Served with a dash of colour

BENGALURU: It’s difficult to miss the graffiti on the wall of Ohana in Indiranagar. And when you see the painting of a man holding luchi and mutton cutlet, you already know what the restaurant’s specialties are. But it’s not just Ohana that’s adding this fun and quirky vibe to its interiors. Other city restaurants and cafes are also coming up with graffiti decor, that includes caricatures inspired from people on the street, rock legends and specialties of the restaurant.

Susmita Das, 28, who runs Ohana with her family shares that the man on the wall is her father. “Our graffiti is a clear giveaway of the specialties of our restaurants. It doesn’t just lift the mood of the place but also turns into a conversation starter,” says Das, who runs the four-month old restaurant. Speaking about the story behind the graffiti on the wall, Das says it was done by one of the customers of the restaurant. “I noticed that she was scribbling a regular day at the restaurant. We had been brainstorming on what to do with the empty wall. So, I asked if she would be interested to make something on it and she was happy to do it,” she adds.

If you’re an old rock fan, don’t miss the work of art outside 1522 on Residency Road. The pub’s exteriors are filled with graffiti of rock legends like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley and Pink Floyd. If you observe closely, the graffiti is not just the faces of rock legends, but also has some songs like Yellow Submarine by the Beatles and Blowing in the Wind by Bob Dylan stitched together. “A graffiti like this makes you stand out in the crowd. For instance, our pub comes close to a turn but the vibrant colours grab people’s attention easily,” says Nakul Talgeri, one of the partners of the pub.

Parul Kanodia,  a freelance graphic artist who did the art work for Third Wave Cafe, Koramangala, and for Nasi and Me, breaks down the process involved in doing up a place. The art, she says, can help bring out the theme of the restaurant but shouldn’t give out too much. “For instance, for Nasi and Me, we did bring out the whole vibe of Singapore’s street food scene. While for Third Wave, we stuck to abstract art, since they don’t belong to any particular cuisine,” says the 31-year-old artist. 

SuzyQ at Queens Road, which is opening in the first week of April, will also have an art work. “Apart from graffiti becoming a conversational point, in today’s day and age of Instagram and digital media, it also helps a brand with better visibility and brand recall becomes easy,” says Anirudh Kheny, partner at the restaurant. He adds that the graffiti will represent free spirit and strength, with metaphors using the imagery of tigresses and jaguars.