Inspired by Art, Cinema and Music is Artist Ari Jayaprakash’s book titled ‘Kuru Chronicles’. Targeted at the audiences of 18 years and above, this 800 pages book orbits around varied stories divided into four different books including Nasadiya, Soma, Aghora and Yuga.
Ari Jayaprakash is an artist and photographer well known for his candid photojournalistic approach. His visual art consists of suppressed and silent sociopolitical issues that plague the global population. Ari’s art and photography is a confluence of influences that have been explored and realized through art, film and photography.
Having a passion for drawing from a very young age he has been involved in diverse creative roles during his professional career ranging from concept illustration to visual effects. Mostly self taught and having lived and worked in diverse cities including New Delhi, Bangalore, New York, Calcutta, Chennai, Boston and Vancouver his work includes relevant global themes. His traditional medium work includes reflections on alienation, isolation, identity, corruption, oppression, urban seclusion and other social commentary. The past couple of years for the artist have been dedicated to the upcoming novellas cape ‘The Kuru Chronicles’.
Last month at Comic Con Delhi, Ari had launched 302 pages book titled ‘Kuru Genesis’ which is a prelude to Kuru Chronicles. The book includes panels, concept art, visions and words behind the Kuru Chronicles. Also, it features the art and philosophy behind the chronicles from the four books of Kuru; Nasadiya, Soma, Aghora and Yuga.
Speaking to AnimationXpress.com’s Zeenia Boatwala about ‘The Kuru Chronicles’, Ari Jayaprakash, says, “The ideas and concepts behind ‘The Kuru Chronicles’ had been brewing in my mind for several years and finally manifested itself in the creative process of Kuru.
The Kuru Chronicles is a spiritual journey which involved expeditions to The Ganga Sagar Mela in Bengal, The Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya, Assam, Tanjore, Calcutta and other places.”
Self Published, Designed by Ari and written by Anisha Sridhar, it has taken 21/2 years to work on Kuru Chronicles and is inspired by entities as diverse as Ritwik Ghatak, Takashi Miike, Lars Von Trier, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Pink Floyd, Heavy Metal, Die Antwoord, J Horror, French New Wave Extremity, Gasper Noe, Harmony Korine, Michael Haneke and Steampunk.
The Artworks of Kuru Chronicles are designed with a rare combination of black ink, blended with numerous color tones, which gives out a look and feel of color moods from the city of Kolkata.
Highlighting more on the inspiration behind Kuru, Ari adds, “A late night viewing on TV of the cannibal disease Kuru in December 2012, followed by meeting a few Aghori Babas at the Gangasagar Mela in Bengal in January 2011 led to the initial ideas of Kuru. Also the city of Calcutta, where I lived for years and where the story is set served as a major inspiration.”
At present, you can buy Kuru Genesis at a discounted offer on Flipkart .Ari is also launching his official website thekuruchronicles.com, which would be live very soon. The Kuru Chronicles First Edition will be available for pre booking on Flipkart in the month of April.