Shobhit Sharma is a visual artist living in Durham, North Carolina. Also known as Starkeffect, he uses glitch and distortion to create surreal images that don’t adhere to any recognizable form. “Usually artists start with a blank canvas, but for me it’s the opposite. I start with an interesting picture and then I break it down.”
By altering the arrangement of the images, each finished piece exists outside of its original context. “I alter them until I find something interesting, and then I stop. I don’t have any criteria as far as choosing pictures – I just go with my instinct.”
While he’s not making art, you can find Shobhit working on his research at Duke University, where he is a Ph.D. student in Physics. Semi-urban, the campus gives Shobhit the freedom to explore subjects he never considered before. “Last semester, I tried to build an audio reactive system. I was creating a tool to create visuals that react to music in real time. I’m really interested in experimenting with sound.” Currently, he’s assembling his own Eurorack synthesizer.
Although Shobhit never studied art, he recently took an art related course that jump started his newfound passion. “Before coming here, I never thought about art more than an occasional hobby – but now I’m trying to make art every day and exploring it as an alternate profession.”
To see more of Shobhit’s work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram, @starkeffect.art.