COMMISSIONED WORK — Nisha K. Sethi

Indian Style As We Recite These Hymns

Hand-painted mural created for “Don’t Believe the Hype: Asian Americans in Hip-Hop” Exhibit at Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles. This mural was inspired by A Tribe Called Quest while integrating lyrics from “Award Tour” along with Indian tribal elements to symbolize a hybrid South Asian / Hip-Hop identity.

Documentary Magazine

Client: International Documentary Association

Project Type: Magazine Cover Design (Print)

Details: Cover design for Documentary Magazine Winter 2020 issue using letterpress print methods translated to digital type design.

Sons and Brothers

Client: Sons and Brothers

Project Type: Print

Details: Commissioned portrait series for Son’s and Brother’s AAPI Heritage Month celebrating Asian & Pacific Islander community leaders.

Badmaash Fairfax Mural

Giant beveled Hindi lettering that translates to “City of Angels” - painted for Badmaash Indian gastro-pub located on iconic Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles, California.

Oakland Dreams

90-foot “Oakland Dreams” mural painted with Trust Your Struggle collective for Bay Area Mural fest 2018.

NBA Live

Client: EA Sports

Medium: Spray Paint and Poster Wheatpaste on wood.

Description: Graffiti style entry wall for EA Sports LA launch of NBA LIVE '17 video game. Graffiti wall was placed at red carpet entrance and served as a backdrop for celebrity interviews and photos.

Hyundai Nexo

Commissioned interactive mural art piece for the launch of Hyundai NEXO - a new and innovative hydrogen powered vehicle. The mural was a live art component at Worldz Summit LA 2018 and included water droplet shaped pledges where participants shared their pledge to better the environment.

Women's March Banner

Title: “Thank You for Showing Up for Democracy and Justice”

Medium: Spray Paint, fluorescent ribbon, and wood cut-out.

Description: Giant 18'X24' commissioned banner for the Los Angeles Women's March in Pershing Square, seen by over 750,000 people.

Be Like Water

Hand-painted and gold leaf lettering on water barrel.

Navi Kitchen Mural

Calavera Coffee

Hand-painted sign for Calavera Coffee.

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No More Silence, End Gun Violence!

Commissioned art piece for Amplifier.org in collaboration with high school youth to protest gun violence. These posters were originally hand-painted and later mass produced to be distributed nationally for the March for Our Lives where they were carried by thousands of youth.

Hieroglyphics Apparel

Client: Hieroglyphics hip-hop group

Project Type: Apparel Design

Details: Hand-painted lettering and logo redesign for offical Hiero merch.

Toni Morrison

Commemorative mural painted in honor of author Toni Morrison at Guerilla Cafe in Berkeley, CA.

Folk Lok

Client: Mandeep Sethi, American India Foundation

Project Type: Branding, Print

Details: Poster Logo, banner, and poster design for Folk Lok documentary debut at SF Jazz.

Dia de los Muertos Altar

3D Altar Installation project I designed, fabricated, and installed for Dia de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The Altar was a campaign for "VOTA" encouraging people to vote and was a collaboration with the California Endowment. The Altar also served as a commemoration for Jesus Sevilla and all undocumented people who have lost their lives because they could not access proper health care.

Teachers - We Work for the People

Client: UTLA United Teachers Los Angeles

Project Type: Poster Design

Details: Digital poster design for UTLA’s largest teacher strike in history. These posters were commissioned by UTLA to be designed and distributed by the thousands for participants to carry during the 2019 teacher strike.

Pay Me

Client: Community Project

Project Type: Branding, Lettering

Details: Hand-drawn iPad lettering for “Pay Me” photo shoot highlighting women of color artists.

Earth Day 2020

Client: Culture Strike + Earth Day Network

Project Type: Poster Design

Details: Digital poster design celebrating 50 years of Earth Day with the theme of Climate Action!

"Goonj" Mural

The full mural painted for “Goonj! Being Brown in Chinatown” at Centre A Gallery in Vancouver for Indian Summer Festival.

The mural depicts the story of the Komagata Maru, a ship carrying 376 passengers from Punjab to BC in 1914 but was not allowed to dock on Vancouver shores due to racist exclusion laws that were designed to keep out Asian Immigrants. The scene depicts the passengers throwing bricks at the police after being told to sail back to India.

The life-sized cutouts are of 2 passengers aboard this ship along with Baba Gurdit Singh who’s quote is above: “…The time for prayer & puja is past… This is the time to pick up the sword….”

The UC Berkeley Campanile is on the far right, which signifies the militant legacy of resistance against British colonizers lead by Kartar Singh Sarabha in Berkeley pictured above with pen & rifle. These two elements represent armed revolution & mobilizing the people through poetry & the Ghadar Newspaper.