Art and fashion have long come together to create new conversations, and the incorporation of typography has been a much-used asset. Just think back to the ‘70s punk politics of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, which saw t-shirts emblazoned with anti-establishment text. Or Barbara Kruger’s fire-engine-red works overlaid with declarative captions – later co-opted by streetwear juggernaut Supreme.

For Deli-born fashion designer Ashish Gupta, typography has always been key to communicating his message. In 2016, in the wake of Brexit, Ashish took a bow at the end of his London show in a T-shirt that boldly declared “Immigrant.”, while in 2017, the designer sent anti-Trump messages down the runway with a heavy dose of sparkle.


More recently, Ashish’s playful text – and signature sequins – have come together for a dazzling celebration of empowerment with Linder Sterling, the London-based artist who has been creating photomontages since the late 1970s. Cutting out and piecing together images from pornography and advertising, Linder examines the potential for exploitation and liberation within contemporary media.

The new limited edition triptych serves as a bold testament to their shared vision of queering popular culture and celebrating marginalised bodies. Linder’s collages are illuminated with Ashish’s high-octane colour, shimmering sequins and punchy declarations.


The three prints, collectively titled Three Goddesses of the Silver Screen, portray renowned Indian film stars Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, and Meena Kumari, each of whom pushed boundaries in the demanding and often tragic industry in which they worked. In the series, each woman is celebrated as a heroic, revolutionary figure, in defiance of the assumption of victimhood.


For Ashish, the project is an opportunity to pay homage to these glamorous women who served as beacons of hope for the Indian queer community in the '80s and '90s, when visibility was scarce. The timing of the collaboration is also fitting, considering Ashish's recent retrospective at the William Morris Gallery, which Because caught up with the designer about earlier this year.

The prints are now available as individuals or as a complete triptych, both in-store and online, at houseofvoltaire.org.