In an attempt to find his identity as a comic-book artist, Delhi-based Anand Shenoy’s anthology looks at how people generally tend to behave in closed spaces
Zoo was made between May and August last year
A sofa, photo studio and metro. These are familiar objects and places but Delhi-based artist Anand Shenoy has a knack of putting his characters in uncomfortable situations in them in his self-published comic anthology titled Zoo. Here, he takes a closer look at everyday life and behaviour — from guests finding anything but comfort while sleeping on a sofa to a lover’s quarrel in the train — with three graphic tales: Sofa, People Photostudio and Lovers in the Metro.
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Anand Shenoy at work
The idea for Zoo - a fitting title given that the artist is keenly observing people, rather than animals, in closed spaces — surfaced at the beginning of 2020. Till May last year, he worked on developing characters and storylines. In September, printing commenced. Shenoy, 24, shares that he started working on the comic because he wanted to develop the medium, and find his own style and identity. “I used to self-publish zines on a Xerox machine with my friend, who I was studying with at an arts college in Bengaluru, since 2017. Comic anthologies are a popular way of self-publishing comics; a lot of American and European artists I like have their own comic anthologies and it’s a good space to experiment with various styles and narratives. I wanted Zoo to be a playground,” he says.
A common idea while creating these comics was that it didn’t matter if he had a point or not. He merely wanted to tell these stories. “Lovers In The Metro was inspired by all the couples I would see in the metro who were trying to have an intimate moment in a public space. Sofa also started as a random idea of how visitors in Indian households are given a certain space [to sleep in]. People Photostudio began as an illustration of a person sitting in a photo studio, set in my hometown Mangalore,” he states.
Shenoy also adds that the comic has received a good response so far along with important feedback. “Zoo will be a continuous series. I’m currently working on the second edition, which should be ready by mid-April,” he reveals.
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