27: St+Art movement with Hanif Kureshi

St+art India is the brainchild of 5 co-founders all belonging to diverse backgrounds. Founded in 2014 by Arjun Bahl, Hanif Kureshi, Giulia Ambrogi, Akshat Nauriyal, and Thanish Thomas. St+art India is a not-for-profit foundation with the intent of making art more democratic. St+art explores the synergy between art and its ability to transcend socio-cultural barriers and lead to the exchange of ideas through unique and collectively shared experiences in public space. St+art has made over, 500 artworks in 10 Indian cities with more than 100 artists from over 25 countries. You can check out Episode # 78 where I spoke to Giulia Ambrogi about St+art project and insights into murals. Today I have Hanif Kureshi with us on Audogyan. Hanif is a Designer, Typographer, and the Artistic Director and Co-founder of St+art India Foundation. He is one of the most sought after artists in India. Today we are here to discuss painting on streets. Thanks, Hanif for giving your time and it's a real pleasure to have you on Audiogyan. Topic St+Art movement with Hanif Kureshi. Questions I am quoting you from one of your articles online, "While graffiti was once considered a nuisance, it is now a wonderful showcase of alternative art, a sub-culture that sometimes surpasses the mainstream in its fanbase." - I have 2 questions. 1, Why was it considered a nuisance? 2. How & why did it change? Is street art an Indian thing? Where do you see it’s rooted in India? What role does space play while making artworks of such huge sizes? Can you share any particular example/case study? Borrowing from the Startindia website, "Indian streets are very unique. They are a microcosm of the millions of diverse voices that co-exist in this vast and wonderful nation of ours." - How do you pick subject/theme of what to draw? Both in temporary and permanent structures. The cut-out type work is very dominant in the south of India. What can be learned from it and push the envelop further? Can you share a few positives and few negatives while making this street art movement? From establishments, from art creators/lovers and general audience? How does street art influence the aesthetics of the overall society/area/community? You guys are also involved with the ‘Smart Cities’ program and the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. Can you talk more about it? What is the long term future of St+art movement? https://st-artindia.org (https://st-artindia.org/) https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/see/story/27477/street-art-in-delhi-i https://www.instagram.com/startindia/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEHZpPCZN2yeNTXlH41Cyw https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation