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How often have you shared a digital artwork on social media to simply convey your thoughts on an issue? 

The power of digital art to convey dissent or to protest has grown to become one of the most preferred ways to vent frustration or show solidarity. Its creation is not intended to sell (maybe that will soon change), but it does often cause one to react. A reason probably why many of these artists choose to be anonymous.

Smish Designs is a digital artist and illustrator whose work is a searing commentary on the socio-political events that happen in our country. Some of her designs have been used during protests such as the Hathras case and anti-CAA. In her first solo exhibition in 2021, Pati, Patni Aur Woke - her designs delved into the injustices often meted out to women in the institution of marriage as Smish asks if marriage is really a safe space for women?

But voicing one’s unfiltered opinion always comes at a cost - she has had to deal with threats, trolling, and even Instagram and Twitter taking down her posts. 

As she becomes one of the well-known voices in India’s protest art culture, stay tuned to this interesting episode as we talk about her art, staying anonymous, protecting her mental health, the prevalence of protest art in the age of social media, role of artificial intelligence and much more!

To learn more about her work, you can check her work on:

https://www.instagram.com/smishdesigns/?hl=en

You can reach me at maharanitalks@gmail.com or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maharanitalks/

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros

https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic