St+art India Foundation

St+art India Foundation was established in 2014 by Hanif Kureshi, along with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi, Akshat Nauriyal, and Thanish Thomas. It is a non-profit organization that was founded with the aim of using street art as a medium to engage communities, revitalize urban spaces, and foster cultural expression in public areas. Inspired by the idea of making art accessible outside traditional venues such as galleries and museums, the founders sought to bring artistic experiences directly into public spaces—particularly onto streets, walls, and buildings encountered in everyday life. It engages in creating murals, street art, and experimental public art installations in urban spaces, including slums, urban villages, bus stations, and metro stations.
The foundation focuses on transforming overlooked and neglected urban areas into open-air galleries, using art as a tool to stimulate dialogue, social inclusion, and public engagement. Since its inception, St+art India has collaborated with various partners to create murals, installations, and public art interventions in cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.
Mission and vision
St+art India explores the intersection of art and its potential to transcend socio-cultural barriers, facilitating the exchange of ideas through collectively shared experiences in public spaces. St+art India Foundation's projects engage with a wide range of social and cultural themes, including climate change,women's rights and safety, queer rights, community empowerment, and the everyday lives of ordinary people. The foundation places a strong emphasis on community involvement, often incorporating local feedback into the content and style of artworks, thereby fostering a sense of ownership and connection between residents and the public spaces they inhabit. One of its key outreach initiatives involves engaging children and youth in creative activities related to graffiti and street art through workshops, graffiti jams, and volunteer opportunities. These programs have contributed to the emergence of a new generation of young graffiti artists in India.
In an interview with Architecture+Design, Hanif Kureshi, co-founder of St+art India Foundation, described the organization's origins and guiding principles. He stated that the initiative began in 2014 with the aim of making art more democratic and accessible. Initially centered around graffiti and street art, the project involved inviting artist friends to paint the walls of Delhi, which gradually evolved into a larger festival format. Kureshi's vision for the Indian art landscape emphasized inclusivity and public engagement. He advocated for removing art from exclusive, institutional settings and integrating it into everyday urban life, particularly through public spaces. Through St+art India, Kureshi aimed to challenge traditional notions of art consumption by bringing creative expression into the public domain, thereby fostering broader cultural participation.
The Foundation critiques the traditional art gallery model, suggesting that such spaces are often designed to be inaccessible to the general public. Through initiatives such as the Mumbai Urban Art Festival, St+art creates inclusive environments where individuals from diverse social and economic backgrounds — including entrepreneurs, celebrities, and local community members such as fishermen — can engage with art in public spaces. These shared spaces foster equal access and collective appreciation, irrespective of one's social standing. All projects are conducted with the consent and active participation of local stakeholders, including building owners and residents. This collaborative process helps to legitimize street art in the public eye and builds positive relationships with local authorities. St+art India is notable for its unprecedented and sustained collaboration with government bodies, marking a significant moment in the evolution of street art in India. Its murals on government buildings are intended to be permanent installations, setting a precedent for the formal recognition and integration of street art into the country's urban fabric. Observers have noted that India's share in the global art market remains under 1%, despite its large population and rich artistic traditions. This discrepancy has raised questions about structural challenges in the country's art ecosystem rather than a lack of creative talent. Greater openness, flexibility, and collaboration among artists, institutions, and organisations have been proposed as ways to address this imbalance and enhance India's visibility in the international art landscape.
Major Initiatives and Projects
Lodhi Art District (New Delhi)
Lodhi Art District is India's first public art district, located in Lodhi Colony. It features over 65 murals by Indian and international artists.
Mumbai Urban Art Festival (MUAF)
The Mumbai Urban Art Festival (MUAF) is a city-wide public art initiative launched by St+art India Foundation in collaboration with Asian Paints. First introduced as a three-month-long festival, MUAF features large-scale murals, immersive installations, exhibitions, and public programming across Mumbai. Building on their partnership since 2014, St+art and Asian Paints have worked on projects in areas like Mahim East, Sassoon Dock, Bandra, Churchgate Station, and Jindal Mansion. Held biennially, MUAF brings together artists and interdisciplinary practitioners to revitalize urban spaces, highlight forgotten narratives, and promote inclusivity through art across both marginalized and heritage areas of the city.
Kannagi Art District (Chennai)
Kannagi Art District is Chennai's first public art district, developed by the St+art India Foundation in Kannagi Nagar, one of India's largest resettlement colonies housing over 80,000 residents. The initiative features murals and artworks by 15 artists, alongside community workshops and curated tours. The project aims to foster community identity and engagement through public art.

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