Independent Project Creative Direction: Taposhi Rabeya

May 2026

SAINTS & SARDINES is a compelling exercise in editorial portraiture that subverts the tropes of traditional media and entertainment visual identity. Under the creative direction of Taposhi Rabeya, the project crafts a surrealist narrative that feels both timeless and deeply irreverent. By weaving together elements of fine art and historical pastiche, the series explores the intersection of the mundane and the eccentric. The visual language relies heavily on a cinematic aesthetic, utilizing a restrained palette of black-and-white, sepia tones, and desaturated hues that evoke the tactile grit of 35mm film and analogue photography. Each frame serves as a deliberate study in texture, contrasting the softness of fur and the delicate geometry of wire-rimmed spectacles against the raw, visceral presence of the recurring sardine motif. Through a low-key, chiaroscuro lighting approach, Rabeya highlights intricate details like chunky silver jewelry and layered herringbones, grounding the absurdity of the subjects in a sophisticated, formal composition. The result is a body of work that channels a 1930s scholarly aesthetic while maintaining a modern, experimental edge. This project demonstrates a masterful command of visual storytelling, where every choice—from the deliberate styling of both man and Siamese cat to the meticulous framing of every portrait—is designed to provoke curiosity and invite a contemplative, almost ethnographic gaze from the audience.

Editorial, Editorial, Vertical, Vertical, Cinematic, Cinematic

35mm film

Digital Media & Publishers, Media & Entertainment, Media & Entertainment