Prahlad’s Journey with Papercut Art
An MBA graduate, Prahlad Hegde never thought he would ever turn out to be an artist. One chilly afternoon, while cutting a piece of paper to use it as a wrapper, he found out that he has an artist in him. Soon, he went to a grocery shop and purchased all the tools necessary for an artist ––– pencil, sharpener, eraser and paper. What started as a hobby has now turned out to a full-time meditation. Hegde is today one of the finest artists in India, and can design just about any picture through paper-cutting.
The interesting aspect of papercut artworks is that it is made on one sheet as opposed to multiple sheets coming in together like a collage. The most common recurrence we see papercut art is silhouettes of portraits in black paper. But Hegde creates much more intricate and detailed designs that very few artists can replicate in India.
The art of papercutting has grown over the years to align with different cultures and artist inspirations. Jianzhi in China and Kirigami in Japan are an integral part of their traditional skeleton. Similarly, parol is central to Filipino customs and ceremonies, and ketubot and mizrahs in Jewish culture. Most of his artworks are inspired by the nature and wildlife. Some of his works were on display at Artist for wildlife and nature’s Annual Show-2018 in Venkatappa Art Gallery, where he was chosen for the Avian Category Award in recognition of his expertise in designing birds. He is now expanding his horizons to different subject matters as well like pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses and recreating photos. His works are now presented internationally including the Art Basel week in Miami!