What is Kitsch art? Why it is trending in the Fashion world?

ABSTRACT

• Kitsch, a vibrant offshoot of pop art, is characterized by its exuberant color palette and rich narratives.
• Its origins are intertwined with various meanings and interpretations, making it a versatile and captivating design style.
• Indian designers, captivated by kitsch's aesthetics, have incorporated it into their collections, but they've added a unique twist influenced by their rich cultural heritage.
• As kitsch gains popularity, it transcends age boundaries, becoming a sought-after design trend. This popularity has given rise to a flourishing kitsch subculture with a global reach.

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT KITSCH ART

•The word "kitsch" came from Germany and Austria at the end of the 19th century.
•Kitsch art started as pop art with various designs. It usually focuses on the culture or the society, making it into a creative item. Pop art is a unique blend of Indo-Western designs and cultures. The term kitsch refers to any art that is pretentious, inferior, or in bad taste.
•Kitsch has the unique ability to attract and repel us simultaneously. The lack of sophistication attracts us with a child-like fascination, while at the same time clashing with notions of good taste.
• So as we see kitsch has a unique impact on every individual because of its colorful story and its prints/graphics. And though it originated from pop art for the rest of the world, in India it is inspired by the diversity in all realms of culture and expressed through a variety of stories viz. chay wala shop, kettle, auto-rickshaw, some quotes, to name a few.



Some examples of Indian kitsch


OBJECTIVE
•To promote Indian culture and diversity and its beauty in the world.
•To encourage Indian designers to take forward Indian kitsch style on an International level.
•To give economic opportunity to Indian kitsch artisans for their contribution to kitsch art.

LITERATURE REVIEW OF DIFFERENT AUTHOR ABOUT KITSCH

ORIGIN OF "KITSCH"

It is accepted that the word- Kitsch, emerged in the art markets of Munich in the 1860s and 1870s, describing cheap, popular, and marketable pictures and sketches, but there are several arguments about how it was derived. One of the citations says, while the dialect German word, kitschen means to smear, the German verb verkitschen means to cheapen.
Lesley Gillilan has referred in one of his authored books, where he runs through the history of kitsch, which is believed to be derived from German slang meaning to collect junk from the street. It came to be associated with tawdry, cheap, often plastic imitation and has a dictionary definition of 'worthless pretentiousness in art'.

KITSCH ART IN FASHION

DESIGNER /DESIGNS INVOLVED IN KITSCH

There is a broader range of street imagery being translated into various fashion and lifestyle areas. It is all about creating something that makes you want to own.
Zubin Gomes a student who is also into graphic designing says, "The advertisement industry is flourishing on these loud colorful graphics”.
Simmi Nandwani a designer says, "I've designed two rupee coasters, lip cushions and various other items. I think it's a club of all arts." Not just youngsters but even middle-aged people are now open to experimenting with new things.
Designer Poonam Grover says, "I got the idea while traveling when I saw the interesting art on the back of trucks. It motivated me to bring this art to the forefront as it instantly changes the mood”. People believe it is a young trend and many people don't opt for this type of design or art, thinking it is ahead of time. But the thing is that these are our normal and current day-to-day things more creatively. This art has a lot of creative people coming together and creating something vibrant and new.

MORE ABOUT INDIAN KITSCH AND DESIGNER

•Indian kitsch never really lost its place in the trending fashion market. Contemporary design practitioners in India from various areas of design have also widely used it in their creations.
•Manish Arora who introduced kitsch on the ramp in 2007 with his collection ‘Fish Fry’, the bright art has been around for some time in street style and is not just restricted to clothes.
•The romance with the truck and rickshaw is found more in accessories, home decor, and lifestyle products, with several brands lapping up the ‘spunk’ look. From cushion covers, doormats, tea coasters, bags, purses, T-shirts, curtains, and now on boxers and pants, Indian Kitsch has carved a place of its own.
•Ankita Singh, a Mumbai-based fashion stylist. Says,
“Kitsch is something that never goes out of style really. It has a unique appeal, especially among the young fashion designers. It is eye-catching, loud, and on-the-face, which makes it stand out,”





•Neharika Sharma, a Delhi-based fashion blogger says, In the same way, “Hippie Kitsch made a brief appearance in the outfits of designers like Alexander McQueen. But, soon it became a fad. Kitsch doesn’t fit into the strict style book of international fashion. That makes it easy to wear and one can effortlessly team it up with any ordinary outfit. A bit of kitsch in your wardrobe and you grab eye-balls,”
•Pankaj Acharya says, “The Indian sensibility makes the product popular, vibrant and appealing. The quirky prints, kitschy colors, and symbols manage to attract young and hip fashion lovers,”

•Sumant Kelanka, who runs Mumbai-based fashion house ‘Designmandee’, is working on a menswear collection that retains elements of Indian kitsch. “A mix-match of bright colors, little speckles of street art motifs makes for a kitsch-inspired garment. It isn’t necessary to retain the complete flavor of kitsch anymore. The term has come a long way from being called ‘loud and cheap’,” he says. “The evolution of kitsch is such that, it now includes designs that depict monuments, wildlife, and the typical cultural icons of India and not just street art. There’s much scope for it to be found in haute couture in the future.”

DESIGN CONFLICT IN KITSCH FASHION/ART

 American critic Clement Greenberg said to his readers in a famous piece published in 1939, there are only two possible ways for the artist now. You're either a part of avantgarde, challenging the old figurative painting methods or you're making kitsch. The fear of kitsch is one of the reasons why so much art is being forced to be offensive. People oppose kitsch saying, it doesn't matter that your work is obscene, shocking, or disturbing - as long as it isn’t kitsch.

KITSCH ART AS SOCIAL/CULTURAL/EMOTIONAL IDENTITY

THE NEW INDIAN KITSCH

•‘The New Indian Kitsch’ is an attempt to understand a new hybrid culture that has caught on to the contemporary Indian world in a big way. One sees a funky graphic of an Indian God on a bag, and the wearer is proud of his possession but more importantly of the statement being made. A deeper understanding of such a social psychology needs an intensive study, but nevertheless; this research is a brief documentation of the trend while trying to understand this symbolic and indigenous form of visual expression.

Lord Ganesha’s kitsch image on the plate

THE NEW INDIAN KITSCH INFLUENCES

•People want their worlds reflected on their walls and their pillows. The world isn’t a very stable place right now, and a lot of things don’t make sense to us. We don’t need our art to confuse us further. We want to escape into an almost childish world of bold expressiveness, and a little Pop art can take us just that much closer to it. Its popularity lies in the fact that it instantly makes us roam around in our memory.
•In today’s clutter of a world filled with modern-looking things, something familiar from our local environment fascinates and talks to us loudly. With sentimentality; even though we have been oblivious to it for the longest time ever.
•As a trend, its emergence can be traced. ‘The New Indian Kitsch’ finds its inspiration in all the familiar man places; local festivals, street walls, local bazaars and markets, neighborhood people, everyday objects, etc. Such scenarios provide the nucleus from which the respective work develops.

—In the translation of the New Indian Kitsch, iconography for such visual expression stems directly from the source of inspiration. People, Religion, Nature, Lifestyle, Transport, and Entertainment can be the broader classifications of the Icons used.
—This is generally layered with supporting colorful graphics. Thus the punch of sentimentality is further strengthened; a black and yellow taxi with bright yellow stripes in the background on the surface of a tray! Art, Fashion, Exhibits, Products, Publicationsn, and Styling; are some of the primary areas where this trend has strongly made a presence.
—A twirled mustache against patches of bright yellow, red, and pink; minarets of the TajMahal and gopurams of temples in silhouettes of florescent green; a Kathakali mask; graphic motifs of auto rickshaws and bullock carts; patterns of jaalis and cartoon prints of elephants and cows — they look like pages from Amar Chitra Katha or Chandamama.







—Who can forget the tremendous Indian auto! That rickety three-wheeled caricature of an automobile is now the greatest symbol of Indian kitsch. The great Indian... It is desi, quirky, loud, and extremely in. And the rather banal renditions of Madhubala on pillow covers and garnish matchboxes on curtains, the sensibilities in the times of Kitsch. Now you have a Cheerharan toilet paper, a smart spin on Draupadi's 'vastraharan' in the Mahabharata.



—Uzma, the graphic designer and creator of the kitsch store Kya Cheez Hai, believes that if a product does not have utility, then it lacks the characteristic Indian trait -- 'The kitnadetihai formula.' "We as Indians are always looking for paisa vasool (value for money). We don't like to buy things that have zero utility and are only good to look at. Similarly, Indian kitsch is all about looking inward and respecting our quirks.

INSPIRATION FOR KITSCH

•The great Indian highway was once the land of screaming trucks, drunk drivers, and great food. Now, is almost every contemporary kitsch designer's inspiration.







• The Play Clan [ kitsch brand] takes inspiration from everyday objects, cultures, and quirks. For founder Himanshu Dogra, the trick lies in observing the obvious and creating a playful paradox of minimalistic meets kitschy. They produce a range of products such as cutlery, lamps, cushions, T-shirts with holographic gods and kaleidoscopic prints. Known for their Manga artwork, they refrain from calling themselves classic kitsch.

SCOPE OF KITSCH ART

BRANDS INVOLVED IN KITSCH ART

—There are so many brands involved in kitsch style. I will go through, only a few of them from India.

—Sudipta Hoskote says, “At The Elephant Company, we hold kitsch as an artistic ode to an aesthetic that is bright, slightly tongue-in-cheek, and merges inherent Indian charm with a cosmopolitan sensibility by infusing individuality onto a variety of lifestyle products.” Indian Kitsch has heralded a riot of colors and prints, adding that much-needed vibrancy to our daily lives. On coffee mugs, floor rugs, pants, pillows, skirts, and seat covers, among others, there’s no escape from the big splash of cheerfully bright colors




—Over the last decade, a crop of brash young designers has come up with an unabashed outpouring of kitsch that is bright, funny, brilliantly quirky, and quite uniquely Indian.

—A poster of Jimi Hendrix which reads 'Jimi JimiJimiAajaAajaAaja' or Bhojpuri shot glasses which read 'Glass Hamaar, DaaruTuhaar' is testimony to the owners' take on life. Happily unmarried brands of kitsch claim to never repeat a design and have created over 200 products in the categories of bar essentials, posters, notebooks, and other home apparel.

—HU is about taking life with a pinch of salt.



•O Layla At first, OL may not look like your conventional kitsch store. But once you go through their rails of clothing and other knick-knacks, it has the kitschy flavor. A local enterprise, OL is a typical spirit. Apart from tunics, kurtas, earrings, and bags, there are strikingly kitschy T-shirts.

•“Indian kitsch has carved a name for it because many youngsters have identified with this particular style and followed it up in their daily wardrobe,”

•Nikita Shyam of Urumi says, “Urumi products have a South Indian twist. India and color are synonymous with each other. So, basically, you can take kitsch out of India, but not the other way around.”



•Bangalore-based Chumbak makes fridge magnets showing desperately over-loaded coolies and Lorries. Happily Unmarried sells CD cases that look like steel Tiffin boxes and clever coffee cups with sketches of Chinamen and legends that go ‘Ek Cheeni’, ‘Do Cheeni’. Funky ramp designer Nida Mahmood, often called the Queen of Kitsch, sells garishly colored Basanti cushions and Don Chairs. Play Clan t-shirts have images of chawls and a Bombay local Ladies’ Compartment.

•Play Clan, with its textual rendition of an auto rickshaw or Mughal Empire playing cards, is one of the forerunners of this new cool kitsch identity. They work on small focused products and infuse graphics and textual illustrations with classic kitsch.

CONCLUSION

Indian Kitsch thus, has a unique identity and enriched style of art. This art has great potential to establish a whole new perspective on fashion across the globe. It is adaptable in every design-based sector. It should be taken by the designers to the international fashion world, where they can make people aware of Indian kitsch art and educate them about its variations across India’s diverse cultures. This would ultimately generate employment for Indian kitsch artisans and will ensure that the art is sustained for a long time and is recognized worldwide.


Thanks for reading I hope you have got all the required knowledge about "kitsch".I have tried to cover all the possible areas of Kitsch. In my next article, I will come up with a new topic " How to take inspiration for your collection and different types of inspiration boards".