Larger than life

Muralist Nilesh Kharadesays he prefers to engage with 'social issues'.


Born in Solapur in 1984, the muralist Nilesh Kharade ran away from home- to paint other people's walls. Next month, he'll be creating public art at the Bay Area Mural festival in Oakland, California. Nilesh says he prefers to engage with 'social issues'. Like the larger-than-life mural he created of a folk musician begging for his livelihood in Jaipur, and at the same spot where the man actually plays his music. End result-the mural made it impossible for the government to ignore him.

His Mumbai portrait of Dadasaheb Phalke-which measures more than 120 feet-is reportedly Asia's largest mural. And in Bihar, he painted the full 230x25 feet facade of the Dhanapur railway station with a tribute to the ancient Indian mathematician Aryabhatta, prompting a string of requests by the local villagers to rename the station in the genius's honour.


Delhi-based nonprofit organisation St+Art India Foundation turns public space into an art gallery with inspiring street art.

Headed by graffiti artist Hanif Qureshi, the organisation's recent work in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru has resulted in a transformation of run-of-the-mill public spaces into mammoth artworks that stand out with a dramatic flourish against the dull colours of urban decay. "'Street art gives freedom to artists, a wider canvas, and gives those who have never had access an avenue to appreciate art," says Qureshi.

These have become public art spaces where people from connoussiuers to commuters interact and get inspired. St+Art's primary motive is to educate the public about art and to beautify and reclaim civic spaces and transform them. The organisation works primarily within residential neighbour-hoods-they are credited with creating the country's first public art district in Lodhi Colony, Delhi. St+art is also collaborating with metro rail corporations to create art spaces in daily transit corridors.

St+Art India's experiments to create a visual dialogue between artists and government is a unique and significant initiative in public art history in India.

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