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.

 

Buy Cosmos Spray Paints for Your Graffiti Art Today!

If you are looking to get started into Graffiti and street paintings or looking forward to getting some new colors to try your hands on, you are at the right place! Enter into the new world of colors with Cosmos Sprays' premium spray paints. We have devised several options for customers who wish to give their graffiti a fresh appearance or need to end up with the finishing touches on their artwork like never before.