Members of Aravani Art Project are painting Love Grove Flyover’s pillars with portraits of people who frequent this area. (Express Photo) A YEAR after the compound wall of Love Grove pumping station transformed into a canvas for the Aravani Art Project, the flyover that runs past it in Worli is getting a similar treatment. Members of Aravani Art Project are painting Love Grove Flyover’s pillars with portraits of people who frequent this area, a theme that continues from the earlier project. In about a fortnight, passers-by will see a balloon seller, a dabbawalla or a policeman painted on the pillars — portraits of the very people who work around the flyover.
Aravani Art Project is a collective of trans women and women involved in creating public art across India. Geometric patterns, colour blocks, pop palettes and portraits of common people are part of their signature style. The collective was commissioned last year, and now by the BMC, and curated by St+Art India for painting Love Grove.
“It feels great to be back here. It feels like our designed area,” said Poornima Sukumar, who co-founded Aravani Art Project six years ago with Sadhna Prasad. The collective came prepared with a couple of initial portraits but the rest have been designed based on the people they saw around. Permissions were sought from those whose portraits will be made and the artists have been insured against accidents as the project involves scaling the pillars. Overall, 20 portraits will be made on 16 pillars.
Among the artists is Colaba resident Mayuri Pujari, 26. When she is commissioned for a painting project, Pujari takes leave from her job as a hairstylist’s assistant at a salon.
“I love crazy colours,” Pujari said, pointing to her red hair and blue eye make-up.
Pujari met Sukumar and Prasad four years ago at an event and, on the advice of her guru, decided to participate in their painting projects. She said that it helps her earn an additional income, especially since there have been pandemic pay-cuts at work.
“Love Grove is a great junction because it attracts people from across different strata,” Prasad said. Sukumar said the portraits “celebrate Mumbai”.
The painting activity draws the interest of transgender people in the neighbourhood, with an open invitation to passers-by to join in.
For Kajal Nageshkuruwa, 21, Aravani Art Project has been a means to rekindle her childhood interest in art. She dropped out of school in Std VIII, following difficulty in the family, and gets by today with alms as employment options are limited for the marginalised transgender community.
Clambering down from the scaffolding, she said, “This project means we are able to meet and chat with each other. This feels like home.”
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