Food & everyday life
Dishes, ingredients, packaging, markets and the everyday food culture tied to a place.
Distinctive prints. Real subjects.
About CITTRA Collective
Posters & Prints With Something Behind Them
CITTRA Collective is a UK poster and print brand creating contemporary wall art from real places, culture, food, traditions, nature and everyday life.
The idea is simple: if a subject becomes a CITTRA print, there should be a reason it is there. The finished print still has one important job: it has to look good on your wall.
Decorative first. Something real behind it.
Where the ideas begin
It starts with something real
Some CITTRA ideas begin while travelling. Others start with a photograph, a conversation, something we eat, a tradition we come across or a subject that sends us down a research rabbit hole.
We might discover why white elephants have played an important role in Thai history, notice the tilework covering buildings in Portugal, learn about a regional dish or become interested in a tradition passed down for generations. Those discoveries become the starting point for the artwork.
You might choose the finished print because you have been there, recognise the subject, have a personal connection to it — or simply because you think it looks brilliant. All of those are good reasons to put something on your wall.
What catches our attention
What can become a CITTRA print?
Almost anything — if there is a real reason for the subject to be there and a strong idea for turning it into something worth hanging.
Culture & tradition
Belief, mythology, folklore, performance, craft and traditions with a genuine story behind them.
Places & design
Architecture, streets, signs, tilework, local design and details that make somewhere recognisable.
Nature & symbolism
Animals and plants with a geographical, historical, religious or cultural connection.
Why CITTRA exists
Looking beyond the obvious
There is already a lot of wall art in the world. We do not want to add more of the same.
CITTRA exists to find interesting subjects in the real world and turn them into decorative prints with their own point of view.
A country is more than its landmarks. Culture can be found in food, wildlife, architecture, religion, folklore, design, markets, packaging, traditions and the small details of everyday life.
Because every subject is different, the artwork does not have to follow one fixed style. What connects the collection is the reason each subject belongs here.
Behind CITTRA
The person behind the prints
Hey, I am Jack — the founder of CITTRA Collective.
Travel has played a big part in how CITTRA developed because being somewhere unfamiliar makes me notice things I would probably walk straight past at home: the food people eat, animals that carry particular significance, religious imagery, signs, buildings, markets, local design and the completely normal things that become interesting once you understand the story behind them.
I also document those travels on YouTube through Backpack with Jack. It gives you a way to see some of the places, details and experiences that sit behind the wider CITTRA world. But CITTRA is not limited to places I have personally visited — curiosity and proper research can start a print too.
Start with the artwork
Find something worth putting on the wall
You can buy a print because the subject means something to you, because it reminds you of somewhere, or simply because you like the way it looks. Start with what catches your attention.