A big blue wall — standing tall and visible to all. On it is a multi-coloured bird and a few representations of flora. All, painted with a gamut of bright colours — greens, pinks and blues. The mural, which takes up an entire wall of the three-storied Chennai Corporation Higher Secondary School does not stay hidden; it screams for attention at this quiet neighbourhood of Kalyanapuram in Vyasarpadi. And finally, St+art India has managed to find its way into the city of Chennai — in this case, North Chennai.
In collaboration with Asian Paints’ ‘Donate A Wall’ programme, St+art India Foundation had identified this wall, with the help of people in the neighbourhood. An artists’ organisation that promotes public art as a means to make art accessible to everyone, has an impressive track record of transforming unlikely spaces into works of art. Their latest project, Lodhi Art District in New Delhi, is testament to the same.
Art for all
For Sathish, a resident of Kalyanapuram, this particular wall meant much more than a grey concrete structure. His mother, went to school here and Sathish had always wanted some kind of artwork done on this wall. When Ritesh Sharma, the project manager was looking around for walls, Sathish was more than willing to help. When they received permission from the principal of the school to start work, they started right away and Mexican artist Senkoe and partner Valentina were brought in. “This project called Donate A Wall was a campaign in different cities. Anyone from the local community can participate and put up the picture of a wall that they wish to donate,” Ritesh explains the process. Sathish was the one who sent the entry.
CHENNAI, 24/03/2019: Artists Senkoe and Valentina 'Nature' painting the wall of Chennai Corporation Higher Secondary School, C Kalyanapuram, Vyasarpadi in Chennai on March 24, 2019 organised by St+art India Foundation. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
Before long, St+art India adopted this wall for the first international graffiti of the city. “The Deputy Commissioner of Vyasarpadi (North Zone) was very excited with this project. The fact that Government officials are completely supportive of encouraging art in the region, amazed me,” he continues. The response from the local community too, was overwhelming. By his Tamil-speaking friends in Vyasarpadi, Ritesh was told that the people were very curious when the mural was being done. So much so that they were even confused and in awe at one point — “Why are they doing this for us?” But they embraced the change.
Metaphors in colour
Senkoe, the Mexican artist behind the mural, feels the same. Hours before their flight from Chennai, Senkoe speaks to me in Spanish and Valentina translates, “They were very warm and familiar. They would even invite us home for a meal.” For him, this was a very unique experience. Apart from that, the duo feels that the city has art in every nook and corner.
CHENNAI, 24/03/2019 : For City Desk : Artists Senkoe and Valentina 'Nature' painting the wall of Chennai Corporation Higher Secondary School, C Kalyanapuram, Vyasarpadi in Chennai on Sunday organised by St+art India foundation. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
The mural depicts a radiant bird with sharp features, soaring towards the sky, while flowers and butterflies, accompany it. The orange beak and the gleaming eye does not fail to catch the attention of passers-by. He says, “The idea was to invite everyone, especially children, to take care of the environment; and to take care of the place we live in.” Since it is a public piece of art, they believe that it is likely to create a larger impact. Senkoe believes that the best way to spread this message, is through images since art “breaks all the boundaries of language.”
The colours were inspired by his Mexican origin which concentrates on bright colours. “It’s not an intentional usage, it’s more of a natural trait,” he says. The artist believes that there are a lot of similarities between the Mexican style of art and Indian sensibilities. Hence, the colours and patterns do not surprise.
