St+Art has taken up the burden of beautifying the streets of Delhi and my, what a stunning display it’s been. From the stunning WIP to the workshops, from the DIY toilets to India’s first public art district, we’re absolutely floored.
Big art, big walls and big ideas are climbing all over Lodhi’s walls and we went to check it out.
As a tribute to the indigenous art forms, St+Art brings back this team from Samode, Rajasthan. Mahendra Pawar and his team have painted stunning creepers, leaves and flowers on the wall opposite Khanna Market in Lodhi Colony. Get up close and personal with one of the dying arts of India.
Where: Opposite Khanna Market, Lodhi Colony.
Niels Shoe Meulman painted a poem on the walls of Lodhi, written by himself. It reads: Sans Serifs No Letters, And No Words To Read, Sans Words No Signs, No Names In The Streets, Just Rows Of Buildings, And Gardens Sans Weeds.
His Calligrafitti and love for plants informs this piece.
Where: Block 11
Nevercrew is a Swiss duo whose work at WIP has us absolutely stunned {it’s the giant astronaut head}. They examine the human condition and its connection to nature through their work. They’ve painted a colourful meteorite with an astronaut on top of the wall, with colourful rays bursting to the ground at Block 9, Lodhi Colony.
A metaphor for someone who can see things from a different perspective, we all aim to be the astronaut, silent viewers of the larger picture.
Where: Block 9
Two Kathakali heads showing us a world of colours? We caught him at work, and it was already stunning; we’re so excited to see what ends up happening at the end of the project.
Where: Block 6
We also caught Harshvardhan at work on the Lodhi Art District mural with heads of men swooshing out from the centre of the all-knowing middle eye. Look out for multiple animals drawn on the gold wall; we’re waiting with bated breath to see what we end up with. This is part of the creation of the world, and is also part of a larger project by Harshvardhan called Mythopolis.
Where: Next to Harsh Raman’s wall
Reko Rennie from Australia worked with Indian painters, and is always on the lookout for local craftsmen with whom he can create stunning pieces of art.
The Original Aboriginal piece incorporates his association to the Kamilaroi people, using traditional geometric patterns that represent his community. Indigenous culture feature pretty largely in his work.
Where: Opposite Meherchand Market {in front of Elma’s}
Anpu Varkey has enormous talent {we’ve seen that on the walls of Khirki}, and at Lodhi Art District she explores new forms with her newest art, which is emblematic of flowing lava. She describes her work as being: ‘From the deep recesses of a dreamscape, perpetuating the flow of lava, the tree posits to consume the entire building, shadowing the menace of our minds.’
Where: Block 14
Suiko is a Japanese street artist who takes the national flower of India and deconstructs it into something beautiful all across a wall. His signature curved lines and the Japanese characters make up this mural, along with the colours of the neighbourhood. He also has his name written in the artwork.
Catch it if you can.
Where: Near the Golden Bakery in Khanna Market
Created by Amitabh Kumar, this is what the artist had to say about the work: “This mural is informed by the historical context of the site and the graphic possibilities that it opened. The root of the image is a story. It goes like this—When the Pandava’s lost the first game of dice, they were exiled to Khandavaprastha—the city of ruins. Krishna, who accompanied them for the exile, did some magic, and overnight Khandavaprastha turned into Indraprastha, The City of Gods. This city is made of magic, which is now crumbling apart. Through this intervention I’d like the viewer to catch its crumbling pieces and vanish.”
Where: Block 10