New Delhi, March 13 (UNI) The Lodhi Colony area of Delhi was transformed into India’s very first open public art district as part of the St+art Festival in 2016.

The two month long festival had brought together over 25 street artists from India and across the world to brighten the city with art interventions like murals, installations and more.

The popular art district is visited by a huge amount of people along with many dignitaries throughout the year. One such luminary to grace the Lodhi Art District on Monday was 'The First Lady of France', Brigitte Macron.

The tour was conducted by the architect Pierre Guyot who is a part of St+art India Foundation, team.

The First Lady walked for an hour and a half across the Art District, sharing feedback of admiration specifically towards the quality of each piece of art as well as the nature and purposes of the project.

She was particularly impressed by the creation of an open air art museum that offers art to all the sector of the society in the most sharable and engaging manner. Furthermore, she highlighted the pleasure of calmly walking in a pleasant area such as Lodhi Colony, a rarity in the busy streets of Delhi.

The first lady also felt the vibes of an inspiring environment in which local and global flavours come together in every piece of art also thanks to the spirit of cultural exchange and collaboration that permeates the art district.

One example on all the wall “We Love Delhi”, vibrantly engaging result of the collaboration between the French duo Lek and Sowat and the Indian artist Hanif Kureshi.

The visit also highlights the successful and prolific collaboration between St+art India Foundation and the French institutions in India (Embassy of France, Institute Francaise, Alliance Francaise) which recently culminated in four projects across Mumbai, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Chandigarh on the occasion of the Bonjour India project.

Amit Syngle, COO, Asian Paints Ltd said, “With the Lodhi Art District, we hoped to add a bit of vibrancy to the city and uplift the moods, spirits and lives of the people. We wanted to take art to the masses and make it accessible to a wider range of spectators. The idea was to open spaces to dialogues, conversations and culture creation through the lens of the city”

Giulia Ambrogi, co-founder and curator of St+art India said,'In early 2016 we started Lodhi Art District thanks to the collaborative efforts and unconditioned support of Asian Paints, the Minister of Urban Development, CPWD, DUAC and more than 20 Embassies and Institutes of Culture. The aim was to present a unique experience for the city and its residents - activate a direct engagement and communication with the viewer through a holistic combination of content and forms. We are stocked to see the results of this effort such as the visit of the First Lady of France which, as others as well, confirmed the value of the project as a new area of interest for the capital. We are looking forward to enhance the district with new art experiences soon.”

St+art India Foundation is an organisation formed on the principle of ‘Art for All’ and works on art projects in public spaces.

The aim of the foundation is to make art accessible to a wider audience by taking it out of the conventional gallery space and embedding it within the cities we live in - making art truly democratic and for everyone.

UNI PY SNU 1427