INDIAN STREET ART : BADAL

HOW DID YOU APPROACH STREET ART AND GRAFFITI?

I come from a very humble background, where I lived hand to mouth. The turning point in my life came when, as a young boy, I got an opportunity to work in the local Kukkarahalli Library. I was buried in books. From comics to storybooks, I began reading everything. The library literally opened Pandora's box for me. I began understanding illustrations in comics, their lettering, their inking, their styles. In my mind, I was already an artist.

I would try to scribble a few things, doodle with my imagination, and eventually my lines got better. Then I was presented with an opportunity to write captions for banners for events, organisations, etc. It was another turning point because, back then, when the going was really tough, this work fetched me some pocket change. But that wasn’t enough to buy paint and brushes. The work was minimal, and we had to be efficient with the paint and could not afford to waste even a little bit. And by that time, I had already joined CAVA Arts College and was discovering the artist within me. And with the leftover paint, I would scribble a few things on the walls. And without my realising it, people had begun appreciating my casual artwork on the wall.

When I got my first studio, which was a wooden shack in the corner of our street beside the government school, I began painting some stuff on the walls of our school. Work started increasing, which meant I got access to more paint. Therefore, I kept repainting the same walls while changing the drawings, and it got to the point where people would wait to see what I came up with subsequently. Street art happened naturally.

WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF STREET ART?

Art without boundaries is street art for me. I have always believed that the entire earth is a canvas for me. And the earth is for everyone. Likewise, street art belongs to everyone.

STREET ARTISTS, IN PARTICULAR GRAFFITI, SOMETIMES ARE STILL CONSIDERED TO HAVE A SORT OF ANARCHICAL MATRIX, WHEREAS YOU TALK ABOUT FUNCTION IN THIS SOCIETY, SO SOCIETY IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU? HOW AND WHY?

An artist is, by nature, rebellious. But his rebellion is not against people, it is always against injustice. Wouldn’t it be amazing if an artist became a mouthpiece for people, and amplified their concerns.

Art has this power to capture people’s attention, it is almost like a superpower. I tend to use it to make lives better, bring about happiness. I believe art has to have a purpose, large or small; it doesn’t matter. If it has no purpose, it loses its impact.

AUTONOMY AND FREEDOM WHAT DO THEY MEAN TO YOU?

If not used judiciously, freedom can become a ship without an anchor, that has the tendency to drift endlessly wherever the tides take it. whereas autonomy is like a ship with an anchor that has the capacity to keep the ship in check.

It depends on each person to choose between freedom and autonomy wisely.

WHAT SHOULD AN ARTIST DARE TO DARE?

An artist should dare to be true to his art. An artist should believe in getting inspired, he should not get influenced in the wrong way. And it takes courage and daring to do that.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR ART? WHO ARE YOUR MAIN SUBJECTS? WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT TO CONVEY?

Art is never the end product alone. It is the process, it is the material, it is the skill, it is the personality of the artist, his or her understanding of society, and it is also the end consumer. Art is an amalgamation of sorts. It is a lump of clay. It can be anything. An expression, inspiration, or even mere information.

IN YOUR WORK YOU ALWAYS INSERT 3D OBJECTS, IF THEY ARE A REAL PERSON, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS

I just convey what I have in mind and try to bring my subjects close to my interpretation of that particular artwork. I also give scope for their inputs because when a real person is involved, I am not the only artist. The person who is involved in the final piece of art has become an artwork here! Ex: my moonwalk astronaut!

IN WHAT ENVIRONMENTS DO YOU PREFER TO INTERVENE?

I do not believe that I choose an environment, on the contrary, I believe that each environment in my artwork has conspired to get itself expressed through me. If I believed I was the real master of my art, I would be too vain.

by RA/RC

for DARE CLAN