The giant mural of badminton star PV Sindhu on the exteriors of the Sardar Patel indoor stadium in Khammam district, Telangana, has caught the attention of the reigning world badminton champion.
Thanking the artists, Swathi and Vijay, Sindhu wrote, “Simply loved this.”
Simply loved this beautiful 40 ft wall art on Sardar Patel stadium in Khammam by Vijay and Swathi. Thank you! https://t.co/HnFw4q9Dv4 pic.twitter.com/H7OzEArfNi
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) June 23, 2020
Swathi and Vijay are Hyderabad based street artists, who have done several collaborations particularly themed around social issues. According to the husband-wife duo, the art work of Sindhu was finished in 15 days.
Responding to the appreciation from several art aficionados, Swathi says, “This is special to me as Khammam is my native place. Our earlier work was vandalism,” she laughs. “And it was temporary. Now exhibiting our artwork legally to the public, which will remain permanent, is obviously a pleasure,” she adds.
Swathi says that they have planned other murals of athletics legend PT Usha and the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, in the stadium. “The work is yet to begin. PT Usha’s mural will come on the wall facing the main road,” she says.
The couple are alumni of Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad.
Speaking about their craft and decision to do street art, Swathi says, “We are scholarship winners of the French Embassy for the year 2013-14. Our stay in Paris influenced street art. Earlier we used to put up artwork for display in the galleries but very few would turn up, so we thought that our art deserves a large audience.”
Swathi and Vijay have previously created commissioned graffiti in several government-aided schools, in a bid to encourage students to attend the schools.
Sharing an anecdote about their journey, Swathi recounts, “Our journey in street art began in 2015. We learnt that a government school in Warangal had just 15 students and was on the verge of shutting down. To encourage more number of students to pursue education, we painted murals featuring the students. This interestingly increased the strength to almost double."