Have you ever been driving when you caught a glimpse of an artwork on a building? Would you classify that as vandalism or art? Graffiti is when someone writes or draws something without authorization and in plain sight on a wall or another surface. Where, then, does the distinction between vandalism and art lie? Ironically, a graffiti artwork is the first image that appears when you search for vandalism.
In our society, people immediately take action to stop graffiti in whatever form. Most people have convinced themselves that graffiti is vandalism. A spray paint can is merely a tool, used by artists to produce works of art. Graffiti is a medium for mass communication, just like other painting tools. It can get a person's opinions and voices heard in an anonymous way, and get people talking. Graffiti has much more power than we think.
These days though, Graffiti has gained a lot more prominence than before in India. Indian Graffiti artists have completely turned around the table with their talent. Starting from current affairs, political issues, mythology and even contemporary, these artists have covered it all. Moreover Graffiti and Murals should not be new concepts for Indians. The first mural to be traced back in time would be in the 2nd century BC, a Buddhist Cave Painting discovered in the Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra. Also, when we do visit rural regions of our country we would find local people painting their mud-huts with colourful designs and sometimes even murals for decorative purposes. Also in the 80’s and 90’s we would find hand painted Bollywood movie posters everywhere around the country. All of these instances suggests that art can be visualised and conveyed through anything be it a canvas or a simple wall.
Source- Pinterest
Source- scroll.in
Street Art/Graffiti came into purpose only after 1980’s in India. Previously wall art only meant political parties hiring artists to paint walls for promoting their parties. West Bengal is an extremely politically driven state. Even now in parts of Bengal every year during the time of election process you would find walls being painted with party symbols and slogans.
Retired banner artist and art critic, V.Jeevananthan from Coimbatore, also agrees to the fact that wall paintings back at his time in the late 1960’s were only limited to commercial and political purposes only. Wall Art in Coimbatore is a very recent trend which started around 4-5 years back.
Source-BBC News
Graffiti practices started increasing in the regions of Delhi and Mumbai from the year of 2006 or 2007, when artists such as Yantra, Daku and Zine started painting off the cities and gaining prominence and attention. With the advent of street artists, street art festivals were also organized around different parts of the country. For example, St+Art India Foundation gathers a good support from various artists across the country and keep organizing various events with them and for them. The whole purpose of this foundation is to create murals to beautify public spaces but with due permission and as well give recognition to the artists within the process. The Delhi, Shillong and The Kolkata Art Festival by Jogen Choudhury have also added to the promotion of street artists.
Some of the must visit places to see and explore street art in India are as follows-
Fort Kochi, Cochin has some of the most amazing street art across the country. Fort Kochi gets its resemblance and identity from the beautiful street art it has been hosting for so many years. They host art festivals and ceremonies in Kochi and adjoining Mattancherry region. The first one was annual exhibition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012.
In frame-Kochi Wall Art, Source-Kochiconnect.in
Delhi has some epic street art and artists. The dull streets and pathways in Delhi has been consistently replacing themselves with amazing eye gagging street art for the last few years. The Lodhi Street is one of the best examples of how artists have showcased their talent through street art. St+Art Foundation in Delhi, which showcases Street art and artists, i is also one of the main reasons behind this change.
In frame-Lodhii Wall Art, Delhi, Source-Thinkingthefuture.com
Kolkata is a city which has been always known for it’s culture, heritage, politics etc. Street Art has taken over the walls of Kolkata as well. The Street art Festival organized in Kolkata every year is also a must visit for all artists. Some of the most famous streets would include names of park Street, Loudon Street, St. Lawrence High School etc.
In frame-Kolkata Street Art Festival, Source-aninews.in
Bandra, Mumbai is one of the busiest and hustle filled places in India. But along with the hustle goes on the creativity as well. Apart from the many museums present here to display art, it can just be seen on the streets everywhere. The other places which brim of inspiration, art and color would also include Mahim, Dharavi etc.
In frame- Street Art in Bandra, Source-azureskyfollows.com
Other must visit places for exploring Street Art would definitely include Bangalore, Chennai, Thrissur, Gokarna, French colony (Pondicherry) etc.
Graffiti is such an art form that is not legalized and considered vandalism in many parts of the world including India. But for the last few years as it is gaining prominence over the country, so are the artists. Many artists prefer to keep their names hidden or keep a pseudo name for this same reason as well. Some of the most famous artists will include names like Wicked Broz, Daku, Zine, Yantr, Zake, Mel and a lot more.
Daku whose name means ‘bandit’ is a street artist from Bangalore known since 2013, for his artworks which mocked the system. He is recognized as one of the pioneers of street art in India.
Source-Indianexpress.com
Zake is another notable 20 year old, street artist from Mumbai who has won several awards for his artworks here and abroad.
Source-inuth.com
There are around more than 10 styles of Graffiti art present today. 5 of the most popular styles would be-
TAGGING- Tagging is one of the most simple, easy and recognized form of Graffiti. These days taggers use Graffiti for easy fame as they mark their own territory by tagging their names everywhere. This style uses only one color. It is considered to be disrespectful to tag on some another artists Graffiti.
In frame- Tagging Graffiti, Source-artsuppluguide.co.uk
PIECE/ CHARACTER- Piece is actually the short form of “Masterpiece’. As the name suggests the artists make this form of graffiti free-hand. It is time-consuming and requires much more effort than the other forms of graffiti.
In frame- Piece Graffiti, Art Lounge, Kala Ghoda Store
STENCIL GRAFFITI- As the name suggests a Stencil Graffiti uses stencils made out of cardboards, paper etc. Then the artist will spray paint against the cut-out accordingly. These stencils can be of anything be it text, image, numbers etc.
In frame- Stencil Graffiti, Source-dreamstime.com
POSTERS/ POST-UPS- Posters or post-ups are a quick and convenient form of graffiti art. The artists generally make the posters at their homes and then just stick it out on different locations. Like Stencil Graffiti these can also be used for mass replications.
In frame- Poster Graffiti, Source- needpix.com
LETTERING- Lettering has been one of the most common forms of Graffiti for the longest time. There are so many sub-groups under this category as well which include Wild Style, Blockbuster, Bubbles and Sharp.
In frame- Lettering Graffiti (Type-Blockbuster), Source-journeyforevermag.com
Ever wondered what tools and paints these artists explore through to make such wonders? Ever thought of taking a spray-can and just paint the biggest wall you see next. The basic toolset for making Graffiti includes paint spray cans, chalks for outlining, stencils for delicate designs, markers, brushes, nozzles and masks for protection from chemical hues while painting.
Montana Spray Cans gives you exactly what you want. Artists like Mel (@melsmake) use Montana Spray Cans for its easy application on large surfaces. Montana Markers and Nozzles are very helpful for making thick or thin strokes according to the need of the artist as well. When in need of a refill, Montana has a series of colour refills too. So what are you waiting for? Grab a can now!
Art Lounge and Montana Cans collaborated in the year of 2019 for the event “Graffiti Jam”. India’s top Graffiti artists participated in the event and made it successful. They created beautiful artworks, all in their different unique styles at our Kala Ghoda Store.