Anshuman Ghosh: Surreal Illustrations

WORDS Michaela Stehr IMAGES moography on Instagram

Johannesburg-based artist Anshuman Ghosh uses paper and an iPhone to create quirky illustrations.

Each piece is comprised of a small paper drawing that is cut out and placed onto the screen of his phone. This creates the fun illusion of looking into another world.

Anshuman also extends the illustration beyond the phone screen to create a surreal effect, blurring the lines of reality.

The Delhi Belly Series (2 of 4) Hi everybody! A new week is here and it’s time to show you another glimpse of my gastronomical journey in India. This week’s star attraction is the ubiquitous chicken ‘n egg chowmein, a mainstay of “Indo-Chinese” cuisine. Right from the by-lanes of North Delhi in the form of street food all the way to swanky noodle bars in Mumbai, Chinese food is by far the most popular cuisine while eating out in India. The next time you are in India, do give Chinese food a shot – it’ll taste unlike any other form of Chinese you’ve ever had ?. #artwork #arts_gallery #chinesefood

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Dec 21, 2015 at 1:38am PST

#wakingupin Stonehenge Wake up in a new city everyday. Open the windows first thing in the morning and take in new sights and sounds – if only life was that simple. I have always wondered how and why man built these massive structures that we know as the Stonehenge. Built approximately 5000 years ago, the Stonehenge is “believed” to have been built as part of an elaborate Pagan ritual. All I know is that it would have required some serious engineering to get these 25 ton structures to where they are now – some say, the journey could have been as long as 50 kms. #wanderlust #artwork #arts_gallery #stonehenge

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Dec 24, 2015 at 2:37am PST

A toast to the New Year ?! As this year comes to an end, I thought I should settle the eternal “How Does A Toaster Even Work?” debate once and for all. You are welcome ???. #artwork #arts_gallery #appliance #toaster

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Dec 31, 2015 at 3:27am PST

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Jan 22, 2016 at 12:59am PST

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I need to share some exciting news with y’all. This Saturday morning, I woke up to a DM from @instagram saying that I had been put on their Suggested Users List ???. It’s one of those DMs that I had always hoped to receive and it still seems unreal now that I have received it. Thank you Instagram for helping get 2016 off to such a great start ?! I started posting on Instagram at roughly the same time last year so when I look back now, I realise how amazing the last 12 months have been for me. In the last 12 months, I’ve discovered a passion for paper which was probably hidden away somewhere within me. Being able to earn a livelihood doing something I enjoy has always been a pipe dream but thanks to @instagram and the love and support of y’all, I’m getting closer to that dream day by day. In the last 12 months, I’ve also become part of this vibrant creative community in South Africa and met fellow creatives whom I now regard as dear friends. The @breadcrumbssquad is a collective that I am proud to be a part of and features some of the most creative and promising photographers in South Africa. I have tagged the accounts that are part of this collective so please do hop on over to their profiles and give them a follow – I can assure you that you won’t go wrong! The last 12 months have been crazy, scary and amazing all at the same time and I don’t even know what to imagine from the 12 months to come. I’m glad to have your love and support which is what keeps me going – I hope that is one thing that never changes. While I haven’t met most of you, I still feel like I know most of you by looking at what you are sharing on this platform. My dear friends (old and new)… Let us keep posting amazing content. Let us keep engaging with each other. Let us keep collaborating and fusing our ideas to create something unique. Keep well! Thanks for all the double taps ❤️???! #artwork #arts_gallery #polaroid #breadcrumbssquad

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Feb 8, 2016 at 1:44am PST

Who loves Masterchef Australia? Hi there y’all! Most of you probably wouldn’t know that I am a huge Masterchef Australia (@masterchefau) fan – this is THE go-to dinner TV show for my wife and I. We are currently watching Season 7 right now but since Masterchef programming in South Africa is about 10 months behind that in Australia, we already know who won the competition (so much for spoilers ?) This artwork is inspired by yesterday’s team challenge wherein the two teams took charge of the Abbotsford Convent Bakery and the team with the most profits won! My two favourites @billie_mckay15 and @georgiabarnesau were in opposing teams so my loyalties were perfectly hedged ?! Hope you guys like the artwork! #artwork #arts_gallery #masterchefau #bakery #breadcrumbssquad

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Feb 16, 2016 at 3:07am PST

Tea. Coffee’s more sophisticated cousin ?. #staytrue #ballantines #ballantinessa #artwork #arts_gallery #tea #breadcrumbssquad

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Feb 10, 2016 at 4:03am PST

Hi there everyone! I try to post fresh edits of some of my older artworks every Thursday for the benefit of my new Instafriends… Here’s a #throwbackthursday re-edit of my first post from the #thetinyhumanproject series which I had started a few months ago… The Tiny Human Project was my first creative project on Instagram and it got off to a pretty good start but it somehow lost steam along the way. I’ll always have a soft spot for this series so in case any of you would like to collaborate with me for a #thetinyhumanproject post, just DM me. Hope you guys like it! Oh btw… That’s my friend @deenschroeder who is descending upon the City of Gold ?! #artwork #arts_gallery

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Dec 3, 2015 at 2:17am PST

Hi there! This one is for all my South African followers… In case you weren’t aware, Starbucks (@starbucks) is opening its first store in Johannesburg next year… ??? Can’t wait to get my hands on that Iced Caramel Frappechino – for now, staring at my phone will just have to do! ??? What’s your favourite Starbucks coffee? #artwork #arts_gallery #coffee #starbucks

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Nov 23, 2015 at 1:47am PST

Hi there everyone! I try to post fresh edits of some of my older artworks every Thursday so here’s a #throwbackthursday edit of one of my favourite artworks which I had posted a few months ago – most of my new followers probably wouldn’t have seen the original. Hope you guys like it! #artwork #arts_gallery #rubikscube

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Nov 19, 2015 at 2:12am PST

While this artwork features the Eiffel Tower, this is dedicated to all the innocent who lost their lives in the brutal attacks that were carried out in Paris and Beirut on Friday the 13th. I sometimes wonder what kind of a world am I raising my 2 year old son in – instead of a world full of peace and harmony, he will be raised in a realm full of fear, hatred and intolerance. No faith, religion or doctrine can justify the murder of innocent people. #prayforparis?? #prayforparis #prayforbeirut #prayforpeace #PeaceforParis #artwork #arts_gallery #WHPfoundframes

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Nov 15, 2015 at 2:32am PST

Here’s wishing all my followers a Happy Diwali – the Festival of Lights ???! I was never into bursting fire crackers when I was a kid mainly because I grew up with only one fully functional lung and it never seemed a good idea to inhale a lifetime of smoke in one day ?. So to celebrate Diwali today, I have conjured up all the paper explosives I could think off and let them alight safely within the confines of my phone. Although there is a good chance it might blow my phone into kingdom come – please do not try this at home ????! #ballantines #ballantinessa #staytrue #arts_gallery #diwali #celebration #minimal_tb #artwork

A photo posted by Anshuman Ghosh (@moography) on Nov 11, 2015 at 1:58am PST

See more of his work at @moography.