Art Districts
Lodhi Art District
As part of St+art Delhi 2016, the Foundation worked in close collaboration with CPWD to reinvigorate the walls between Khanna Market and Meherchand Market, and to convert Lodhi Colony into India’s first Public Art District. The aim of the project was to work closely with government bodies and the community of Lodhi Colony to create art works in public spaces. By the end of the project in 2016, twenty three murals were added to the area. Today, with fifty six and more artworks, the colony is widely recognized as the first open-air art district of the country and the reception received by it in terms of footfall, the number of tours and walks being organised, photo and video shoots taking place, and an increased sense of community pride amongst its inhabitants encourages us to build on the art district every year.
Maqtha Art District
Located next to the Hussain Sagar lake - one of Hyderabad’s prime locations, the Maqtha neighbourhood provided us with the ideal setting to initiate work on the vision of St+art Hyderabad 2016 - to make the city’s public spaces more interactive. 11 artworks were created in the neighbourhood by national and international artists over a month. Upon completion of artworks, the neighbourhood was launched as India’s third, open-for-all, public art district. More artworks were added to the area in the subsequent editions of the festival.
Mahim (E) Art District
In October 2017, the region of Mahim (E) in Mumbai became the launchpad for India’s third open-air, public art district. Encompassing the areas of Dharavi, Matunga Labour Camp and Shahu Nagar - together forming Mahim (E), the art district saw the creation of artworks by national and international artists who used local narratives to inspire their pieces. Artworks in the region were conceptualised and executed with the objective of encouraging the city’s citizens - who generally might not venture into Shahu Nagar and Mahim (E) - to both discover its cultural milieu and get a chance to engage with its people.
Panjim Art District
India’s fourth public art district - the Panjim Art District, was founded in 2017, as part of St+art Goa 2017. Over the years, a diverse set of artists has used distinct stylistic approaches to create pieces inspired by their respective interpretations of the city. Spread across key buildings of the town-centre, today the Panjim Art District has a total of fourteen murals each of which is in a dialogue with the unique culture and ethos of Goa in its own way.