Mumbai-based artist Tyler, popularly as Tyler Street Art, is known for his paintings and the graffiti on the walls across the city. Most of his previous works have been aimed at class segregation, inequality, religion and other social issues. He eventually channelled his humour to take on global politics further addressing pertinent civic issues.
In a post uploaded on Monday, August 10, Tyler took to Instagram to share an interesting piece of news, with a message that read, "Pause for the cause."
Starting August 15, Tyler aims to paint figures of people from Journalism, Politics and Bollywood across the streets in Mumbai. However, these figures will not be any ordinary graffiti, but of the ones who have shamed the country, intrinsically damaging the system. The artist further asked the people to drop in names for suggestions and called the upcoming artwork ‘the walk of shame’ these public figures have to go through.
Elucidating the motive behind this, Tyler on his page stated that the figures who were well-liked for their work, maybe celebrated even for the accomplishments in their fields, have become mouthpieces for political parties in order for them to effectively spread propaganda that causes more damage than good.
In a conversation with Mumbai Live, Tyler shared the thought behind the 'walk of shame'. On being asked about his take on art as a medium to propagate political consciousness, Tyler stated, "Art does not change politics in any country. It merely changes people's perception. Through art, you can push the boundaries of tolerance day by day. In a nanny state, it is the art that rescues us,"
Time and again, creative expression of dissent, has often been labelled as impractical and unsubstantial. Especially in modern times, art and their creators have faced extensive backlash. When asked about the message Tyler would like to give to budding artists like him, he asserted, "In India, the bar for tolerance is pretty low. Seldom people confuse a joke with an insult. Artists wanting to stick to this path must learn to be fearless for the sake of our society."
Furthermore, Tyler stated that this is a public led initiative and he would execute the work as a street artist in Mumbai adding that this is solely in the interest of the people. Often dubbed as Mumbai’s Banksy for his distinct stencilling technique, the artist has been instrumental in providing a social and political voice for the people of Mumbai.
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