A couple of weeks ago, Jim Bachor hit the headlines for filling craters on the pavements of Chicago with “vermin.”
A guerilla artist, Bachor had levelled these gaping roadside holes, using tiles bearing images of dead rats, cockroaches and pigeons. He was seeking to draw the attention of Chicago’s civic authorities to the problem of vermin infestation. Not only the local civic authorities, but the world at large took note of Bachor’s work of art.
Closer home, in Karnataka, Baadal Nanjundaswamy practises a similar brand of street art that puts the spotlight on broken roads and potholes. He paints images or plants sculptures around them.
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In 2015, he installed a sculpture of a crocodile in a pothole causing Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to take prompt action. It also earned him the title “crocodile artist.”
Welcome to “guerilla art,” mildly disruptive in nature, but effective in its results. Chennai can adopt a softer version of this art form. In recent times, there is a spurt in initiatives to beautify streets and neighbourhoods by painting walls. Civic activists, activist-artists ad residents have been conducting such exercises, after informing authorities about it. The images almost always have to do with arresting sceneries. Why not paint images that portray the civic issues prevalent in the area? They will serve as a reminder to residents and civic authorities about what has to be done.
That way, Chennai will be promoting a unique brand of guerilla art.
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Guerilla art is distinctly different from graffiti in that it leaves art in unconventional spaces to attract attention.
“We don’t go to an art gallery every day but we do walk on the streets. What better medium for artists to express themselves while seeking to highlight problems plaguing the common man,” says Shivkumar, who manages Karam Korpom (Stop Abusing Public Spaces). The NGO has been giving a facelift to abused public spaces in Chennai by inviting volunteers every week for wall art projects.
Will guerilla art prove to be an effective agent of change in Chennai?
“Why not? This form of street art has not been explored in Chennai. But if expressed in the right manner, it can be a tool for positive change. Street art has the potential to reach a larger audience as it unanimously attracts the attention of the people, media and the authorities concerned. For example, if there is a painting around a pothole, it not only becomes a work of art but warns road users of the potential danger. Besides, there is no way it can miss the eyes of civic authorities,” he says.
Novelty always have a greater traction among people.
“Sometime ago, in a few cities in North India, traffic departments greeted traffic violators with flowers instead of fines. The unexpected response to traffic violations had an impact,” says Shivkumar
He also thinks that involving the community can transform it into a larger movement. “Artists might be bullied on the streets when they work alone or even stopped from doing their work. For instance, a person who is tearing up posters from a wall all alone can be perceived to be crazy. But when a group of people do it, others will know it is being done to improve the look of the locality. Similarly, street artists too should work together to make a meaningful impact; they should at the same time refrain from doing anything that will cause the public any inconvenience,” he says.