Apple CEO Tim Cook's praise for Indian artists at India art fair

Delhi : Three Indian artists were praised by Apple CEO Tim Cook for using iPads to create digital artwork using tools like augmented reality, 3D LiDAR scanning, animation, sound synthesis, and coding. Cook shared images of Gaurav Ogale, Varun Desai, and Mira Felicia Malhotra with their works in order to demonstrate how digital art can contribute to more immersive storytelling.

Between February 9 and February 12, 2023, the three digital artists will present their work at the India Art Fair in New Delhi. Apple also debuted its "Today At Apple" sessions in India at this art exhibition, allowing Apple users to learn more about using Apple products for work.

Attending the India Art Fair gives you the opportunity to participate in Today at Apple sessions led by Apple team members that concentrate on iPad digital art skills.

Varun Desai used his iPad Pro to create "Dimorphism," a piece of art that combines the power of coding, 3D art, and electronic music. Desai utilises the LiDAR Scanner on the iPad Pro to capture objects, buildings, and people in 3D for one of the visual elements of "Dimorphism." Then, using Nomad Sculpt, an app for creating, sculpting, and painting in 3D, he shapes the 3D models with his fingers and Apple Pencil. He then exports the models to the Procreate app for colouring, texturing, and other finishing touches.

On Mac Studio and Studio Display, the finer rigging and animation work is done. "I'm able to render my animations really quickly and achieve the final high-resolution video that I need for my installation thanks to the powerful render engine of Mac Studio with M1 Max chip," Desai said.

"I can see all the different screens together when I model my final installation on Studio Display, so I can visualise what it's going to look like while I'm working on it rather than having to wait until installation day," he continues. "With these devices, the entire pipeline—from concept to finished animation—is essentially contained in the box. It works very well.

The music in "Dimorphism" interacts with the viewer by altering depending on where the viewer is standing, adding to the immersive experience. Desai can now investigate the various methods for sound creation that the iPad Pro has to offer.

The Mumbai-based artist Mira Felicia Malhotra's showcase, "Log Kya Kahenge," which translates to "What Will People Say?", highlighted the peculiarities of Indian families. The body of work consists of a collection of family portraits that provide insight into the desire to live up to social expectations and present a particular image to the public.

Each of these family pictures has two layers. The portrait itself displays the conformist façade that some families want the public to see. The animated layer, which can be viewed with the Artivive augmented reality app on an iPad or iPhone, reveals the true dynamics of these families. It's interesting that she used an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil to create her augmented reality artwork. She can later edit her artworks on Adobe Photoshop because the Procreate app allows users to export files in PSD, which is Adobe's native file format.

"Instead of looking at the screen and drawing with another mouse-like device, I prefer a feel that is similar to drawing on paper. It's the pen and paper, the brush and canvas all in one with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil," said Malhotra.

Because Gaurav Ogale, a digital storyteller and artist, attempted to rewrite the definition of what it means to read a book that is on the bestsellers list in his piece titled "Best-sellers." Viewers at the exhibition would have the same experience as a bookshop patron perusing the bestsellers section. On the iPad Pro, however, as you turn digital pages, unexpected stories about regular people will come to light.

Ogale typically starts his creative process by writing down a poem or a thought on paper or in the Notes app. Using Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, or sketching on his iPad Pro, he begins to build the visual elements.

Ogale is a multimedia storyteller who creates his narratives in motion by drawing each frame in Procreate, editing the video file on his MacBook Pro with Adobe Premiere, and adding audio recordings from his iPhone 14.

"Normally, I need a lot of time to adjust to new technology, but with the iPad Pro, it happened quickly. And now I use it instead of my journal," said Ogale.

Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of worldwide product marketing, added, "India has such a vibrant creative community, and we love seeing the ways these talented artists are pushing the boundaries of what's possible on iPad Pro to take their innovative ideas to the next level."

At the India Art Fair, all three artists will not only display their pieces but also conduct their own Today at Apple sessions. In order to help Apple device owners get more out of their devices, Apple today offers free daily sessions that are accessible at Apple Store locations all over the world.