The car slows, legs falter and eyes swivel to the many murals on the walls of schools, hospitals and homes in Delhi’s Lodhi Colony, a quiet neighborhood known as the Lodhi Art District for the past 10 years.
On Sunday (September 22, 2024), Hanif Kureshi, the creative leader behind India’s first public art district and a visionary artist and designer remembered for “making democratic art”, died of cancer in Goa. He is 41 years old.
The giant murals, some freshly painted and others in various stages of life, stand as a silent witness to the people who started the street art movement across the country, starting from the government staff housing colony in 2015.
Mr. Kureshi founded the St+art Foundation, a non-profit organization, with four others – Arjun Bahl, Akshat Nauriyal, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas – in 2013. The goal is to paint the streets of India.
Speaking about Mr Kureshi’s inspirations which lie in the St+art Foundation and the Lodhi Art District, Mr Bahl said he had always wanted “to be a democratic art for all”.
“This is one of the reasons why he started the project all over the country. He really likes the streets of India, he finds them colorful,” said Mr. Bahl PTI.
He remembered Mr. Kureshi as a “very generous” person who was always ready to teach others about his art and techniques.
The group started seven art districts across the country in the last 10 years, four of which are active – Lodhi art district, Ukkadam art district in Coimbatore, Mahim art district in Mumbai and Nochi art district in Chennai.
A pilot project in Delhi that started with two murals now has more than 60 national and international artists.
Mr. Kureshi, who is known for his style of mixing typography and street culture in his art, has written in one of his Instagram posts that he wants to take “art from conventional galleries and museums and make it accessible to the public”.
Despite being diagnosed with cancer about 15 months ago, Mr Kureshi remained “upbeat and positive”, Mr Bahl said.
“He hopes to beat this unfortunate disease. He never showed anyone whether he was suffering or not, he was always smiling and very positive,” she said.
Condolences poured in as art lovers and artists remembered India’s “graffiti pioneer” who left a legacy that will “continue to inspire generations”.
One X user, Angad B. Sodhi posted that Mr. Kureshi is a “disciple of the typographic tradition of Indian street signs”.
“…the practice he brought from the street to the world of high art through the ‘HandpaintedType’ collection. I have long remembered his work to raise art from the walls of the horrible gallery to people on the street,” wrote Mr. Sodhi in X.
Another person, Edward Anderson, remembers Mr. Kureshi for making “an enormous impact on the visual landscape of urban India”.
“So sad to hear about Hanif Kureshi, who has passed away so far away. Hanif was an amazing person… and did great work to celebrate and preserve the art of hand-painted signs in India,” Mr Anderson wrote.
“When I look and see the beautiful wall art in Delhi, I always smile. It warms my heart and makes my day brighter. It’s sad to hear that the person responsible for so much, Hanif Kureshi, has died at the age of 41,” Ms. Kaveri posted on X .
St+art Foundation took to Instagram to share the news of Mr. Kureshi’s passing. The post remembered Mr Kureshi as a “gifted mentor, collaborator, friend, father and husband”.
“His vision and charisma helped to shape the public art landscape in India with the many projects he has contributed to. He is dedicated to nurturing a community of artists, designers and creatives who trust him with his faithful guidance. He is a pioneering figure for graffiti and street art with tags spread across destination cities,” the organization said.
Be it the towering portrait of Mahatma Gandhi on the side of the Delhi Police Headquarters in ITO, the colorful caricatures of people on the walls of a metro station in Bengaluru, or the black-and-white portraits of the residents of Nochikuppam in Chennai, the art inspired by the Kureshi Movement is one and all.
As expected.
Published – September 24, 2024 22:52 IST
