Meet Sunset Featured Artist Jag Prabhu

Beginning May 23rd, “Up in Smoke” and “Deluge” Will Be on Display at Hooligan 

Meet Jag Prabhu, a featured artist in our second annual Sunset Art Series, a cocktail party celebrating the art of our clients and peers outside of their work in advertising and branded content. Two of Jag’s latest collections will be on display at Hooligan: “Up in Smoke,” a smoke on paper exploration of the human form; and “Deluge,” a series of abstract, black-and-white acrylic paintings inspired by the ocean.

As Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson, Jag has created campaigns for Pfizer, J&J, Sunovion, Bristol Myers, and many more; but today, we are pleased to showcase his talents as a fine artist.

“Painting is so much more to me than just a hobby,” says Jag. “When I am in the studio, I am living another life completely separate from my occupation in advertising. I enjoy the experimental process of my works, which combine traditional mediums like oil and acrylic, with both natural and man-made elements, such as smoke and wind. In many ways, the medium itself becomes the subject.”

No matter what medium Jag uses, an unequivocal energy emanates from all of his work; however, he’s not quick to label or ascribe to any particular style or aesthetic, per se.

“The funny thing is, I have no style,” Jag explains. “What ties it all together is really a matter responding to the elemental nature of the materials used in my work, the subjects I depict, and the emotion I aim to elicit from the viewer. One of my favorite artists, Gerhard Richter, is a true master at working fluidly, as his work exhibits an interesting range of photorealism and abstract imagery.”

As a self-taught painter, Jag applies his formal visual arts training in design and illustration, navigating between the applied arts and fine arts.

“Whether it’s in the form of a print ad, a commercial, or a painting, there is more than one way to create and engage,” he concludes. “And the common thread between my ads and my paintings comes down to engaging the viewer with something more profound than an object of beauty or a wall decoration, but rather something that sparks an emotion and a conversation.”