It is a breezy afternoon in January. Navigating through a sea of cars, a yellow-green auto parks itself outside a Louis Philippe showroom in South Extension, New Delhi. A dingy alley beside the showroom leads us to an elevator. On the second floor is the makeshift workshop of St+art India. We are here to meet Lady Aiko, the acclaimed Japanese stencil and graffiti artist.
St+art India is a non-profit organisation founded by Hanif Kureshi, Arjun Bahl and Giulia Ambrogi that collaborates with renowned international and Indian artists to transform Indian cities. In January 2014, St+art Delhi assembled 50 artists in and around Shahpur Jat and beautified it with interesting murals and installations. In November they moved to Mumbai. St+art India is back this year to paint across several sites in Delhi and tackle social issues like women empowerment, urbanisation and pollution. Each project is in association with government bodies like MCD and NDMC and will be located in different parts of the city; one being Lodhi Colony.
Sheaves of sheets the size of newspapers, printed with patterns in black and white are scattered around this building in South Extension that is presumably under construction. St+art India’s curator, Giulia Ambrogi, introduces us to Lady Aiko, who will be creating her biggest stencil-and-graffiti work, measuring 33x10m as part of the festival. “It is like climbing the Himalayas,” she says, when asked if she is nervous.
Lady Aiko shot to fame as an artist when she moved from Tokyo to New York in the mid-1990s. In 2008, she collaborated with Banksy to shoot photos of him illegally installing his work at MoMa, Brooklyn Museum, Natural History Museum and The Met. Aiko has successfully combined her Japanese roots with her experience of living in the U.S. to produce art that reflects Eastern and Western influences in equal measure. Through the use of a variety of media like spray paint, acrylic and glitter, Aiko has created her own brand of art that is colourful and celebrates sexuality and human life through catchy visuals. This is her first visit to India and she is excited about exploring the country and understanding how India reacts to street art.
The next time, we meet Aiko in a sparsely crowded road opposite the Meherchand Market in Lodhi Colony. The sight that welcomes us is beyond imposing; it is a masterpiece in progress. The paper stencils that made little sense inside a construction site in South Extension are now the building blocks of the largest stencil work in the world. The subject of her work is interesting; she has chosen to paint the Rani of Jhansi. What meaning does this figure of a bygone era in Indian history hold for a Japanese artist from New York? Aiko explains, “When I decided to paint in India, I began my research. The context had to be located within India but also tie with my overall work. Rani of Jhansi was both.”
Aiko associates the strength of Rani Lakshmibai’s character with her own struggles as a woman artist. “I’m Lady Aiko only now. But when I started out 15 years ago, I was the only woman doing street art. So many times I was told, directly or indirectly, you’re an Asian girl and here is your little wall on which you can paint whatever you like, while men would work on larger walls and works. But I continued to paint and look where it has landed me!”
Aiko is acutely aware of the minority she represents in the world of street art. “Street art isn’t easy. A lot of it is physical work. You have to climb walls and get accustomed to the dirt and grime that is part and parcel of the job. Not every woman is ready to wash her hair four times a day!” But she derives great joy from her challenging work. The excitement of creating art that is larger than life keeps her going.
On the shared wall of two residential blocks in Lodhi Colony, Rani Lakshmibai takes shape through Aiko’s stencil cut-outs and expert spray-painting techniques. Rickshaw pullers and local vendors stand and stare at the work in progress. Many triumphantly declare that it is indeed Rani of Jhansi in the making. Street urchins who live beyond the posh locality stand on their toes and observe Aiko dip her brush in paint. There is a growing murmur in the vicinity of the wall and excitement levels soar with each brushstroke. Aiko agrees, “There is certainly a lot of curiosity for street art in India. I was sitting on the pavement yesterday, when a woman came and told me what a wonderful thing I was doing.”
The sentiment is echoed by men and women alike. A group of men crowding around the wall remark, “This has never happened before. But it’s great; it is making our area more beautiful.” That street art is a means of beautification is widely accepted, but it also begs the question of whether street art can stand for something more. A bold and beautiful mural of Rani of Jhansi could become a symbol for strength for the residents of Lodhi Colony, but the onus truly lies with the beholders of this work of art.
Abhilasha Kumar, a Young India Fellow at Ashoka University, is collaborating with St+art India to cover and document their festival.
