Yoga artworks turn Delhi's dull spaces into bright canvases PTI6_20_2017_000101A, PTI6_20_2017_000102A, PTI6_20_2017_000103A

From drab metals sheets at building construction sites to dreary walls of municipal parks, artists have turned several dull places in the city into bright canvases with striking yoga-themed murals.
The latest artwork, the most ambitious one, is an over 10,000-sq ft mural depicting the meditative asanas of Surya Namaskar in the backdrop of Delhi's famed monuments.
"The idea was to celebrate yoga, our heritage, as also to transform these construction sites and other dull spots in the city into something that would be pleasing to the eye. And, the yoga theme has worked fantastically.
"Earlier, no one would even care to look at these places, but now many are stopping by to take pictures or just gawking out of their windows in cars or autorickshaws. Art has made these otherwise dull spots appealing, and that has enhanced the aesthetic look of the city too," artist Yogesh Saini of Delhi Street Art told PTI today.

The artworks dotting the city, from construction sites in Lutyens' Delhi to diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri and civic park in south Delhi, are suffused with bright orange, red, and black owing to silhouetted figures or landmarks.
"The 350-ft-long artwork that rises to about 30 ft high is splashed across metal sheets at a construction site near AIIMS' building in East Kidwai Nagar. All 12 steps of Surya Namaskar have been depicted from left to right. In the backdrop, the city's monuments are shown in silhouettes, creating a striking visual appeal," Saini said.

The monuments depicted include Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, India Gate, Lotus Temple, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Jantar Mantar and Akshardham Temple.

"These construction sites are otherwise an eyesore, but art lends a different touch. That is the whole idea with which we collaborated with civic bodies on this project," he said.
So, the construction sites of Ambedkar Memorial on Dr Rajendra Prasad Road and Police Memorial on Pt. Uma Shankar Dikshit Marg are turning heads with human figures shown in yoga postures in silhouettes against a bright orange background on metal sheets, which otherwise are erected to serve a very utilitarian purpose.
The artwork in Chanakyapuri depicts yogis in meditative poses, a peacock and bird over the horizon, creating a pleasant feel for passersby.

While the artworks at Chanakyapuri and East Kidwai Nagar have been executed by the team of Delhi Street Art, the one on Dr Rajendra Prasad Road was created by some art students, Saini added.
"Our first project in the series was a municipal park in Green Park area of south Delhi. We used the inner walls of the park as a canvas to show various meditative poses, as at other places. Silhouette is sort of a running theme, and I guess it has worked well," he said.
His team is currently finishing the giant mural in East Kidwai Nagar for the International Yoga Day celebrations tomorrow. "We worked on it for the last five days."

"We are celebrating Yoga, but even after the celebrations are over, these artworks would remain as long as the construction goes on. But till then, we have taken art to the people.
"It is like an organic exhibition. And even though it would be ultimately dismantled, we are pleased that until that period of time, we celebrated art, people enjoyed it and connected with it," Saini said.