The spectacular abstract painting nudged me to explore the Lodhi colony area further. A walk around Lodhi Art District, which is snuggled between the Meherchand market and Khanna market, presented a place in the process of huge transformation. The Art District is a culmination of mesmerizing efforts by over 25 street artists from India as well as around the world. These artists have created masterpieces to give Lodhi Colony area a makeover since December 2015. Lodhi Art District is in fact a huge open air art gallery of contemporary art accessible to one and all.
The vibrant colors and larger-than-life paintings made us awestruck. The paintings showcased various art forms ranging from Indian Tribal Gond Art, Shekhawati paintings (miniature art) to international drawing and art techniques. Some murals had elements of capital city and its people while others were inspired by issues related to gender, environment et al. The artists have left their indelible mark on city and our hearts with such beautiful creations.
The most striking mural was the 'hand in tricolor' in Block-4 of Lodhi Colony facing the Meherchand market. We later found out it is done by a French artist - Chifumi. He has depicted the Padma Mudra - a symbolic Indian hand gesture with some Khmer patterns from Combodia.
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| Padma Mudra painted by French Artist Chifumi at Lodhi Art District in Lodhi Colony, New Delhi |
Lodhi Art District is a marquee project of St+Art Foundation in making the urban living spaces of the National Capital Delhi a visual spectacle. The artists have come together under the banner of St+Art Foundation, a non-profit organization, that works on art projects in public spaces. Their website declares the aim of the organization as
"to make art accessible to a wider audience by taking it out of the conventional gallery space and embedding it within the cities we live in - making art truly democratic and for everyone"An initiative by Urban Development Ministry in partnership with St+Art foundation Lodhi Art District seeks to raise awareness on cleanliness as part of the Swachch Bharat mission spearheaded by the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As city dwellers with an academic interest in everything urban - structures, philosophy and life in general - we at Noida Diary track and appreciate issues and projects that contribute towards improving quality of life in the city. Lodhi Art District, India's first public art district, is a benchmark for rest of India. This will promote clean cities and Street Art form which is relatively new in India. Lodhi Art District has certainly raised the bar in developing and improving cityscapes with street art. The Public Art District paradigm should be replicated across India. Hope our urbanists are listening!
Meanwhile, have a dekko at the other spectacular work of street artists captured at Lodhi Art District, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi.
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| Beautiful Street Art of a Flock of Birds on this Gate at Lodhi Art District |
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| Abstract Painting by Australian Street Artist Reko Rennie on the Street Facing Meharchand Market |
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Gond - an Indian Tribal Art Form depicted in this Mural at Lodhi Art District |
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| Happily Posing for Noida Diary at Lodhi Art District, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi |
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| Painting by Iraninan Artist Nafir Based on Women's Right in Eastern Part of the World |
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| Lodhi Art District is Dotted with Beautiful Murals |
Reaching there:
Lodhi Art District is located in the Lodhi Colony between Meherchand market and Khanna Market. Nearest Metro Station is Jor Bagh or INA Market. You can take an auto rickshaw from there. Buses also ply on this route. To reach here by car/taxi refer to the map below.
This article is part of our series on Places around Noida and topics related to urban living.
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