Street graffiti artist adds vibrant French flavour to murals in city

Chennai: "The nature of street art is such that you never know if it's going to stay. But that's good because it humbles the artists," says Kashink, a French street artist. "It's a nice way to work on the ego and not get attached to one's work."Kashink is in Chennai to work on a live 6m by 6m mural at the Alliance Francaise Madras building, themed ‘Women, horizons and new voices in Indian art'. She is one of the four international artists who will take part in a month-long artistic journey across 15 cities in the country, part of Wall Art India's yearly programme, which aims to transform city walls into open-air galleries. The initiative is held in collaboration with the Embassy of France in India and the Institut Français.
The ‘bindi' on the woman in the mural makes her appear Indian, but Kashink says she always adds a symbol on the forehead of her subjects. "The work celebrates Shakti, the divine feminine. I have used the colours typically related to the goddess – red, turmeric yellow and dark blue – but the actual art is my own interpretation of Shakti."Kashink has been traveling across the world for the past 15 years, painting murals. She is one of the few active women artists in French street graffiti, and her vibrant feminist works challenge social norms and celebrate freedom of identity. The dreamy figures in bold lines and vibrant colours make her art as unique as the artist, who describes herself as gender fluid. "You can also see a lot of my murals pretty much everywhere in Paris, which is where I have been living for 15 years." She never plans the entire work and paints spontaneously. "It's important for me to keep it that way." This time around, though, she will be using only acrylic paint and brushes, in place of spray cans, which she says are not recyclable. "It's more challenging and takes more time, but it's better for the environment."Coming to Chennai and meeting other women artists here, she says, has been an enlightening experience. Kashink will be travelling to Bengaluru next.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !