11 Best
Graffiti Artists in India
Graffiti is rapidly
gaining acceptance as a genuine art form in many parts of the globe. One of
India's most recent art movements is Graffiti and street art. In recent years,
street art in India has become more popular. Murals have traditionally played a
significant role in India's cultural canon.
To help you understand
what Graffiti is, it is a visual expression created by writing, painting, or
drawing directly on a wall or other surface in plain view of the general
public. Graffiti comes from the Italian term graffiato, which literally
translates to "scratched." In most cases, it is made to provide a
social message.
The Graffiti
Art Scene in India
India's street art scene
has come a long way, from the Buddhist cave paintings of Ajanta to the vibrant
murals of Shahpur Jat. In the past, these urban artworks were considered to be
examples of vandalism. However, circumstances have changed, and urban street
art has now officially emerged into the light to become a new phenomenon.
Street artists have quickly become some of the most well-known artists in the
world.
Artists who used to work
in the shadows at night increasingly exhibit their work in public spaces, from
festivals like NH7 Weekender and Hornbill, Nagaland, to the hippest new cafes
in the area and even alternative art movements like St+Art India's nationwide
campaign to give street art more respect. Let's look at the work of some of
India's most famous Graffiti and street painters.
11 Best
Graffiti Artists in India
Yantr
Yantr is credited for
pioneering modern mural painting as street art in India. His formative years
were spent in his dad's garage, inspiring the choice of his name which means
"machine," in Sanskrit.
His biometric designs
are well-known for the social and political themes they convey. His
masterpiece, Parmanu Muskan, features a Buddha with a mechanical mask and is
widely regarded as one of his best works.
This draws attention to
the country's pressing need to solve environmental problems. Yantr claims the
common folk are interested in artistic expression.
In 2016, Yantr painted
India's highest mural, depicting animal conservation called Mission Leopard, on
a water tank that stood at the height of 115 feet. Yantr's aesthetic
demonstrates his appreciation for mechanics, employing them wherever possible
to do work that appeals to the widest possible audience.
Daku
His name has been tagged
in numerous places for years using certain typefaces and typography, and he is
sometimes referred to as India's version of Banksy. The inaugural street art
festival was held in India in 2013 and was organized by Daku, considered a
pioneer in the graffiti scene in India.
Several high-profile
exhibitions worldwide have marked Daku's career as an artist. Bollywood actors
and actresses have also taken notice of Daku's work. In 2015, he created a room
in Hrithik Roshan's apartment.
He painted one of the
graffitis that made him famous near Delhi's ITO, and it showed a protester with
his eyes covered to symbolize a nation gone blind. The artist has a deep
appreciation for public art initiatives.
The walls of the Khirki
Extention in Delhi are covered with his other well-known paintings. Daku has
helped international artist Bond in the neighborhoods of Hauz Khas and Malviya
Nagar.
Kajal Singh
One of India's earliest
female street painters, Kajal Singh (aka "Dizy"), is widely regarded
as a pioneer in her field. She has made an impression as one of the few female
graffiti artists to identify herself and her work publicly.
Kajal has always loved
creating art, but her interest in hip-hop-inspired her current work. Singh's
approach to street painting is reminiscent of a bygone era. She employs shiny,
blocky, colorful lettering.
The young artist
appreciates the past, as seen by her usage of 1980s-style block lettering in
her pieces. Her most well-known work was a government-funded urban art collaboration
between India and Germany. Kajal's name is now known worldwide because of her
Graffiti in Berlin. She is also active in the graffiti subculture of many major
European cities.
The hip-hop supporter
also collaborated with the well-known sportswear company Nike to advocate for
women in athletics. Before she creates any wall art, she always gets the proper
permits from the relevant authorities.
Ranjit Dahiya
Aamir
One of the most
well-known street painters in India, he gained notoriety for his homage to
Bollywood. For over 18 years, Ranjit Dahiya has been mesmerized by hand-painted
Bollywood posters and street art.
For his urban art
project, Bollywood Art Project (BAP), Ranjit chose the year 2012. Together with
another graffiti artist, Yantr, he painted India's biggest painting, a portrait
of Dadasaheb Phalke, in 2014.
Bollywood legends, from
Big B Amitabh Bachchan to the late Dilip Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan, and
Sridevi, will be honored as part of Dahiya's Bollywood Art Project, which aims
to turn Mumbai into an outdoor museum devoted to the Hindi film business.
In 2012, he launched the
urban art program he had envisioned. The cinema buff promotes himself as an
"all-in-one" artist, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and
professor of art and design.
Jheel Goradia
Jheel Goradia is a
street artist working in Mumbai who uses digital media. She critiques gender
inequality and how women are portrayed in Bollywood through the lens of these
stereotypes.
Her #BreakingTheSilence
project includes a wide variety of works, each distinct from the others. Jheel
uses her artwork to bring attention to the marginalization of women in
Bollywood. Giardia hopes to bring attention to pressing problems and
inequalities in contemporary Indian society, such as sexism, domestic abuse,
eve-teasing, and harassment.
Her work on the project
dates back to her senior year of college, but she has kept it going since then.
Jheel's goal in using Bollywood symbols is to make the film's deeper meanings
more accessible to young audiences.
Jas Charanjiva
Charanjiva was born in
Northern California and raised there. He is one of the co-founders of Kulture
Shop, which is a luxury brand and forum for Indian visual designers from all
over the globe. Her paintings almost always focus on women and the knowledge they
possess.
Her interest in street
art was sparked by the flourishing skateboard and graffiti subculture that
exists in the United States. Since she was a young child of 12, she has had an
unhealthy preoccupation with subterranean street art.
Charanjiva now resides
in Mumbai, and most of her paintings show individuals that don't fit the
typical mold. One of the walls in the Mahim neighborhood of Mumbai is covered
with her most famous piece of street art, which is titled "Don't mess with
me."
Shilo Shiv Suleman
Suleman, who is widely
considered to be one of the most prominent street painters in India, also
identifies strongly as a feminist, which is something that is represented in
her artwork. She is of the opinion that India should have more female street
painters. Her work in Lucknow and in Jor Bagh, which is located in Delhi, are
centered on honoring the lives of women.
Suleman's company, The
Fearless Collective, was tasked with the task of creating murals in Lucknow
that portrayed the investigation of feminine desire. Her work on the streets of
Jor Bagh was a tribute to the life and work of the women in the city's
waste-picking industry.
One of her murals in
Jaipur, in which she opted to honor the LGBTQ population, is one of the most
talked-about examples of her work
Zine
Zine, one of the first
graffiti writers in India, got his start in 2005. The New Delhi-based graffiti
artist started by signing his true name in pencil on a lamppost. Zine
gravitated into rap and Graffiti as he matured. Specifically, Zine's older
brother's collection of 1990s rap cassettes first piqued Zine's interest in the
genre.
Zine creates exciting
works characterized by geometric forms and vivid colors. The creator calls his
approach "Wildstyle," which describes his preferred aesthetic.
Zine loves to express
himself creatively via Graffiti, and he seldom sets any strict parameters for
himself when he paints. Branding in his name can be seen all around Delhi,
splashed on the pavement in a rainbow of hues.
In places like Madhya
Pradesh, Delhi, and Mizoram, he has adorned the walls with large-scale,
impressive street art. His artworks include oddball patterns and characters.
The artist is enthusiastic about teaming up with creative minds in India and
beyond. The majority of his artworks are fence posts and walls along major
thoroughfares.
Anpu Varkey
Although Anpu Varkey is
now well recognized as one of India's top street painters, she trained as a
painter. She is an Artist from Bengaluru whose fame spreads to neighboring
towns like Cochin and Trivandrum with her outstanding creations.
In her paintings, she
strives to evoke a sense of feeling in the viewer. Varkey earned his fine arts
certificate from London's Central St. Martins Byam Shaw School of Art.
Anpu is noted for her
trademark cat-themed murals of varied proportions. Since 2011, Anpu has been
assisting with organizing street art events across India. In 2014, Anpu
released her debut graphic book, Jaba, which follows her cat for a day.
Varkey has participated
in major events, including the Shillong Street Art Festival and the Rishikesh
Street Art Festival. The Dizzy mural in the Mumbai neighborhood of Mahim is her
most well-known work. She also helped the German artist Hendrik Beikirch on the
renowned Mahatma Gandhi painting at the Delhi Police headquarters.
A-Kill
The Indira Nagar Railway
Station in Chennai is home to India's biggest panoramic mural, which A-Kill
painted. The 'We Are' painting aims to bring attention to the plight of those
living with HIV/AIDS. Common experiences serve as inspiration for A-art. Kill's
graffiti artist from Chennai specializes in portraiture. One of the most
renowned paintings of A-Kill is in Chennai's urban slum, Kannagi Nagar.
A remarkable instance of
photorealism, the mural shows two happy sisters on two parallel buildings.
A-Kill also likes to mentor budding artists. He has given various seminars. In
one of his most popular workshops, he taught people in Chennai about stenciling
and spray painting as part of St+art India.
Prithviraj Shinde
You won't believe it,
but Shinde is color blind. At age 10, the bright young artist was diagnosed as
being Protan color blind. His loved ones have supported his efforts to become
one of India's top street painters.
After Shinde's kind
friends pooled their resources to buy him a set of EnChroma spectacles, his
whole perspective on the world shifted. He was born and reared in Mumbai and
began drawing and painting at the tender age of four.
He was born into a
creative household. Inspiring him to think creatively, his works of art have
allowed him to break away from conventional approaches. Shinde finds
inspiration from both classical and contemporary artists.
Conclusion
While these were a few names to mention, there
are several budding talented graffiti artists these days. Street art events
hosted in Delhi and Shillong have motivated numerous artists to take up street
painting as a full-time job. It's really great to see an artform, so visually
appealing and morally educating, being encouraged by like-minded people these
days.
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