Nochikuppam tenements get an artistic makeover

St+Art Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, is working to paint the walls of the Nochikuppam Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board tenements on Marina Loop Road

Under the sharp heat of the afternoon sun on Sunday, an older resident of Nochikuppam stares at an in-progress mural on the facade of one the housing units on Marina Loop Road. After about 30 minutes, he asks with a puzzled expression, “Why does the man [in the painting] have four hands?” 

The Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenements of Nochikuppam are set to undergo an artistic makeover through the efforts of St+Art Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation. Nepali artist Kiran Maharajan, who is working on a diptych painting of a man and a woman inspired from the fisher community, explains.

“The two sets of hands are derived from the different states of mind and moods people have. I noticed people here were either busy fishing and trying to sell the fish or resting. I wanted to depict both using the juxtaposition technique.” In the backdrop of the mural, Mr. Maharjan plans to depict rising sea levels to highlight the environmental issues along the coast.

Trespassers, a team from Kerala, is painting two walls with snapshots from the community – windows, people hanging around inside the buildings and a catamaran. “We did not want a single thing to be the subject. This is more of a collage of the scenes we see here,” says artist Jinil Manikandan. 

The foundation is bringing together artists from Nepal, Odisha, Kerala, Russia and Mexico to paint the walls of 24 tenements in Nochikuppam, which was the initial site identified for the project in 2019. However, due to issues with the authorities over removal of fish stalls from Loop Road, the project was shifted to Kannagi Nagar. 

The community will be involved in workshops on photography, aari thread work, silambam and painting for two weeks. “Silambam classes have already started. We have planned to conduct competitions such as cookery, rope pulling and beach football. Boats belonging to the winning teams will also be painted by the artists,” the coordinator said.