The Great Wall(s)

Cosmo spoke to four female street artists in India who are turning mundane brick-andmortar into revolutionary works of vibrant, meaningful art.

- Humra Afroz Khan

JAS CHARANJIVA

“I have never been as verbally articulate as I wanted to be, so street art serves as my mouthpiece on social issues that I feel strongly about—such as patriarchy and gender-based violence. I like for my art to pop, and be fun—I feel people are, then, more likely to notice it. It is my way to invite a wider age group to engage in the conversation I am trying to start. I try to keep my artwork uncomplicated, so it is easy to grasp, and create characters—mostly women or young girls, that I hope will appeal to a bigger audience. I have always loved Yoshitomo Nara’s hand-drawn textured characters—wild, moody, complex young girls. I look up to him for inspiration. If given a chance to paint in any city in the world, I’d love to create the Pink Lady you see in this image in Washington DC, on the trail of the Women’s March.”