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Street art has the ability to breathe a new life into a space. There is something about vibrantly adorned walls that not only makes the space pop but also helps in adding a sense of history and community to the area. In a way, it has within itself, the potential to bring a community together and to become their collective shared space of identity. These spaces function as an inclusive space for community building and for interacting with individuals and the art around.
Over the past few years, St+art India Foundation has been involved in taking art from the realms of museums and art galleries that are largely considered elitist spaces and bringing it back to the streets, for the people. “St+art came together in 2014 as a platform to promote street art in India because alternate platforms for contemporary art did not exist. We wanted to take contemporary art out of the gallery spaces to the streets” Karan Kaul, the assistant curator of St+art India Foundation told The Hindu. Chennai’s Kannagi Nagar is the latest edition to their project which makes it India’s 5th art district with art from 16 Indian and international artists.
By converting the space into an open-air museum, St+art India Foundation has once again reimagined what a space for arts and culture can look like in a city. Their Lodhi Art District murals is amongst the best examples of how art has the ability to elevate not just the aesthetics of a space but also become a symbol of honouring those who reside around that area and make the space what it is.
Bengaluru-based artist Kashmira Sarode’s mural titled ‘Harbouring Hope’ is an ode to the community that resides in the area. Many of these people were forced to shift to the area post the devastating 2004 Tsunami. The mural showcases a mother-daughter duo, in the middle of waves, looking up at Iris flowers that surround them as a sign of hope.
Another remarkable mural in the area, created by Australian artist Bronte Naylor, is inspired by scenes from the Koyambedu flower market.
For Chennai, Kannagi Nagar was chosen for its diverse community of 80,000 residents and because it has existed away from the urban fabric of the city. “It has also been, let’s say, a very neglected place in the city. The idea is to energise the physical ecosystem of the space as well,” Karan Kaul added in his interview with The Hindu.
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