Driving Change Through Art

Satwik Gade is a political cartoonist, writer and graphic designer who visited the United States in 2019 as a Fulbright-Nehru master’s fellow. (Photograph courtesy Satwik Gade)

Chennai-based political cartoonist, writer and graphic designer Satwik Gade is passionate about creating works that intersect arts and activism. He visited the United States in 2019 as a Fulbright-Nehru master’s fellow at the Maryland Institute College of Arts, where he studied the process of building artistic communities that can create change and stand at the forefront of social justice movements. During his Fulbright fellowship, he also created a virtual arts network to advocate for social change.

Gade has illustrated several children’s books, including “Srinivasa Ramanujan: Friend of Numbers,” which won the 2020 Neev Book Award in the Emerging Readers category, and “Bhimrao Ambedkar: The Boy Who Asked Why,” about the childhood of Bhimrao Ambedkar, who was the chair of the constituent assembly that drafted the Indian Constitution. His debut novel, “The Alice Project,” was released in 2023.

Excerpts from an interview with Gade.

Social causes are a prevailing theme in your art. How does your social awareness influence your work?

In India, especially in South India, popular culture is more influenced by the idea of art as a tool for social change, rather than merely individual expression. If I didn’t have something to say to and about society, I don’t think I’d have any reason to make art. But if I pick up a pen and create something, it had better be for a good reason. My framework for social issues is focused on building equitable human relations.

Could you tell us about your artistic process? As a writer and illustrator, do artistic inspirations first arrive as images or as words?

I relate more strongly to words than images. I am fluent in three languages and decent at a fourth language. I notice that the same thing throws up a different image when I think of the same word in different languages.

In less abstract terms, my artistic process is very iterative. I do stream-of-consciousness, but only for the first draft. I always make a few rounds of edits for illustrations and writing. Working professionally as an illustrator has ensured that my visual art is a little more sophisticated. But my writing is raw and while it has energy, it requires a ton of editing.

What was most rewarding and most challenging about completing your debut novel?

I’ve always wanted to write a book. It’s a 20-year-long dream that has been realized. I think all of us have great ideas and a degree of innate ability to express ourselves. It is important to hone the craft. But at the end of the day, seeing the process through to completion is the most challenging.

Could you share some experiences from your Fulbright-Nehru fellowship?

The Fulbright-Nehru fellowship was life-changing. Be it the wonderful orientation before the start of academics or the constant support, it felt like I was part of a village of care-giving!

I went to the United States to study arts and politics. I lived there through the Black Lives Matter protests, the COVID-19 pandemic, presidential elections and several other significant political and social events. What we saw around us, we discussed in class and made art. I also gained experience in organizing online and using digital media and social networks to make an impact. I now use everything I learned in the United States, in an Indian setting. And I can’t help but feel that as a people, whether we are Indians or Americans, we are fundamentally the same.

Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.