Bengaluru

City Projects, Bangalore

In Bengaluru’s streets for the first time, the St+art Festival worked with national and international artists to enliven civic spaces spread across the city. Concepts for artworks took inspiration from the city’s existing milieu as well as its rich history. Spots for these artworks were chosen in regions ranging from Ulsoor and Dhanvantri Road to Church Street and Brigade Road.

Anpu Varkey

New Delhi-based street artist Anpu Varkey painted on a wall in the region of Ulsoor. Located in Central Bangalore, Ulsoor is one of Bangalore’s oldest neighbourhoods. Choosing a wall in a busy part of the locality, Anpu made the moon her central character. Painting the moon was her attempt to establish it as that 'one big object' in the sky that we could all connect with.

Harvest Moon kept the larger public in mind - people who may not be on Facebook or Instagram, but will pass by the area and hopefully identify with the piece.

In an age where everyone is seeking connections using mediums like social media, we miss something as big as the moon, which we hardly look at anymore. Every person has wished upon the moon at some point in their life, and the moon represents our collective hopes and desires.

- Anpu, Artist

Daan Botlek

Dutch artist Daan Botlek divided the entire stretch of Bangalore’s Palace Road underpass into sections. The main motif in Botlek’s work is Greek philosopher Protagoras’ famous quote, ‘Man is the measure of all things'. Featuring his characteristic ‘men’ who were depicted engaging with their surroundings, this artwork followed the precedent set by his previous body of work.

Background Subtraction By Daan Botlek Pranav Gohil 2

In terms of interpretations about his art, this is what Daan had to say: "The meaning of the works is never clear or explained. There are an infinite number of interpretations for the images, any one of which may be considered valid (relativism). The audience is challenged to participate in the creation of the story; a meaning is generated in the process of sorting things out (curiosity)."

Ullas Hydoor

Located on the city’s Dhanvantri Road Ullas Hydoor’s Kempegowda looks up proudly - in a way that is fitting for a man who architected a large portion of Bengaluru. Kempegowda, a ruler under the Vijaynagara Empire, founded the city of Bengaluru in 1537. The mural was Bangalore-based Hydoor’s tribute to Kempegowda - “the man we’ve forgotten in the hunt to grab vacant spaces.”

"We live in a city, continually creating spaces for ourselves without realising its impact on the city itself. So my mural reminds us to pause and consider the things we are building on the hallowed grids of Bengaluru, which were laid out by the planner Kempegowda.” - Ullas

Aravani Art Project

Run by Poornima Sukumar, the Aravani Art Project is an art collective that uses visual arts to create safe spaces for the transgender community. During St+art Bangalore 2016, the foundation collaborated with the collective to create the 'Naavu Idhevi - We Exist’ mural on Dhanvantri Road. The mural features a very significant citizen - the trans-person, and speaks to us of their pertinent existence in today's dense society.

Magnetic Majestic Sameer Kulavoor Pranavgohil

BMRC Metro Stations

As an extension of our ‘Art Stations’ project, three metro stations - Majestic, Church Street and Cubbon Park, were chosen for art interventions during St+art Bangalore 2016. Done in collaboration with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC), the artworks tried to encapsulate the spirit of Bengaluru. The paintings placed special emphasis on local environments and the narratives amidst which the metro stations were located.

Shilo Shiv Suleman’s Mural in K.R. Market

The K.R. market (also known as City Market) is one of Bangalore's oldest markets. It sells all kinds of wares, but is considered to be one of the biggest flower markets in Asia. In this Flower Market, seeing men weaving, measuring and selling flowers is a common sight. Reading it as a beautiful instance of subversion of normative masculinity, artist Shilo Shiv Suleman chose the market as the setting for a mural.

Emerging Artists, Bangalore

Apart from providing established artists with a platform to showcase their work, the festival encouraged local artists to participate in public spaces. Following a callout, 7 emerging artists were chosen to create artworks along the Dhanvantri Road and the Cubbon Park metro station amongst other locations in the city. From mythology and mental illness to notions of freedom and co-existence, the artists’ pieces engaged a wide range of issues, all relevant to the city’s present milieu.

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