Anisha Thampy’s Art: A Playful Practice With Impact
- Shalu Yadav
- Oct 28
- 3 min read
Anisha Thampy is a visual designer and illustrator from India, based in Colchester. Her practice blends curiosity, empathy, and storytelling, which makes her the best fit for Becoming One, a project that celebrates connection, diversity, and shared human experiences.
Anisha likes to say she’s “a designer by profession and a learner by habit.” She started in graphic design, later explored UX and interface design, and now works across many forms — from illustrations and children’s books to ceramics and film posters. What ties it all together is her love for people and their stories. She’s always curious about cultures, behaviours, and the little things that shape our lives. With her years of experience working with leading design teams, Anisha brings both skill and heart into everything she creates.
Her Journey Rooted in Learning and Empathy
Anisha started out in graphic design, but her work soon expanded. She moved into user experience and digital design. Along the way, she got curious about people, their cultures, behaviors, and psychology. These interests now guide the way she works. No matter what she’s making, she always puts empathy at the center.
She studied Fine Arts in Kerala and later did her Master’s in Communication Design at NID, Ahmedabad. That gave her both solid skills and the freedom to explore. Since then, she has worked on a variety of projects, including branding, publications, financial literacy kits, children’s books, and community campaigns. But one thing has never changed: her focus on people and their stories.
Art Designing With Purpose
For Anisha, design is not just about how things look. It’s about the change it can bring. Many of her projects focus on social and environmental issues. She has worked on reducing plastic waste in Cambodian markets and made tools to support sanitation workers in India. Women’s rights and community empowerment are close to her heart. She often utilizes her creativity to make complex topics more accessible to people.
One project that stands out is her series of illustrations on grassroots inventors in rural India. These inventors find smart fixes in tough situations, often called Jugaad. Her drawings celebrate their resilience, creativity, and hope. The work has even been shown in international exhibitions, turning everyday struggles into powerful visual stories.
What makes Anisha’s practice unique is the way she brings play into serious work. She likes to experiment, mix different mediums, and often create with others. Her projects show how art can spark conversations about identity, memory, and women’s rights, while keeping space for curiosity and imagination.
At Becoming One
Anisha brings her perspective to Becoming One, where her work closely aligns with the project’s vision of sharing the voices of South Asian women. For her, art is not just self-expression. It is about building empathy, sparking reflection, and showing how creativity can bring people together.
Her projects are a mix of design and social impact. They go beyond just looking good and aim to create awareness and real change. She also believes in creating without the fear of failure and often works with others to make that happen.
Through her stories of resilience, innovation, and humanity, Anisha’s work reflects what Becoming One is all about. Using art to connect personal stories with collective experiences.
Artlune is more than a gallery; it's a movement to showcase the voices of emerging and mid-career artists from South Asia.
For more information, contact us at admin@artlune.com or call +91 9899187125 (India), +44 743 693 3096 (UK)
