Youth art mart, on a wall

KOLKATA: While the world celebrates India's back alleys in Slumdog Millionaire, a group of city youngsters is getting ready to present their art on a dilapidated wall at a corner of Sudder Street this Sunday.
"We couldn't go to a gallery as we wouldn't be able to afford it. But we also wanted total creative freedom. With a street, there is little restriction, so each of us will do our own thing," said Opashona Ghosh, who mooted the idea of The Magic Wallrush'.
Arko Alam, who will be displaying his sketches and performing with his band, felt that the city need this exhibition. "In Chennai and Mumbai there is something of a wall-cult. People paint and exhibit their work openly. This was missing here. People can come see our work, buy it or just tell us what they think," Alam said.
The Sunday-only exhibition will utilise about 10-15 metre of a wall on Sudder Street, opposite Fairlawn Hotel. "We went to Park Street and Esplanade, but the hawkers and caretakers wanted us to pay. At Sudder Street, they actually wanted us to go ahead," Ghosh said.
Not all the proceeds will be pocketed by the amateur artists. "The organisation, publicity and printing cost a bit, but my brother and I will donate our collections to charity," said Malini Chakravarty.
If The Magic Wallrush' is able to attract an interested crowd, it might be a small beginning for a city that has promised, but not delivered, on reviving it's street culture.