Meet Anagh Banerjee | Illustrator and printmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anagh Banerjee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anagh, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I feel that switching off is essential to maximizing my creative potential. Switching off, not just when I am saturated and I’m clearly required to take a break, but, as a habit. I need to dedicate time purely for myself at a fixed time every day. This could mean, that even in the midst of work if I am in full flow, I must take a break when it is the allotted time of the day. I think that over time, I have gotten better at it. But I need to keep myself in check. And this has a better impact in the long run in terms of recharging my batteries and getting back to work. I also need to put down a few markers of well-being for myself. Whether it is exercising, or pursuing some other creative hobby. If I am able to touch base with these markers on a regular basis, I find that I am performing better at work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an illustrator specializing in printmaking. I make traditional woodblock prints. I work in the editorial and publishing world. Some of my clients include The New Yorker and The New York Times. I suppose one of the things that sets me apart is obviously my chosen medium of woodcut prints, in a world so heavily saturated with digital work. The analog work and old-school aesthetic stand apart from the other work that populates the visual art landscape.

I have an ongoing project on the Partition of the Indian subcontinent which I have been working on for the past 5 years. This includes a series of woodblock prints and monoprints depicting peoples’ first-hand experiences of displacement from the Partition. It is a labor of love and something that brings purpose to my life as an artist. This is something that continues to excite me regardless of what my commercial art’s trajectory looks like at any given moment in time.

I believe that I have had a lot of support over the years from my parents to pursue a career in the arts. However, an artist’s life is never easy. It is getting increasingly difficult to get patronage as an artist and especially as an immigrant in the United States, one has to always be a few steps ahead in terms of having enough work to justify one’s visa status and also the financial and emotional sacrifices of being so far away from home.

I have learned that despite the challenges, there is a lot of generosity amongst the illustration community. People relate to each other’s struggles and are willing to go out of their way to encourage and give feedback.

I’d like to be known as an artist who makes beautiful work. Now, I know every artist must believe that, but I’d like for the world to see that I really do value beauty in my work very highly. I want to be seen as someone who puts a lot of effort into nurturing my craft and who loves making things with my hands.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The museums in NYC are always great. I would start things off with the MET. I particularly enjoy the Museum of Natural History. I do find museums visually and mentally saturating after a while, however. So I would not want to fit in more things on the days I visit these museums. I would recommend hanging out in some of the parks while the weather is still good. Central Park is great, but my favorite parks are Fort Tyron Park and Fort Green Park.

I personally like the Lower East Side a lot. It is one of those areas in the city that has a very idiosyncratic character. Any restaurants such as Forsythia or Wayla and bars such as Forgtmenot or Ray’s.

I love Brooklyn. I personally feel that it has a bigger community vibe than Manhattan. I would to Dumbo, watch the sunset and then walk back to Fort Greene and get a drink. Anywhere in the Fort Greene area is a guaranteed success. But my personal favorite is the German bar DSK.

Another thing that I would definitely try and fit in, would be a theatre production called Drunk Shakespeare. Catching a Jazz show at Small’s would be another great evening option.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mentors at the School of Visual Arts, namely, the great Marshall Arisman. I am also truly indebted to Riccardi Vecchio and Katie Yamasaki. Most of all, of course, I am very grateful for the support of my parents, Sumanta Banerjee and Sheela Banerjee.

Website: https://anaghbanerjee.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anaghbanerjee/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@anaghbanerjee5397

Image Credits
Ninaad Kulkarni