Bobo Calcutta’s Dance of the Thousand Gods, which is a rigorous three-and-half months labour of love, are postcards of utter pleasure and unabashed abandon. The imagery is strikingly poetic, one that enraptures you in its lusty charm. A spell that is powerful. And, joyously so. The timeless global appeal, a Bobo Calcutta signature for six-and-a-half years, is at the core here too. You can keep staring at the pictures, drinking in the beauty of it all, yet there is a sense of mystery as to what has you in thrall the most. Almost a spirit of magic realism. We chat with Ayushman Mitra, the artist and the founder of Bobo Calcutta, on the inspirations and gratitude.
The collection looks intriguing!
The collection is called Dance of the Thousand Gods. My Gods and Goddesses don’t have a religion. They are who I am and they speak about the liberation of the human spirit. The inspiration has always been this idea of innate spirituality which I grew up with and that has remained because I draw from the Gods, not in a religious manner, but in a spiritual manner. That gives me energy. The entire idea of colour and celebration, flowers, dhaak and dhol... it is a space that reminds me of everything that I think is important for me to live. This idea of thanking whoever I believe in.
Obviously, there is a direct conversation with Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Jamini Roy, most importantly, Gosto Kumar, my maternal grandfather, because he was the one who taught me all of this, when I was a kid. Even before I went to mid-school, which is class II or III, I already had so much information from this gentleman... what art is. This particular collection is a celebration of everything I live by and live through. It is an amalgamation of my art over the past five years. Techniques such as hand-embroidery and digital printing have been used on fabrics like silk, cotton and muslin to create the brand’s debut wedding collection. Hybrid Tigers and Blackbucks are seen against the backdrop of a surreal forest, vivid with hints of psychedelic.
My Gods and Goddesses don’t have a religion. They are who I am and they speak about the liberation of the human spirit. The inspiration has always been this idea of innate spirituality which I grew up with and that has remained because I draw from the Gods, not in a religious manner, but in a spiritual manner. That gives me energy.
Ayushman Mitra
I shot it on my birthday (August 8) because I wanted to celebrate my life and all of these people that includes Arka (Patra), the photographer who is envisioning what I can do and then putting his ideas with my flow and both of us are rivers that meet somewhere. With Karuna (Ezara Parikh) and Sneha (Ghosh), they are my friends, yes, but they are also women I really love. They have always stood by me and their imagery brings a lot to whatever I try to create. This is the first time I worked with Priyanshu (Thakur), the male model. He brought in his own taste and swag, which was absolutely fantastic.
This is a three-city show. We start in Bombay with Bridal Asia (August 20-21) and Delhi in October and then it comes back to The India Story in Kolkata, in December. The idea was to bring out something to the audience where the brand remains the brand but also celebrating the aesthetics of India. Once everything that is supposed to be done is done, you have to have fun.
This is a campaign that talks about how you let your hair down, celebrate love, your partner, in the most honest possible way, which is celebrating sexuality and fun we have behind closed doors. What happens once you open your wedding clothes and then get into the party jam? It is a parade of happiness, overwhelming joy and telling each other this is great. That is exactly why I call this Dance of the Thousand Gods because when Gods dance, they don’t care about what they have created or destroyed or what they would be portrayed as. In the campaign, all the three people are celebrating everything that they are, which is compassion, love and the entire magic of surrealist, hybrid, embroidered creatures on pieces, massive colour, also white-on-white, red-on-red with the idea of satisfying yourself first because you are important.
Tell us about the imagery of the tiger...
The tiger has always been in my work... the hybrid tigress. When the Save The Tiger programme began, it just hit me what we have done to nature and wildlife and how the population fell to a limit where there were just a handful left.
And, the whites?
It is a salutation to Rituparno Ghosh, Satyajit Ray, Aparna Sen... the entire laal paar shaada sari... I have never done that before. It is a georgette sari with jumping tigers hand-embroidered. This is my homage to my lineage which is Bengal. The white jamdani is my mom’s, my stepmother’s. I would like to use something taken from my family. That makes it personal. The jewellery is by Harshita Sultania and it went so well with it.
The print looks, which are obviously the kaftans and the jackets and the group shot of all three of them, in all colours, is me. And everything else is a homage. I want to have a blast.
You have been pushing boundaries ever since you launched your label. How do you see younger people exploring their bodies?
I have a younger sister who is in class XII. Even when she sees these garments, I see a smile on her face and for me, she is my direct reference for everything that is that generation. I shot the clothes the way I wanted to shoot it, but they are all separates. You can wear the bralette with a pair of jeans or the skirt with a shirt or the jacket with all-black.
You have your signature with your original voice. Is it difficult to stick to it?
I did not have a plan when I began. I just did what I wanted to do and my life is my inspiration... the love, the loss and everything in between and I draw from everybody, including my partner, the loss of my parents, the love that I get from the animals around me, my brother, my stepmother, my sister, family, karigars.... They give me the courage and strength to do what I want to do. They are the core of my artistic process. I am grateful to the Goddess for giving me what I have, which is this foundation. I only try to build on it. It is difficult but I try and people around me try harder to make sure I am happy.
Isn’t gratitude immensely spiritual?
I think so. I honestly think how lucky I am to be surrounded by such amazing people... and just to bow down and say ‘thank you’. I know exactly what’s going on in the world and the only way to acknowledge my privilege is to work hard.
