'C' for Constitution, 'E' for Education…. Learn the 'Inqilab alphabets' created by Sarah Modak, the illustration artist from Mumbai!

The illustration artist from Mumbai, Sarah Modak is popular for portraying political scenarios and revolutionary ideas through her artworks.

She talks about oppression, empowerment, politics, and freedom, all through her illustrations. Sarah Modak, the illustration artist from Mumbai takes pride in her cartoons and illustrations as she calls them important for bringing a change in the society.

Sarah's illustration is reformative and forces one to think about the political scenario of the country. "The reason I make any political artwork/illustrations at all is that I don't see how I could not. It is impossible, in my opinion, for any creative person to be detached from the social and material conditions in which they live, and still produce anything that has more than just surface-level depth," she says.

The presidential election in the USA had proved to be a major point in Sarah's life due to which she had started taking interest in politics. "I remember being invested in the election. However, I realised it would do me better to put American politics aside and first learn about what was happening in my backyard," the 23-year-old says.

Always being interested in art, Sarah had started exploring various media for it right after she started pursuing a degree course in visual arts four years back. "I tried my hand at digital art and eventually, found my way to illustration. I, now, split my practice between illustration and traditional art," she further says.

The Inqilab Alphabet

Amongst her other artworks, 'The Inqilab Alphabet', by Sarah is the amalgamation of revolutionary ideas starting from alphabet A to Z. "The idea for Inquilab Alphabet was conceived around the time of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) protests," she says.

"I had envisioned it as a zine — a self-published work of illustrations or text meant for limited circulation. I wanted to popularise certain ideas, people, concepts in a palatable and simple way," Sarah adds.

Such illustrations, cartoons and drawings on online platforms, Sarah believes, are an important tool to convey things instantaneously. "Unfortunately,  a lot of young people, especially those belonging to the upper-middle class, get their news from social media. Hence, I think online activism through the art does have its place, and it is important," she says.

Sarah's artworks do not belong to a particular style. She keeps on exploring and creating various characters for illustrations. "I come up with an idea or concept and build a mental picture of how I want the work to look. Sometimes, the concepts are political while very often, it stems from my personal experiences," she adds.

It is not always that Sarah receives appreciation from people. However, the criticism does not affect her objectives. "I want the plague of apoliticism to go away from the society, whether through the art or any other medium. However, I also hope that people are pushed towards being more politically and socially aware by engaging with the artworks," she says.

Visit her Instagram profile here.

Also Read: Movement through art: Meet women artists on Instagram fighting age-old patriarchy through visual art and illustrations!

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