Painting walls in new dimensions

Redefining street art, Sawan Madman has lent his creative urges to the first wall in the city
On his way to creating his own niche, he leaves his mark on walls. In a country where double standards about graffiti art exist, Sawan Madman (yeah, you read that right, he does suffix Madman to his name!) is all set to change perceptions. "It's not exactly the only genre of art I do.There is digital art, comics, T-shirts, video design and et al," says Sawan, painting a wall mural for an upmarket bakery in Sector 26, in a first of sorts for Chandigarh. About this, Bobby Garg, the bakery director says, "Ours is a restro-cafe experience. Here art and music are essential ingredients. Graffiti is popular among youngsters and we cater to them, therefore the idea cropped up. And Sawan is fantastic. Even if he wasn't in Chandigarh I would have shipped him here for this."
While public perception on graffiti is divided as fine art or nearing vandalism, the creativity involved in it is huge. Says Sawan, who began sketching super hero stickers after a stint as an artist, "Graffiti art is all about communicating the message in the grittiest of environments. My erudition in Arts College, taught me this. Dekhne ka nazariya ban gaya. Craft and techniques can be taught, but extracting the gist is what artists do."
That is also why Sawan believes art critics are crucial. Art being a parallel universe for many, Sawan says, "The artist world is incomplete without critics. Most art critics have a theoretical approach. He won't be able to create a masterpiece himself, but he surely can get it created."
Storming and stirring the traditional bastions of high culture, Sawan was part of an art based reality show in Singapore few years ago. "I was among the top six contestants. Thereafter, life changed. People would recognize me randomly." Thus his eccentricities became his strength.
"I was a loner in college, lost in my own thoughts. People labelled me pagal and I felt good about it. Then I read a story by Kahlil Gibran called Madman, and I could relate to it so much." And thus Sawan was self proclaimed as Sawan Madman. Having conquered a share of his popularity and acceptance, Sawan pours his heart out, "Duniya walo ne na jane kya kya naam diye, jaise khuda ko waise mujhe bhi sare aam diye. Madman, my name, is responsible for my individuality."
From being criminals or vandals, to being street artists, until recently walls smeared with art left passersby either perplexed or angered by this arty intrusion into their daily commute. "It isn't a foreign concept," elaborates sawan, "We've had Ajanta caves since centuries. But in India section 144 is imposed as and when convenient! How do you expect art to grow in such a shackled state?"
Despite the hoopla and media frenzy, street art industry is evolving. The sophistication of artists like Sawan promises graffiti art won't crash and burn, germinating only in the darkness of the city.
While the current boom has begun and many unsung urban artists are straddling a change, Sawan Madman's explicit art is not his last word.