Why Viraj Khanna’s Art Shows A Mirror To Our Complex Relationship With Social Media

At the India Art Fair 2025, a snapshot of contemporary artist Viraj Khanna’s Instagram page, embroidered on cloth, vies for attention. The art resonates, so does the text – “I have put the nazar sign so I can keep sharing photos from my parties and holidays without stress.”

Another one titled ‘Did you see what I ate last evening?’ alludes to the current generation’s obsession with posting every little detail of their life on the gram. Or then there's ‘This will get a 1000 likes on Instagram’–a reflection on the external validation we seek.

The art can easily be branded ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ but there's more to it than meets the eye. Khanna’s solo exhibition, ‘Love Me, Love My Dog’, presented by Kalakriti Art Gallery, stems from self-reflection and an understanding of the cultural zeitgeist.

His body of work includes paintings and embroideries. For the first time, Khanna is showcasing paintings created with embroidery stencils or khakha as a tool of creation.

In a chat with Esquire India, Khanna opens up about experimenting with different techniques, his relationship with social media, and more.

Esquire India: Are you trying to show the mirror to our generation’s complex relationship with social media?

Viraj Khanna: It's a reflection – to each, their own. While I am commenting on it, I feel like I can't leave social media. My screen time is almost seven hours a day! I need it for my fashion and art business. Even if you know social media impacts you adversely, you still use it. There's constant comparison on it and somewhere you are a part of the rat race.

ESQ: What drew you to experiment with khakha as a tool for your paintings?

VK: For the first time, I have tried it as a medium for painting. As part of my family business, I would look at the embroidery section and was responsible for pricing and assessing the quality of samples the artisans would make. I am borrowing something that has been used for clothing and giving it a contemporary spin to tell stories I want to. I enjoy the spontaneity and fluidity it gives me.

ESQ: But it must come with its challenges…

VK: I have used the khakha and seeped paint though the needle holes in the paper. There's constant experimentation that happens. For instance, the outcome is also dependent on the way I prime the paper. If there's a lot of water, it becomes more fluid, so I am trying that.

ESQ: Your art is highly visual and utilises a palette of vibrant colours. Was that a conscious decision?

VK: The colours are trial and error but yes, I like my art to be visual. There's an artist I follow, Leonora Carrington, and she says, “Don't over intellectualise everything, we are looking at the world in terms of space.”

ESQ: What's your take on the play of technology in art?

VK: If anything interesting comes my way and if I am able to be relevant using those tools, then why not? Tech and artificial intelligence (Al) is all a part of contemporary art, textiles are also becoming mainstream. So, I am certainly open to experimenting with technology.