Lakshmi Balakrishnan

BD2026

Only Skin Deep is a speculative graphic magazine set in a dystopian future India, where skin has evolved from a cosmetic obsession to the dominant interface for identity, memory, and survival. Published as an in-world propaganda magazine by biotech conglomerate EpidermaTech, the 2112 issue presents a curated narrative alongside historical ads, testimonials, and products, all reinforcing the company’s vision.
The story follows the current head of the company, as he navigates a world transformed by hybrid skin (which came from the machine, circa 2050), a material that replaced clothing, responded to climate trauma, and now encodes memory as currency. Interwoven with rebellion artefacts and state-sanctioned messaging, the issue functions as both narrative and corporate artifact, and hence looks at skin on a deeper level than just as a mean of judgement and racism.
Designed to immerse rather than critique, Only Skin Deep blurs story with commerce, presenting an unsettlingly aspirational future where the body is brand, archive, and battleground.

Process followed this semester: click here