prevented him from rubbing shoulders with the laborious process. “When the lockdown was announced, I was offered an abundance of free time. And my journey has begun, ”says the creator, who over the years has built an affinity with Dravidian ideologies.

Path to justice
When he entered the world of photographic colorization, he took the images of leaders who sowed, nurtured and advanced the legacy of social justice in the state. “The colorized image that found its place in this series of postcards is one of my favorites,” he said, pointing to the photograph of Periyar, smiling under his silver beard while holding a baby in his arms. “When I posted this photo, many contacted me and said it brought them closer to Periyar and his ideas. It broke a certain barrier that the label of being a leader carried. an allegory – he was one of us, “he shares. Now colorization has become a means of communication for the creator.” In addition to images, I share historical information about people, events or ideologies It has become a medium where ideas are shared and conversations take place without prejudice, ”he says.

What is social justice?
“Anything that shatters patriarchal ideas, supports the marginalized / minorities and amplifies the voice of the oppressed, aims for equality is for me social justice. “

Shajan, artist
Instagram @shajan_kafka
The artist’s tale
“Kalai makkalukanadhu (Art is for the people),” begins Shajan, an aspiring filmmaker. “So to achieve my goal, the resources I used and the content I consumed were always political. While pencil sketches have always been a part of my life, about two years ago I started rendering them digitally. The products of my art have become a fusion of the ideologies I read and grew up with and my art, which is personal, ”he shares. The idea, says Shajan, is to take an idea and present it in a new way so that it reaches the masses.

Path to justice
“The idea was to discuss social justice and bring it to the people. But there was another underlying theme: presenting the artists’ work to the public through the picture cards and adding value to it. Namma oorle, kalai, kalaingnar-galukkaana value kami ah dhan irukku. There is also this thought – “Why buy art? “So through this series, while discussing social justice, we also bring art to people and this art has the ideas and philosophies that people need,” he explains. Shajan’s work for this presents a contemporary interpretation of a 1950s image – of Ambedkar and Periyar in Rangoon for the World Buddhist Conference. “I worked on a series that fuses names of series and movies, popular quotes and their images with political commentaries and ideologies. This too was consistent with that. This image is a beacon of hope that they will always be there when and where there is oppression and injustice, ”he explains.

What is social justice?
“Equality in all its forms and in all systems is social justice for me. Identity, language, social and cultural ethics should not harm anyone’s place in society.