We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ishita Banerjee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with ISHITA below.

ISHITA, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

At 5 years old, my earliest memories were doodling and scribbling forms and shapes on every surface, much to the chagrin of my parents! In school, art was my favourite subject and I loved being able to take my imagination on a journey. I was encouraged by my art teacher in junior high to enter art competitions and put myself out there with my art. At the end of high school, I was all set to follow in the footsteps of my parents as medical doctors, in fact, i was conditioned to believe that art was not a viable option, but the rebel in me wanted to prove everyone wrong. Trusting my instincts, I boldly made the leap of leaving health sciences and jumped headlong into pursuing fine art in college.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Working from my studio in Montreal, Canada, my name is Ishita Banerjee. I am a modern Cubist artist and abstract expressionist. 
Traditionally trained as a fine artist, with a BFA and an MFA, my art is an assimilation of my life experiences, merging imagination and memory to create vivid and bold abstracts, people, faces and non-traditional portraiture, rendered in strong color, motifs and details.

I am a full time, professional artist, with over 3 decades of working and perfecting my style and artistic voice.
In 2016, I founded my brand, Soul Curry Art. The goal was to find the intersection of fine art design, brands and services to create art, that lived beyond the wall of a space.
Making art, an everyday experience: tangible, memorable and evoking strong narratives.

My art resides in the contemporary art world, and I work with brands that license and produce my work on products, experiences and communities. From designer candles, home decor, F&B brands, wineries to large permanent installations and murals in hotels, restaurants and public spaces, I work on commissions, licensing & design services to help elevate their brand. With my signature art style, experience and large social media following, brands get a competitive edge to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

From worldwide sold-out exhibitions, to Times Square and public art exhibits, I have found incredible success as an artist both in the traditional art world and in the digital art space.

My work resides in prestigious institutions from France, Australia, Hong Kong and Korea.
As one of the top selling women artists in web3, my colorful creations are in the collections of some of the biggest collectors in the traditional and digital art space all over the world.

I am deeply inspired by the Cubist style of art, unconstrained, outside the lines, breaking free of traditional rules of perspectives.

I’m a passionate art educator, mentoring students, young artists and emerging artists in their art journey. I work intensively in protecting IP and copyrights for artists. I offer art consultancy, give workshops, tailor mentorship programs and work with institutions to talk, seminars and conferences. Championing the need to make art, an invaluable part of every industry, in a myriad of ways

My work has been featured on the BBC, CBC News and leading publications line House and Home, Elle Decor, etc.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFT’s are a legitimate and viable technology that allows artworks ( or anything ) to be attached to a token, authenticated on a decentralized system of the blockchain.
As self sovereignty grows, as we become owners of our businesses, art and communities, the value of authentication on a decentralized system allows transparency and lives on in perpetuity.
I have been working in the web3 ecosystem as a hugely successful NFT artist from early 2021. I am a firm believer in this technology and continue to work in this field.
I actively speak at NFT conferences and have a community of dedicated collectors who find value in my artwork and collect them as NFT’s. Some of my breakout pieces, those which I consider, my legacy, live as Nft’s on the blockchain.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In a rapidly shifting, increasingly digital landscape, society must work in tandem with art and industry to help foster creativity. We need to embrace changing technologies in the creative field. The value of art and artists have to be at par with the best in the professional industry. Public art, community involvement, art forward initiatives, art education and funding for artists must be more prolific. Supporting local artists, art events and exhibitions help the art community grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://soulcurryart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulcurryart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/etsysoulcurry
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishita-banerjee-06840a301/
• Twitter: https://x.com/soulcurryart
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@soulcurryart?si=KPY-u_-fKmAnJPZv
• Other: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@soulcurryart