The writing’s on the wall

But on the website unurth.com ,a street art portal that traces the development of street art in the world,India is missing. A British newspaper’s best street art listing in the world also doesn’t feature India. Yet,the Indian street art story has never looked more promising. A small group of artists and photographers are on the mission of revolutionising the streets,giving it an independent flavour.

“It’s really about using this interesting medium in the best way,” says visual artist Dhanya Pilo,one of the founders of The Wall Project. “For the canvas we usually look for walls which look like they desperately need a new life,or are dirty,or just part of an interesting landscape or building in a public space. Then we get a verbal permission from the owners.” The project existed fairly independently till the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),impressed by its work,got associated with it. “The wall project in its own way tries to start a conversation,with no political or religious attachments,” says Pilo.

In Bengaluru,the Municipal Corporation has sanctioned artists to paint 7.5 lakh square feet of wall on 63 main city roads. As an undercurrent,several independent pieces of visual art is also on display on random walls in Bengaluru. Street photographer MS Gopal,says,”Bangalore street art has been dominated by the decorative powered by the municipality. But one can still find a few exceptions in the city. There are places where one sees grass and marijuana being painted. Stronger elements like gang symbols also emerge. But street art currently is in a state controlled phase.”

The No Man’s Art Gallery gave Mumbai a visit in July this year. While the initiative is an online gallery that supports young talent worldwide,every three months they pop up in a different city in a different country,where they exhibit local young talent. Emmelie Koster,the curator of the exhibition,displayed pictures in the run down interiors of the New Great Eastern Mills in Byculla. The exhibition got a tremendous response.

Ask Koster if she thinks that there is an underground art movement brewing in India and she says,”Definitely. There are so many special places in Mumbai that are just empty. It doesn’t take that much to turn a space like that into a gallery. And art should not just be about caviar and pink champagne. Exhibitions like that exclude a whole segment of society that is interested in art but is being kept away from it. Underground art movements are able to open up the art world to everyone.” Judging from the response to No Man’s Art Pop Up Gallery Mumbai,she thinks it safe to say that Mumbai is ready for young creative entrepreneurs to take over the city and create their own platforms to show art.