Chennai walls are canvases for artists. The city's walls, which are generally filled with advertising, are now being adorned with colourful artwork that sometimes incorporates beautiful poetry.


The people behind this makeover are mostly everyday citizens who aim to clean up their city and introduce a culture of public art, one wall at a time. “We started by cleaning and painting a wall outside our home in Chennai because we were tired of blaming the authorities," said PR professional Tejas Ramaratnam, who started the project six months ago along with his sister and a friend. They decided to call it The Paint Box.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Goethe-Institut has also taken a keen interest in brightening up Chennai's walls. The cultural institute is collaborating with artists from Germany to bring in their art to the walls of Chennai. As a part of the project, the Goethe-Institut  refurbished the walls of Sathyam Cinemas, earning a great deal of admiration.

Ramaratnam hopes that the new-look walls will spark other artistic expressions. “We want the culture of street performances to be revived in the city," he said. "People need to stop for a moment to witness better things on the road and look up from their screens." To help this happen, The Paint Box has started organising poetry reading sessions around the walls they have redone.

Here are some pictures of Chennai's new murals.





Art work at Sathyam Cinemas by Goethe-Institut