DARPAN SPOTLIGHT
PAINTING THE CITY WITH LOVE:
JAG NAGRA By Naina Grewal
Jag Nagra, a “Subway Sandwich ArtistTM turned “Artist” Artist,” is using her gift of art to spearhead community development initiatives and end the stigma against LGBTQ+ people within the South Asian community.
Art
has a language of its own. With an unmatched power to evoke the most powerful emotions, art holds the ability to bring people together in its many forms. Following this mantra, Jag Nagra, a Subway Sandwich Artist™ turned “Artist” Artist, is using her gift of art to spearhead community development initiatives and end the stigma against LGBTQ+ people within the South Asian community. As a freelancer, she has worked with highprofile clients such as Microsoft and Tumblr. This year, Nagra has been the powerhouse behind Vancouver Canucks’ custom icon for their Vaisakhi celebration game, in addition to being the feature artist of the 2021 Indian
Jag Nagra was the artist behind Vancouver Canucks’ custom icon for their Vaisakhi celebration game this year (Photos Jeff Vinnick, Vancouver Canucks)
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JULY | AUGUST 2021
Reflecting The South-Asian Lifestyle
DARPAN
TM
Summer Festival. She also wears the hat of Creative Director for the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective (PMRC), where she is the driving force behind the organization’s visual language; this includes art installations, illustrations, colour schemes, social media aesthetic, web design, merchandise, and collateral material. Nagra stepped foot into the field of art after successfully attaining an Arts Diploma from what was then known as the University College of the Fraser Valley. She accounts that her parents were never the type to push their children into a specific career choice, but they would continually communicate that they were in Canada to give their children a