The Dark Knight Rises: Santanu Hazarika’s dynamic approach to art defies norms, leaving an indelible mark on the global artistic landscape.

Just as Bruce Wayne takes on the masked persona of Batman to fight crime in Gotham City, Santanu Hazarika taps into his artistic alter ego to make a cultural impact through his visual art. The Mumbai-based graphic designer and visual artist is recognised globally for his dynamic and self-taught approach. Rooted in the organic structures of his childhood in Assam, Santanu’s journey from comic books to heavy metal street art reflects a rebellious spirit. Despite societal expectations during his engineering years and a battle with clinical depression, he found stability and purpose in art.

Whether he’s creating showroom murals, designing shoes, or painting music album covers, Santanu brings his signature abstract, monochromatic style to every medium. He has exhibited his art around the world, from India to Siberia, and also shared his talents through workshops. Though he has worked with many high-profile commercial clients, Santanu maintains his artistic integrity by constantly creating personal passion projects. He aims to evoke visceral emotions and a sense of disturbia through his meticulous ink illustrations and acrylic paintings.

In this interview, we explore Santanu’s artistic influences, creative process, memorable projects, and hopes for impacting the cultural landscape. Join us as we dive into the mind of this dynamic creative talent who is just getting started on what is sure to be an inspiring artistic journey:

Kashish Kaushal (KK): Can you share a bit about your artistic journey and how you initially got involved in doodle art? What were some of the early influences that shaped your artistic style?
Santanu Hazarika (SH): I was born in the tucked away city of Guwahati, Assam. As a kid, I had a lot of free time around nature, so I naturally took to drawing the organic structures around me. It was later in my childhood that I discovered the fascinating world of comic books. As a kid, I had an obsession with collecting comic books and Japanese mangas with vividly illustrated covers. I used to save money and pick them up from second-hand bookstores. Most of them were extremely graphic, sexual, and adult-themed. I started replicating and copying those comic/manga characters and that marked the start of my journey in art. This was in school, and as I grew older, I became more and more introverted. I was a very mediocre kid, kind of like a misfit teenager, and then I started my journey into the world of heavy metal music. At that time, Assam was under military law due to rapid militant/insurgency issues, which gave birth to many generations of rebels. And heavy metal music always fueled this rebellion. We, as teenagers, took to the streets. That is when the world of street art/ Graffiti was introduced to me. I became part of a community and my contribution was through art. I started making album artwork for all the local bands, heavily inspired by metal bands like Park Megadeth, Linkin Park, Decapitated, Lamb of God, etc.

Later, I took up mechanical engineering and did four years until I quit one day. But throughout those years I kept sketching, drawing, and doodling. I never gave up on art, but to fuel my inspiration, I took to reading books on physics, philosophy, and mythology. At this point, I was no longer copying images but composing my own with the things that I read and observed. I was failing in all my subjects, and I always wanted to study art, but due to social norms and lack of awareness, I was forced to do something that I was never passionate about. By the end of engineering, I was popular among my peers, which kept me going. Unfortunately, during that time, I was diagnosed with clinical depression, and making art seemed the only stable thing in my life. One day, a friend of mine tagged me in a call-to-action post on Facebook asking me to enter The Red Bull World Doodle Art Championship, which I did. I won the national championship and then finally I was crowned as the World champion in Cape Town. This was the turning point in my life, as after that I quit engineering and pursued a full-time career in art and design.

KK: You’ve worked with an impressive list of clients and collaborators. How do you approach collaboration, and what have been some memorable projects for you?

SH: In a span of 9 years, I have worked with 85 plus brands and collaborators, and it’s very hard for me to pick a memorable one as all of them have been very iconic and unique in their own way. Be it designing sneakers for athletes like KL Rahul, working with rappers like Raftaar, Divine, and Lil Baby, making murals for Adidas, painting on cars for Porsche, designing visual identities for brands like Red Bull Global, Ritviz or simply making posters for independent artists—I have always approached each project with an overwhelming feeling of awe and excitement. My approach to collaboration is very simple—communicate and execute. What is very crucial for me in collaboration is to have a clear line of communication with the collaborator. There is always an interplay of ideas and things can get chaotic very easily. A proper trail of thoughts, ideas, and communication is something I give priority to.

KK: Are there specific industries or types of projects you find most inspiring or challenging

SH: Yes, reimagining brand identities is inspiring and challenging at the same time. Inspiring because you’re building an identity that will be exposed to the masses and also consumed by them, it is representative of an entire brand ethos which you have to condense and formulate into a visual language. Challenging because there are so many layers of approvals and iterations attached to projects like this, that sometimes you end up cursing yourself for taking it up.

KK: Can you walk us through your creative process when starting a new project? How do you generate ideas and translate them into visual concepts?

SH: My process is very simple, I head straight to the drawing board. Write down the first few keywords that come to my mind and then compose a simple composition with basic shapes. Slowly, I start researching those keywords on the internet or picking up books to find visual references. But some days I don’t rely on any process. I start drawing or painting instantaneously until I have painted to my heart’s content.

KK: Are there specific tools or mediums you prefer to work with, and how has your style evolved over time?

SH: I always prefer ink, acrylic, and paper. That’s closest to my comfort level because I started sketching and drawing with a pen on paper. My style has gone through many changes before I used to rely on a cacophony of visual elements composed in a single frame. Over time I started eliminating the details, and now I’m in a stage where I’m practicing more abstract and flat forms of execution in monochrome. But one thing that never changed is my love for black. That’s my muse and my constant.

KK: Your portfolio includes a wide range of projects, from showroom murals to designing for cricket teams and music albums. How do you adapt your style to suit different contexts and industries?

SH: Elements may vary from project to project due to the variety in briefs, but my style will always be the glue that has to bind those elements together. But I’m blessed that I got recognized for my style of art early on and most of my clients come to me for my distinctive visual style. The conduit is still the same, i.e. me, only the vision changes. All it takes is to find the right visual elements, which must be bound together with a distinctive visual style.

KK: Your creativity has taken you to various parts of the world. How has showcasing and curating art globally influenced your perspective as an artist?

SH: Its impact has been no less than profound. All I can say is that this kind of exposure has only opened my mind to the infinite possibilities that art can take you to.

KK: Please share some insights about your latest projects.

SH: I’m working on a bunch of new projects. I’m doing an installation at the famous Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. It will be the first time I’ll be taking part in this art festival. Then I designed and launched a whole collection of gadgets and electronics with Zebronics, starting from home theater systems to gaming components. And finally, I’m going to launch my very own sneakers soon. This has been a long-time dream of mine!

KK: Balancing artistic expression with commercial projects can be challenging. How do you maintain your artistic integrity while meeting the requirements of clients?

SH: It’s simple, whenever I’m not working, I’m making art for myself! And that’s it.

KK: Are there specific challenges you face in the intersection of art and commerce?

SH: Public scrutiny and being labeled as a sell-out (haha). In India, artists are always perceived to be anti-capitalist, un-materialistic, humble, broken blokes. At least, this was the perception that people around me had growing up. I want to challenge all of that, so it doesn’t bother me when someone calls me a sell-out, because I’m a capitalist who is selling my vision to the masses. One drawback is finding the time to work on passion projects. I think these are the main challenges that I face.

KK: Beyond the visual appeal, do you aim to convey any particular message or evoke specific emotions through your art?

SH: A sense of awe, disturbia and visceral indulgence.

KK: How do you hope your work contributes to the larger artistic and cultural landscape?

SH: I want to inspire those kids from small towns and cities to take up art who have always been shunned by their parents, their community, and the whole society, the moment they expressed themselves with art. I want my art to be that example, that answer that they can retaliate with.

Instagram: @santanu_hazarika_art