Brindha is a Malaysian illustrator and artist. Her fearless use of colour, shape and cultural references create multi layered pieces of art that are as detailed as they are unique. In this interview Brindha talks about which cultures have influenced her practice and her journey from decorating her school’s sports team tent to creating window displays for Selfridges.

L: I remember when we went to uni together and I saw your art for the first time. I was blown away by the colours that you used and how bright and vibrant all of your work was. When I came to visit you in your hometown in Malaysia I felt like it all made sense all of a sudden. Would you say your art is directly influenced by where you grew up in Malaysia?

B: Yeah, it’s 100% heavily influenced by Malaysia. Maybe subconsciously, because I do use a lot of colour and Malaysia is filled with so many festivities, so many cultures, so many colours. So I think yeah, that's why my art looks the way it looks.

L: What kind of cultures are there in Malaysia?

B: Well, there's three main ones: Malaysian, Indian, and Chinese. But within those there's also many, many other sub-cultures. And because there are so many different cultures there's constantly so many celebrations of one thing or another. Which also comes with a lot of holidays, which is pretty nice. But yeah, growing up in Malaysia, I think, has influenced the way I create my illustrations. I did start drawing when I was very young, my mom used to draw with me. And then I started drawing by myself. When I went to school, I ended up choosing whatever art related stuff that I could find in the curriculum. My art teacher had a huge impact on me. She used to teach us about all the different artists that lived and the work they had done. And then, inspired by their work, we would create our own interpretation of their art. I was such a messy artist though, I had paint all over the place and I would get told off for that.

L: Quite the opposite to how you work now!

B: Completely the opposite to now. I cannot stand mess. So funny. I also used to make big banners for school events and the different school clubs. My friends would always ask me to get involved and I'd just do it. I was part of the house decoration team – that was quite interesting.

L: What is a house decoration team?

B: You know, how each sports group at school events has their own tent. The house decoration team was supposed to decorate it, based on the team colours like green, red, blue, yellow. Obviously teams who had more money definitely did a better job, but I was on a budget. I painted lots of different things and then put them together in the tent. I really enjoyed it.

L: What did you do after school?

B: Hmm, after school I was just trying to follow everyone else. For my A levels I didn't really think through what I wanted to do, which I should have, but I also think in Malaysia you're not really exposed to many different options. So I just thought if I wanted to be creative, I will have to become an architect. But I realised pretty quickly that this is not for me – I do love maths and all that but it's not something I want to do long term. So then after that I was looking for other careers that I can I do that are related to art and graphic design came up. I started studying graphic design but all the projects that I did in my uni always involved illustrations. In my final year I came to study in London, which was definitely a culture shock. Studying here was way more hands on and different than in Malaysia. In Malaysia we do everything on the computer is why all of my work is created using Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects etc.

L: Do you feel like living in London has also influenced your style?

B: I think maybe a huge factor is bringing my home and where I grew up with me through my work. Maybe some slight influence of my current location? But I don't know what that might be. I mean, it's hard to say. But Malaysia, in terms of work, is very restrictive. In London I always felt like I can completely express myself without having to worry.

L: You have done quite a lot of work for some big brands, which of the most recent ones, was your favourite?

B: I would say working on Selfridges window displays. That was something so new to me. Creating three massive windows on busy Oxford Street, you know, it's like an installation. Seeing my illustrations layered in that way with actual objects put in between them – that was very nice. It was so fun because they were so easy to work with. You know, when I presented them my first round of designs, they were really like, “Okay, yeah, that's great. Just carry on.” I would love to do more of that kind of work.

L: Out of all the patches you designed for Rebel Patch, which one is your favourite?

B: My favorite patch? I have to say, I do like the big one. Because there are so many things going on in there. And as you can probably tell I love when there are a lot of things happening in an illustration. Yep, definitely the back patch.

Brindha lives and works in London. See more of her work on her website. Or follow her on Instagram.

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