Over a week ago travelled SatOne to India invited to take part in a peculiar project organised by the local Goethe-Institut and curated by Georg Zolchow. In Chennai he spent several days working on this new collaboration with M.P. Dhakshana, a talented local hoarding painter bringing to life this interesting mural.
“Curiosity” gives form to an exquisite mix, not only of two completely different styles, but also two very different cultures carefully interrelated through vibrant colour choices and clever use of the painted surface and imagery. A conceptualised visual dialogue of two vastly different styles of art
But, and following the hoarding painters tradition, the mural also works as a billboard, a visual announcement of a bigger urban art festival taking place in Chennai at the beginning of next year where SatOne will also be taking part of.
The mural explained:
“This arresting mural in Chennai, India, does more than just bring together two very different styles. It also unites two completely diverse painting techniques, two cultures and two histories. With intricate details, the mural painted by SatOne and M.P. Dhakshana is the result of the first collaboration between an urban artist with a traditional Indian film hoarding painter. Set in the frame of a project organised by the local Goethe-Institut and curated by Georg Zolchow, the two artists worked on a common wall.
In a workshop SatOne and M.P. Dhakshana chose to create a fictitious film poster titled ‘Curiosity’. This theme was interpreted by each artist in his own unique style, with each taking a individual path, yet finding ways to merge the styles into one piece of art.
This is the first step towards a movement of urban art in Chennai. Public spaces have been dominated for decades by the art of these often nameless film hoarding painters, who created massive hoardings that coloured the city. Since the late 90s these striking paintings are disappearing. However, the interest in urban art is noticeably increasing as India’s young seek new creative outlets. In this sense the painting of SatOne and M.P. Dhakshana is not just an homage to the hoarding painters, but also a landmark as it’s the first significant urban art project in the region.”
The work in progress…
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
