CULT AFFAIR

Tag: street art

  • Cult Loves: Inside Out Project

    Cult Loves: Inside Out Project

    Cult Loves, a new section on Cult Affair comes to surface today. This section is thirsty for inspiration.

    Here is the story of a man who inspired me. Recently I came across an interesting question – Can art change the world? Think about it – few strokes, some abstract concept, usually presumed to be beyond the reach or understanding of most people – ‘art’ can tend to be far to arrogant to fit in as the ‘world changer’. This was what I believed till I came across the Inside Out Project.

    The Inside Out Project is a global crowdsourced art project which shares personal stories of people by displaying their portraits at public places. JR, a popular Parisian street artist, is the founder of this project. JR has been famous through the streets of Europe and now the world because of his trademark style of graffiti. This artist however has nothing to do with spraying fluorescent on the walls. What he does is quite different. He takes a classic black and white portrait photograph of ordinary people, prints an up-scaled version of it and glues it all over the streets. He exhibits his photographs in the streets as he thinks its “the largest art gallery in the world.

    JR’s Work:

    The question in your mind must be the one I had before I watched his TED talk. How does pasting this image on the street change the world? I’m not going to be the bad friend who reveals the climax before you have read the book. So go ahead and watch the video below:

    JR at the TED Talk:

    Just so you know, JR won the TED Prize this year for his innovative idea and actually proving the one infact, can change the world with art. To know more about this project, do visit the official website.
     

  • Who’s That? Aakash Nihalani

    Who’s That? Aakash Nihalani

    Ever thought a simple 6-faced cube as art? How about if its placed right in the middle of a serious building? Is it art now? That is the thing about creativity, the lesser any of us think of it, the more likely it is to turn up and take us by surprise.

    Aakash Nihalani, a New York based artist, does just that with his geometric masterpieces. What struck me is his style. Unlike other artists, his skill is the satirical placement of his art. He chooses interesting locations to display it almost to take one by surprise at the next turn down the the street.

    What excites this artist is the interaction of people with his work. ‘People need to understand that how it is isn’t how it is supposed to be.’

    He brings in a new aspect to street art not fueled by the expected activist propaganda. Instead it has simple overtones of geometry, shapes and light humour. He also maintains his respect for public property by using a medium like tape which easily comes off but does not compromise on the level of ‘edginess’.

    If you want to catch more of his work, do drop by at his official website.