JOIN USIt is hard to miss the colourful octopus painting on Church Street or the artwork of a woman with big eyes (a subtle hint that women have to let go of their inhibitions) on the walls of Hard Rock Cafe. Ullas Hydoor is the brain behind transforming these plain jaded walls into lively works of art that glorify the City and reflect the growing changes in society.
Ullas is a Bengaluru-based architect and a passionate street artist. Since childhood, he has dabbled in various forms of art but finally focussed on street art, graffiti and public art installations. Street art is a way to express his views on life, society and its shortcomings.
His works not only transform a wall but also provide a different narrative and understanding of the ever-changing times. His art installations explore the imagination of the human mind through the elements of nature in space.
He has been part of the ‘Kochi-Biennale’ art festival in Kochi, ‘Neighbourhood Art Festival’ in Bengaluru, ‘St+Art Mumbai’ in Mumbai, ‘India Surf Festival’ in Chennai and ‘Blooming Sikkim’ in Gangtok. He has also created illustrations out of waste products. He has an innate curiosity for life and everything about it, and tries to add artistic value to the physical realm around him.
Another one of his other illustrations that decorates the City is ‘the ant-the gi-ant, leave no trail behind’, in Banashankari. “Ants have always fascinated me. It is said that there are more ants than human beings on the Earth, which co-exist with nature without leaving any trail behind, unlike human beings who destroy in the name of survival. The swallowed octopus was done on the occasion of ‘Women’s Day’; we were just trying to beautify the wall and chose an octopus to represent the women who multi-task,” says Ullas.
A woman’s ‘bindhi’ is an important motif in some of his works. “I invariably use a ‘bindhi’ in my artwork. Every time I start to draw, I always start with a dot; it comes naturally. There is a certain beauty that is attached to a ‘bindhi’. Everyone sees women in different ways, and I probably see women with their ‘bindhi’s’,” he says.
When asked what is the difference between a street artist and a graffiti artist, he says, “Street art and graffiti are one and the same but they differ in terms of technique, function and intent.” Talking about the misconception attached to public art, he says, “I have heard people say that if street artists get a plain wall, they will end up painting it. But that’s not the case — we paint to represent the state of the country and want people to reflect on society as it is. Our public walls have always been decorated with film and politics posters, and that needs to change.”
Talking about the City’s tolerance for public art, Ullas says, “Bengaluru is picking up in terms of the space it provides for public art and there is a lot that can be done. People are leading a fast-paced life where they do not have a single moment to appreciate what surrounds them. Bengaluru has to gain that momentum where people stop for a minute to appreciate things.”
He regularly conducts workshops and seminars at various schools and corporate venues on street art. He is also planning to get in touch with as many street artists, based in Bengaluru, to start a community of artists who collectively work on material that
matters.