KOCHI: Jobless days, snowballing expenses and menial work— the life of graffiti artists post pandemic outbreak is easily summarised by these three phrases. Forced to give up on the job they are passionate about amid the struggle for survival, these artists have had a tough time. But they see a silver lining as the elections are approaching. With political parties looking for cost-effective campaign plans, graffiti artists are once again in demand.
Although Covid has taken the sheen out of the poll campaign, parties feel that wall graffiti will help them establish their leaders better. Many traditional artists who were out of work since lockdown are hopeful of this approach paying dividents. “It’s a harvest season for us!,” quips Baby Peter from Aluva. “Since the poll dates were announced, we are having a brisk business. As a green protocol preventing the use of flex boards is in place, many are reaching out to us for graffiti work. I have been receiving calls from across the state,” the 59-year-old said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Shashankan VK, an artist from Tripunithura said it’s now or never for them. “Many of us are working overnight to complete maximum work orders these days. On average, we paint around 25 walls a day. We are charging around `500 per job. It all depends on the size of the work,” said Shashankan who has been an artist for 40 years.
To keep up with the changing times, many of them have started boosting themselves on social media. “As elections are going digital, we are also trying to market ourselves on Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms. We update them daily to reach out to more customers. We are not scared of the change, but we are rather pushing ourselves to be a part of it,” said Baby.
Many feel that the people’s attitude towards graffiti artists caused the deterioration of the art. “Very few of us still make cloth banners, graffiti and calligraphy. Only half a dozen of us are remaining in and around Kochi. But people won’t treat us the way they treat artists at the Biennale,” says Shaji K R, a Maradu-native.
Vinyl in image graffiti
Along with letters, many leaders are demanding their pictures be seen on walls. As drawing a portrait can be time-consuming, many are utilising photos printed on vinyl sheets. “You wont realise it’s a flex. It easily blends with colourful letters,” said Shaji.