St+art India or Street Art India is a clan of artistic stalwarts. It is a non-profit organisation in collaboration with Asian Paints. The folks at St+art India (@startindia) are a pack of magicians creating wall art and murals that take your breath away (more than cardio for me). The organisation came into being a few years ago (2015) and have produced optical marvels in spaces that are now major art districts in India with legit Google map locations.
The Lodi Art District (Delhi) is the first art district of India. In conducive weather they organise curated walks around the art district, which is led by a member of the st+art squad. Since Lodi is a pedestrian friendly vicinity the walk is a great way to engage with the city. It is a great amalgamation of colonial architecture and art profuse with color.
One of the recent and prominent work of art in Lodi is the “Jungle Lockdown”. As suggestive of its name the mural illustrates recognising our skewed relationship with mother nature in the Coronavirus pandemis. In this mural in the Lodhi Art District, artists express this narrative through a composition where the arch at the centre of the facade creates an equal divide of the polarities between what the two worlds are trying to depict. On one side – a concrete jungle, with a man binded by the demanding city life. He is seen wearing the mask of a fox, focusing on animals being caged representing the isolation and captivity which people experienced lockdown after lockdown on the other wall, a woman is seen blooming in nature. The contrast created by color and ideology is lucis. It is an added jewel to the colony speckled with Indo-European facades.
Some other mind-blowing art districts to come up more recently are Kannagi Art district in Chennai,Panjim Art District in Goa,Maqta Art District in Hyderabad, Mahim (east) Art District in Mumbai and Ukkadam Art District in Coimbatore.
In February 2022 the curtain was raised for the first mural for the second edition of the Ukkadam Art District Festival in Coimbatore made by Trespassers (@__trespassers) a ten-member group of artists hailing from different corners of Kerala. St+art began working on the second edition, in association with @asianpaints along with @ccmc.gov.in, Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore – RAAC, @credaicoimbatore, in October 2021. Six artists were asked to illustrate the idea of the varying relationships with objects that surround us. Living, inanimate, artificial, or conceptual: the brief was to explore our interaction with everyday places and shape stories through art. Each of the six artists have brought their own interpretation of the theme to these vibrant murals while also dedicating the art to the local communities, culture, struggles and celebrations. They aim to bring art to the public through the street that initiates a dialogue between that and passers-by.
These are a fraction of the creative wonders realised by St+art. They are working on sensational other installations and art exploring different material, technique and narrative. With everything stemmed in purpose, these street artists elucidate stories through their magnificent work.
Must mention the great initiative by @asianpaints to support the vision of these artists who are transcending cities into enchanting hubs of artistic genius.