- Jan 8, 2020
- 3 min read

Addressing Contemporary Social Issues Through Art

Updated: May 16, 2020

Modern Living by Anjali Mehta

A series inspired by the artist’s experiences and exposure to everyday problems of the modern world.

The artist, through this series, urges people to stop and wonder how these illustrations relate to their contemporary life issues. “ To stop and reflect on what we have become and where are going. “

About The Artist: Anjali is an artist and an illustrator based in New Delhi,India. Through drawing, she recreates the patterns, scenes, and relationships foregrounded by her experiences. She draws on the autobiographical topics to address the human emotions and experiences of modern life. She loves to celebrate the human psychology, the marks people make on the world. Finding inspiration in film and literature, she tends to focus on young adults in society.

‘Nobody sleeps alone.’

Most of us are permanently attached to our cellphones, even when we are asleep its within the reach of a hand. By now we all know how the radio frequencies are linked to a string of health concerns including brain cancer, poor mental health, and reproductive issues. I guess our “need” to stay connected is costing us a lot, despite everything, one last scroll and one last story keeps us going, notifications and messages pop up all night long, And just like that, none of us are ever sleeping alone.

Single Woman

"One of my personal favourites, this one is inspired by the notion that if a girl is single, it's automatically assumed as a state of being in the middle, we told all options from where to find nice boys, or it's assumed that obviously we are on the lookout and will find someone soon. Whereas it is noticed that a lot of us in reality, don't care about finding someone or looking for a 'nice boy', we are in fact happy being single and don't see it as a stage of transit. Sometimes it's very important to stay alone and work on yourself, take a break or not settle for just anything which you know might not be the best option for you. Embrace the time when you are on your own, which helps you immensely in knowing yourself and hence its a path for a much better future." - says Anjali Mehta

Depression Nap

Take care of yourself.

Some of the biggest symptoms of depression are sleeping too much, decreased energy and fatigue almost every day. Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. If you suspect you have depression, talk to a mental health professional or a loved one about it. If you suspect someone you know has depression, address your concern. Your help could save someone’s life.

"Inspired from my own experiences, when a person is severely depressed they can feel lethargic and tired the whole day for no reason and usually, they can sleep for 15-16 hours a day. I wanted to depict that scenario and also spread awareness on this fact which a lot of people might not notice. If you do notice someone around you doing this you should reach out for help." -says Anjali Mehta

The glorification of being busy

"I have always been the type of person who does things on my own speed and liking, it's not that I am slow, but with life, I feel like you need to have enough time for yourself and enough time where you are doing nothing as well which really helps in you being sane, happy and relaxed. But if you notice, people around the world focus too much on the importance of 'hustle', the type where you have no time for yourself, you are so busy you can't even take 3 days off for a trip with friends. This artwork just wants you to think about such a life, stop glorifying a busy life, you can achieve everything you want with giving time to yourself and others, taking care of yourself and your relationships is as important as your need for success." - says Anjali Mehta