All posts tagged: Hanif Kureshi

New Works St+ART Lodhi 2019 – Courtesy Martha Cooper

New Works St+ART Lodhi 2019 – Courtesy Martha Cooper

St+Art Delhi continues apace with an ever-expanding roster of artists and financial/commercial/municipal partners five years after we first began writing about it, and photographer Martha Cooper brings us today some of the newest installations and shots that she recently discovered while there.

A mural program at heart, many of the artists invited here bring a decorative character to the districts of Shahpurjat, Khirki Village and Hauz Khas Village also have roots in illegal graffiti and Street Art back home, and during their youth.

Yip Yew Chong. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Over the years that list has included an international and local array of artists invited to paint at Lohdi Colony from all the continents – well maybe not Antarctica. Names have included ECB, Lady Aiko, local students Avinash and Kamesh, Suiko of Japan, Reko Rennie from Australia, Lek & Sowat from France, Kureshi from India, Inkbrushnme from India, Dutch artist Niels Shoe Meulman, Swiss duo Never Crew, Tofu from Germany, Mattia from Italy, Artez from Serbia, M-City from Poland, Ano from Taiwan…

Yip Yew Chong. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Notable here is the architectural framing convention for most of these murals- the distinctive facades of Lodhi Colony architecture that features a central archway and four windows divided by it on a semi-ornate face forward. Some of the arches begin on the ground while others have been bricked into windows. Each provides a view inside the entry or courtyard, while others are bursting out with limbs and trees that protrude through them to the street.

Originally designed by the British-born architect William Henry Medd in the late 1930s and early 1940s as part of a program to house certain populations, this unifying pattern sets the quiet neighborhood apart from others in the city.

Yip Yew Chong. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)

As Chief Architect to the Government of India during that period, Mr. Medd oversaw much of the design of the relatively new city as well as buildings like the Cathedral Church of the Redemption and Sacred Heart Cathedral, both of which reflect his affinity for the high arches that distinguish the period.

“It’s interesting to see how the very different artists have incorporated the arch into their murals,” says photographer Cooper. “The uniform size and shape of the walls unify the disparate collection and the arches give the whole area an exotic touch.”

Aravani Art Project. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)

As is her practice many of these images also skillfully incorporate the foot traffic and community who live here and who are beginning to associate these figurative, abstract and folk-inspired murals into their daily lives. Asking people to pose in front of the new paintings gives them context, somehow also bringing them alive in certain cases. At other times, her timing and eagle eye capture the passerby who unknowingly creates a serendipitous counterpoint to the new work.

“It’s a quiet neighborhood compared to the rest of Delhi,” Martha says, “making it a very pleasant place for an afternoon walking tour.”

Aravani Art Project. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Adele Renault. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Sameer Kulavoor. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Sameer Kulavoor. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Tellas. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Avinash Kamesh. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Avinash Kamesh. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Sajid Wajid. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Sajid Wajid. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
NeSpoon. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
NeSpoon. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Aaron Glasson. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Aaron Glasson. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Dwa Zeta. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Sheryo & The Yok. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Daan Botlek. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Daan Botlek. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Andreco. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Georgia Hill & Hanif Kureshi. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
David Leitner. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
David Leitner. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Samantha Lo. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Bond. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
H11235. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
H11235. St+ART Lodhi. Delhi, India. March 2019. (photo © Martha Cooper)
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India’s First Street Art Fest and the Largest Ghandi Portrait Ever

India’s First Street Art Fest and the Largest Ghandi Portrait Ever

“St.ART Dehli 2014” Hosts 60 Artists

As Street Art continues to go global here in the twenty-teens, today we bring you images showing that Dehli has become one of the latest cities to showcase it. In what is billed as India’s very first Street Art festival the south Delhi neighborhood of Shahpur Jat hosted a collection of international and local artists this spring to paint murals while a public who is not quite acquainted with public art asked many questions.

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Hendrik ECB Beikirch and ANPU take shots of their collaborative portrait of Mahatma Ghandi. / St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

Working out of the newly rustic indoor venue “Social Space” in the trendy neighborhood of Hauz Khas Village (HKV), the St. ART Delhi effort was a combination of a gallery exhibition and a street art festival that invited 60 or so international and Indian artists earlier this year to create public works.

Overseen by co-founders Hanif Kureshi and Arjun Bahl and curated by Italian Giulia Ambrogi, the festival was possible with the help of a collection of artists, professionals, art school students, and friends who  joined with the Goethe-Institut and the Italian and Polish cultural institutes in Delhi. With volunteers, supplies, and a lot of community outreach, the event organizers were able to bring the artists and help get walls for them-  an effort which took about a year and a half of serious planning to bring to fruition.

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Artez. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

In an underdeveloped area undergoing the same gentrification found in edgy parts of large cities around the globe, the artists found that the long term residents sometimes resisted the change but eventually embraced it, if tentatively at times.

“Pondering was what we had to do for much of the day as the locals were still getting accustomed to strange folks painting their walls and generally made life a bit difficult for the artists and the crew,” writes Siddhant Mehta on the blog of the festival’s site when describing the cautious reaction of folks when seeing painters and scaffolding.

Some residents even requested images of religious iconography before any artworks were created, while some artists entertained requests for cartoon characters or children’s games to be incorporated in their murals.

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Sé Cordeiro. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

Co-founder and typography designer Kureshi freely admits it was an easy non-controversial choice when deciding on the portrait that went up on the police building. “After 2 months, we finished around 75 pieces around Delhi including the tallest one on the Delhi Police Headquarters,” says Mr. Bahl as he describes the tallest portrait of Mahatma Ghandi anywhere which covers a 150’ x 38’ – a collaboration between Indian painter Anpu Varkey and German street artist ECB.

Of the 60 artists who participated, many were from India, which may have contributed to a sense of cultural balance in the mural collection created in the neighborhood. Whether is was TOFU from Germany, M-City from Poland, or Alina from Denmark, many of the artists reported that small crowds gathered to watch and, with time, offered gifts such as peanuts or a cup of chai to their foreign guests.

As the global Street Art scene continues to open its arms wider it is promising to see that a new public art festival like this has begun in such a grand way in a brand new location. It is also heartening to see planners who take into account the preferences of the neighbors, and who act with a sense of goodwill when offering public art for arts sake.

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Harsh Raman. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Okuda. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Andy Yeng and Tofu. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Tofu. Detail. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Jayant Parashar)

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Tona. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Foe. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Enrico Fabian)

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Foe. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Mattia Lullini. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Alina Vergnano. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Alina Vergnano. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Pranav Mahajan)

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Bond. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Alias. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Alias. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Tones. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Tones. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Tones. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

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Ranjit Dhaiya. St.ART Delhi 2014 (photo © Akshat Nauriyal)

BSA extends our thanks to Thanish Thomas for his diligence in getting these images to us and to Hanif Kureshi, Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogiall, Mridula Garg, Akshat Nauriyal, and the entire team at St.ART Delhi 2014.  Click HERE to learn more about St.ART Delhi 2014.

 

 

St.ART Delhi Street Art Festival Part II

 

 The Tallest Mural of India – Mahatma Ghandi at St.ART Delhi

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This article is also published on The Huffington Post

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