‘Stick No Bills’ is a common phrase painted over many walls around the city. Despite the friendly warning, numerous posters show up. Some announce political agendas and the release of new films; some advertise products or services; while others share news of birth, death and weddings. No wall or transformer box is immune.
They add a charm to the city. “In some sense, I found that people resonate more with posters than they do with paintings. Posters are more accessible,” says 18-year-old Shiva Ravishankar. In the last month, he has painted a series of 14 posters titled Chennai in Posters inspired by his love for the city.
After creating these posters, and uploading the process to his Instagram, the posters have found home on the walls of the city, among the numerous others. “I wanted to make my art more accessible to people. Not only those who know how to study and appreciate art, but also the common people,” he adds.
A city’s essence is captured by not only the big monuments, heritage buildings, and tourists spots, but also by smaller intricate details that are overlooked. A roadside tea shop, autos in traffic, vendors by the beach, late night eateries buzzing with excitement — these make up the core personality of Chennai, and Shiva manages to capture them in his own way with wholesome one-liners written in Tamil and English.
“I grew up around Marina Beach, and have always had a fondness for the sea. I was fascinated with the Labour statue, which inspired my first poster,” he says, referring to the bright blue and red poster of the bronze Triumph of Labour statue situated at Marina Beach. The subsequent posters feature an auto ride, a filter coffee vendor, an elderly couple walking to the temple, bun butter jam at Mount Road Bilal, and more.
Shiva, who grew up in Chennai, says that he felt the need to create memorabilia since he was leaving the city for higher studies. “Some part of me wanted to have a connect to the city. I wanted to keep the memories,” he says, adding that he has been painting since the age of four by imitating and being inspired by his mother’s Tanjore paintings. “My parents have been my source of support, inspiration and my best critics.”
The prints have been left on transformer boxes and walls for anybody to take home. “I’m not keen on selling prints, because I’m still finding my style,” he says, adding that his next series, titled Thozhil, will be on display at the Art Kin Centre, Alwarpet, on August 18 as a part of the Essence of Madras exhibition also displaying art by other artists.
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