Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Smrita Jain

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Nationality
  
Indian


Born
  
1983
New Delhi, India

Known for
  
Art, graphic design, photography, poetry

Books
  
Creating Durga, Fat Free Samosa

Smrita Jain (born 31 January, in 1983, New Delhi, India) award-winning Indian designer, artist, photographer, poet, author and design educator currently living in New York City. She has authored and designed two books, Fat Free Samosa (2017) and Creating Durga (2013), both published by Surmrit Gallery of Art and Design. In 2010, Jain established the strategic communications firm, The Aquario Group, with offices in both New York and New Delhi, India The firm has worked on design and integrated marketing projects for JDRF, Google, Financial Accounting Foundation, Tim Hortons, WebMD, SPDR, Hindi Granth Karyalay, The New York Times, Steelcase, Incredible India and others.

Contents

Early career

After finishing undergraduate degree in Bachelor in Design with a major in Graphics in 2005 from Apeejay Institute of Design, she worked with Design Workshop, an advertising agency based in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi. In 2007, she entered Pratt Institute, NY in 2007 in the Masters in Science for Communications Design program, graduating in 2010.

The Aquario Group

Established with headquarters in New York, The Aquario Group (TAG) is an internationally recognized strategic communications firm specializing in design and marketing with its second location based in New Delhi, India. This year, Jain was named a Design Leader by the AIGA. Jain formed TAG to be ethically centered, creating no partnerships with firms and brands which harm life or the environment.

Smrita Jain founded the Surmrit Gallery of Art and Design, the first private art gallery in Newport, Jersey City, New Jersey opened in 2014.

Selected Projects

  • AJ Maritime Services (Art Direction/Branding)
  • Green States of America (Naming/Logo/Branding)
  • Elite Styles (Corporate Identity)
  • New York Times (Arts and Metro Section Redesign)
  • Brand guidelines for SPDR
  • Wall Graphics for the New York Public Library

    • Exhibitions

  • 2016 Art & Colors: International Contemporary Art Exhibition, curated by Zina Bercovici, Royal Opera Gallery, London, England UK.
  • 2015 Alumni Exhibition, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, NY USA.
  • 2014 Group Exhibition Queens Museum, Queens, NY USA.
  • 2013 Juried Book Exhibition, Pratt Institute, New York, NY USA. (Creating Durga)
  • 2012 Group exhibition, Contemporary Art Fair, at Javits Center, New York, NY USA.
  • 2011 Solo Exhibition Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, NY.
  • 2007 Beyond the Sea, Group Exhibition, Pratt Fine Arts Center, New York, NY USA.

    • Works

  • Creating Durga (2013) : A photo book depicting India's Vedic culture, its deities and religious stories. Jain illustrates the story of Durga, an important deity from North India, in both text and photographs.
  • Fat Free Samosa (2017) : From a feature posted in The Citizen: "Smrita Jain in her book talks about the issues of fat shaming, bullying and marriage and her take on the same, the samosa representing a person's mind inflated with social filth. She writes about how racism, sexism, discrimination based on class and caste, and body shaming are social evils which fill up our minds with fat and grime. The book becomes her story about her life talking about growing up in a conservative environment in India and moving to New York, which also had its challenges, a city which changed her perspective towards life and its nuances."

    • Feminism

    Jain's personal work is deeply infused with a positive feminism and empowerment. In an interview with Sakhi Magazine Jain explained why she needed to create her book Fat Free Samosa realizing "there are so many issues of race, caste, and creed in our society that I felt a strong need to tell my story. Buying a fat free salad dressing is not enough to keep yourself fat free. There is fat and grime (racism, sexism, discrimination based on caste and class, rich/poor comparison, fat shaming, body shaming and many other issues) in our minds and souls that needs to be eradicated.". The website Feminist Wednesday invited Smrita Jain to share "the ways in which her art has allowed her to overcome experiences which have kept many women silent, and reminds us how valuable our voices can be for someone in need."

    Articles

  • Forgotten Words & Practises in a Designer’s Creative World, Forj Marketing, November 16, 2016

    • Education

  • Pratt Institute | New York City, May 2010 (Master of Science, Major: Communications Design)
  • Apeejay Institute of Design, Guru Nanak Dev University | New Delhi, India, May 2006 (Bachelor of Design, Major: Graphic Design)
  • Gargi College, University of Delhi | New Delhi, India, May 2003 (Bachelor of Art, Major: Political Science)
  • Arena Multimedia | New Delhi, India, May 2003 (Certified Web-Professional Engineering)

    • Teaching

  • Pratt Institute Assistant Lecturer Communications Department, Visual Communications, 2011
  • Fashion Institute of Technology Graphic Design Department - judge and review graduate and undergraduate level work, 2011, 2012, 2013
  • AIGA Design Mentor Position, mentoring students of High School of Art and Design, NY, November, 2010

    • References

    Smrita Jain Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA