The Art of Katagami in the Words of Shravan Kashyap

You may not be aware of what Katagami is. Neither did I, till I met Shravan Kashyap – a freelance 3D modeler by profession and a Katagami Artist by passion. Katagami is a traditional art technique of Japanese origin. It is a unique process wherein creativity is portrayed by layers of stencils or cut-outs. Shravan has been a participant of Japan Habba that takes place in Bangalore since the past 4 years. He has been felicitated with memento for his works in Katagami from Chutuku Sahitya Parishath.

I caught up with him while one of his works was in progress. I asked him a few questions based on his passion and this is what he had to say.

What is Katagami for you in one word?

 Happiness.

How were you introduced to the art?

Japan Habba, it is an exhibition that happens in Bangalore every year. The event exhibits Japanese art and culture. There, I was introduced to Katagami as the traditional art form of Japan. I got inspired from the use of stencils to make art.

How did you start with the completely new form of art?

I was initially inspired by pop paintings and decided on making stencils based on that. Eventually, I took them to the next level of animals, designs and portraits.

Share some of your best works with us.

Recently, I have been focusing on stencil portraits of famous personalities. Few of my best ones have been Charlie Chaplin for his expressions; Amitabh Bachchan because of his bold stature; Deepika Padukone for her beauty; Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan for their Martial Arts.

Do you look up to anyone in this field?

My Father would carve decorations of Indian Gods on dry coconuts for marriage occasions. That initially touched me. Soon, a family friend – VSS Shastry who is Canara Bank Employee and a master in Kirigami and Origami inspired me with his works.

Is there an Indian version of this form of art?

Yes, there is. It is called Sanjhi, it has been there from the times of Mathura. It was mainly used for rangoli and traditional wall paintings.

What plans do you have in the future?

I plan on making Katagami portraits on famous personalities and life size portraits. I also have a concept to make story based stencil arts in sequence. Conducting workshops on Katagami is also a part of my plan in the near future.

Note: This is an article from Campazine, currently featured on Simple Insights.