Tahini Moitra, a 24-year-old student in her third year of graphic design creates collages from vintage images – but one of her favourites is her phone case, of a dinosaur standing in front of the Tahj Mahal.
“I’m from India so I wanted to do something special to India,” said Moitra of the inspiration for the phone cover. “I also really like dinosaurs. You never really see a dinosaur’s crotch – and no one really wants to – so I decided to put Parental Advisory Explicit Content on it.”
Moitra has created a small online shop that showcases her unique artwork.
She has a Facebook page called TahiniSauce – as her name is Tahini which is also a sauce – where she sells her graphic design artwork in the form of postcards, cellphone cases, laptop skins and coasters.
“One of my professors saw this and he said ‘This is what will make you stand out from everyone else’,” said Moitra. “This is what will make you memorable.”
She uses her graphic design skills to create vintage collages and print them on the items for sale. She either looks online for the vintage images or browses through magazines like National Geographic and TIME.
“I started putting my collages together during the summer,” said Moitra. “It was a rough summer so I wanted to do something that would distract me and art is the best therapy.”
Through her art, Moitra is able to tell stories with her creative collages – and her favourite stories to tell are controversial ones. She spoke of one vintage image of a child eating spaghetti. She decided to take out the spaghetti, and instead, insert an image of a vintage brain.
“I know when my mom saw that she was shocked,” said Moitra. “She was like, ‘Tahini! What is happening? That is so dark.’ That’s what I loved that it created that response.”
Moitra has now created 78 creative pieces. She has recently created a page on RedBubble,
Now having created 78 pieces, she has recently created a page on RedBubble, an online marketplace for user submitted artwork, and is trying to get her content on Shopify. More excitingly, she will have her artwork on display between January and March 2016 at the Hintonburg Public House, where her collage work will be inside one, bigger collage on the wall.
“I didn’t want it to be in a gallery or super formal,” said Moitra. “I wanted an environment that is fun. That’s what my work is – it’s fun. I want people together to have a good time – (to) enjoy the art, the music, the environment and stay there longer.”
She said that those who enjoy her artwork are a motivation.
“It’s my baby and it’s my creation,” said Moitra. “More than the money, people are enjoying and liking it. To get that reaction is priceless – that’s what I feed off and that’s what makes me want to do more.”