The sudden dash of colour and art on walls and houses in the city have been doing the rounds on social media. This transformation over the last few weeks is the result of a unique effort, the very first st+art festival in Mumbai, which is supposed to end on Nov 30. More than 20 artists from India and abroad have transformed more than 15 walls and buildings from Borivali to Kala Ghoda into a new landmark and platform for visual dialogue.
"Our aim is to paint atleast 30 murals, but depending on the time it takes to complete, we might have to extend it till the first week of December. We had a showstopper with tentacles coming out of Jindal mansion and we have one more coming up in Bandra soon. There are walks planned around the murals on Nov 29 and Nov 30 for which people can register online," said Arjun Bahl, a Delhi resident and one of the co-founders of st+art foundation which began this year.
St+art foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Delhi that began to have an active role in govt policy making and bringing social intervention. They claim to have painted the tallest mural in India in their Delhi festival and have artists and members like Ranjit Dahiya, Riyaz Amlani and Tarini Jindal from Mumbai. They have held many workshops in the city and will collaborate with local street painters for the remaining murals.
"People can't believe that we're painting these walls for free. We just want to provoke a thought and we're not trying to sell anything," said Bahl. The st+art foundation is also on its way to enhance and create learning centres for street art in India.
Anpu Varkey is one of the prominent artist at this festival. An Indian mural and stencil artist, she was painting on a wall near bandra station. "Heat is the biggest obstacle while painting on a wall. You get dehydrated in Mumbai.
This festival provides a platform for artists to show their talent and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity as I get to have a mark on a public space," said Varkey, who lives in Delhi and has been painting murals for more than four years.
Maja Hurst from Switzerland will finish her mural on the New Friends Colony building, Bandra in four days. She has been painting since the past 17 years all over the world and was invited by the festival. "I am trying to bring two realities of this area together as the building has permanent residents and the opposite walls house the poor. Both of them can enjoy this art. From what I have heard, street art in India isn't that rooted. I come from a structured and regimented place so Mumbai's lifestyle for me is very artistic," said the 37-year-old who is visiting India for the first time.
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