One of India’s most infamous graffiti artists, DAKU, upon deciding that the traffic in Bangalore has become too much to handle, is battling the extreme congestion – with the help of snails.
As part of the St+Art India festival, which started in Delhi but has now made its way to Bangalore, street artists such as DAKU create art in public places, making it accessible to a wider audience.
DAKU, who is sometimes dubbed the Banksy of India, after London’s most famed graffiti artist, looks at art as a means to achieve social change. He uses stencils and cut-outs to protest against moral policing, price hikes, and corruption. He/she chooses to keep their identity a secret, but has taken responsibility for his/her pieces by stencilling his/her name on them.
It’s no secret that Bangalore has a traffic problem; figures estimate that there are over 6 million vehicles in the city and their density is growing by 9% per year. Sticking large paper cut-outs of snails near some of the city’s most traffic-heavy parts is just a simple way to re-emphasize the need to tackle the matter; hopefully, it will also draw a wry smile from the hundreds of commuters who see the snails whilst stuck at those very intersections.
DAKU has also stencilled blooming lotuses over a garbage dump near Brigade Road to indicate that “beauty can be found anywhere – if only one is bothered to look.” He also painted a row of colourful water pots near a single tap, on the walls of the governor’s residence, to highlight the problem of water scarcity.
For updates on the St+Art India’s festival (it is heading to Hyderabad next), follow along on Facebook and to keep track of DAKU’s art, follow the artist on Facebook and Instagram.
Featured image source: St+Art India
Written by Advaitaa Ravi