On a windy Sunday afternoon at Lodhi Art District, the colourful murals at the Lodhi Art Festival gleamed in the sun as a curated walk through the six new murals offered insight into the artists’ inspirations and styles, beyond what meets the eye. Organised by the St+Art India Foundation, which works to democratise public art for communities, the festival has drawn visitors from across the world, including diplomats.‘Inspired by Lodhi Colony’s Architecture’The artists said they wanted to incorporate the architecture into their work rather than paint around it, carefully weaving windows, archways and eaves into the murals. Sanjana Singh, walk leader from St+Art India Foundation led the group through the newest murals in the district and said, “What began as an idea 10 years ago has spanned across Lodhi Colony and 65 murals, which mean 65 stories and 65 experiences. So many international and national artists from around the world have collaborated and shaped the Lodhi Art district.”
Visual artist Svabhu Kohli putting final touches on his mural
‘A community of people worked on the murals’Anoushka Rabha, curator of this edition of Lodhi Art Festival, shared, “We’ve built a community of people who work on the murals. Many who started with us a decade ago are Lodhi residents and continue to grow with us. It brings joy to the streets and everyday life – people leave for work, pass these colourful walls, and carry a bit of that joy with them.”
Jumu’s Indian-Andean inspired mural portrays a marketplace in bright colours
Of identity and memoriesJumu, a Berlin-based artist with Peruvian and Chilean roots, wanted to explore identity and memory. She depicts a marketplace scene in her mural where women interact with each other, while pointing out the similarities of Indian and Andean cultures. “The women wear bindis, sport flowers in their hair. The archway has the word jaaduyi written in Hindi which translates to magical in English. It’s painted in a Peruvian chicha typography,” Sanjana said.
Daybreak is about the slow joys of the city before the hustle begins
Chronicling the daybreakCrafted by Polish artist Bartek Swiatecki aka Pener, Daybreak is inspired by the early hours of the morning where the city is awake but still relatively silent – the calm before the chaos that inspired the artist in Delhi. Sanjana explained, “Pener wanted to bring out the essence of the colour moonlit silk which is the butter yellow shade here. It is the time in the day when the night is over but sunrise hasn’t happened yet. He used the colour as a base for all the abstract shapes that he has painted. The colour gives that depth to the painting that has been done exactly how time gives us the depth to the day that will commence.”
Svabhu Kohli’s collaboration with Ram depicts a range of uniquely imagined animals
Revisiting the sketchbookSvabhu Kohli, a visual artist from Goa, collaborated with specially-abled artist Ram from Arunachal Pradesh, merging their styles to create a mural based on drawings from Ram’s sketchbook. Unable to step out, Ram sketches what he imagines as he looks through his window – his vision of Pakke Tiger Reserve. He shared, “What you see are many of Ram’s drawings mixed and morphed, which amalgamate. The animals are all coming toward the arch which is like a window and it serves as a reminder of how Ram looks out and dreams of the outside world. It’s also a subtle reminder to see what’s around us.” He added, “The colours are a mix of both of our styles and since I also use a lot of colour, it was a seamless collaboration between us.”
Sky as a Camouflage by Elian Chali shifts as you move along the mural
The camouflageArgentinian artist Elian Chali, often uses movement, light, and environment as a way to communicate his work. His work, Sky As A Camouflage, is not necessarily a narrative, but about how this changes. The wall unfolds anamorphically as you move forward.
Water: Past, Present, Future makes passersby reflect on water conservation
Focus: Water conservationCo-created by late street artist Hanif Kureshi and UK-based visual artist Raissa Pardini, the mural was developed in collaboration with the British Council. It reflects on water conservation in Delhi and across India. Structured through a temporal lens – Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow – it asks viewers to consider how water was valued historically, how it is negotiated in the present, and how it must be protected for the future.
Garden of Encounters blends three artistes across two cultures into one
Cultures on the wallGarden of Encounters, a collaboration between Spanish artist SUSO33 and Indian artists Tarini Sethi and Ishaan Bharat, was recently launched by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez during his recent visit to India. It is named such because three different artists came together with unique art styles and ideas. SUSO33 is ambidextrous and through his freeflowing designs he depicts the movement of the city while Ishaan’s designs are futuristic in form. Tarini Sethi blends European and modern art culture through her work in the mural.“This mural was a part of India-Spain relations, which makes Lodhi very global also in nature. People come from different backgrounds from around the world and they can find their culture and their experience represented here at Lodhi Art District. We started here and gained momentum to expand to other cities but the heart and soul of our organisation is in Lodhi,” Sanjana shared.
