Contemporary street art and graffiti fever has gripped the world. Vivid, relevant, expressive, raw, vibrant and eye-pleasing murals have literally transformed neighbourhoods and cities, the world over.
In the past few years, the love for urban art has gained ground in the eyes of the common man.
Keeping pace, ‘Aamchi Mumbai’ started early in India and caught up explosively. While Bandra, Cuffe Parade, Pali Hill and Chapel Road have been generous with their walls being used as canvases for years, the slums are also getting a makeover now.
The city, as I saw it, had always embraced ideas of wall art projects or larger-than-life depictions – but I have never seen it as vibrant as it is now. It is literally pulsating with some of the coolest murals, illustrations, art installations and message-laced drawings on the walls.
I have known Mumbai for the past eight years, but when I returned to the city lately, one thing that really impressed me was its street art.
Some of the most congested lanes, old docks, slums, neglected corners and decaying walls had been ‘rebooted’ with a fresh breath of creativity and colour.
The variety is impressive – from tribal art to cinema-inspired art, from theme-based graffiti to ‘Green India-Clean Indian’ campaign, works of international graffiti artists to local art students and more. There was one wall in every colony that was making an unapologetic, strong, and thought-provoking art statement.
I believe that more than being a modus operandi for the city’s beautification, murals and graffiti should create dialogue with the onlookers. And this is exactly what the new art scene in Mumbai is aiming to do.
While ‘Bollywood Art Project’ has been bringing unforgettable characters to life on various towering walls and buildings, the work of ‘St+art India project’ at Sassoon docks or the ‘Chal Rang De’ team in Asalpha and other slum neighbourhoods is exemplary of how art can infuse life in the forgotten or neglected parts of any city.
Bandra, Linking Road, Pali Hill, Chapel Road, Andheri and Colaba are some of the best places to start with and indulge in the street art spirit of Mumbai.
These areas boast of some of the most striking Bollywood-inspired murals and works of artists from various cities of India and the world. For maritime history, check out the wall art at the Lion’s Gate. One can’t miss the 142-year-old Sassoon docks which is the oldest fishing market of the city.
Some marvellous work can also be found around the Koli fishing community.
At Asalpha, the murals of the children, women and cats will give you a deeper understanding of the place. The colourful makeover of the slum was even compared to Italy’s Positano.
We aren’t far from the day when India will be ready for street art tourism. The photos here are some of my favourites from Mumbai’s art space.
(A telecom engineer by profession, Manjulika Pramod loves to call herself an artist, short-story writer, big time foodie and a compulsive traveller. She writes for her blog 'PENDOWN' and also contributes to travel magazines and newspapers. Catch her travel updates @manjulika5)
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