Shreyas Krishnan

While my research is focused on unpacking how illustrations are constructed to communicate concepts of gender to publics, in my creative practice I collaborate with community organizations to produce non-fiction comics that embed critical information about social issues and interventions within real-world stories of impacted communities.

As a feminist illustrator, a primary concern for me is illustrations of women that are reproduced over periods of time. I draw on gender theory and women’s studies texts to unpack how these recurring visual depictions of gender are linked to cultural concepts of gender. My current research connects visual stereotypes perpetuated in comics about a Hindu mythological story to the ways hegemonic powers–and the current Hindu fascist government in India–reinforce oppression and control against women.

I am also co-editing a forthcoming monograph that engages three significant gaps in public and scholarly understanding of comics in India – histories, practices, and contexts. Rather than present a “national” or unified “Indian” history of the medium, this book will explore regional and local histories of comics-making, comics culture, and related visual practices.