There’s something quietly charming about Lodhi Art District, which sits plushly in the middle of Lutyens Delhi. The entire district, in effect, is a honking great art gallery – India’s first open-air art gallery, actually, and an ever-evolving one, at any rate. The colony used to be a sleepy residential quarter with an admittedly great location, and in 2015, a foundation by artist Hanif Kureshi breathed life into the walls around the quarters built for government employees by commissioning 50 murals painted by artists from over 25 countries.
Today, the district – which still slightly retains that laid-back, drowsy charm of colonial Delhi – bursts forth with colour. Unlike a real gallery, not every wall’s labelled, and there aren’t any directions to help you go on your way, and so it encourages aimless wandering and lots of experimental street photography. You never really know what’s around the corner – it could be a mural of a giant pair of eyes, or a kaleidoscope of birds stretching across a three-storeyed building.
Some murals, especially, demand attention – The Tourist by Avinash and Kamesh, Impressions of Lodhi by Yip Yew Chong, and New Delhi by Nespoon are some of the really eye-catching ones, so be sure to look out for those. Since the art project’s recent, several walls are still empty and in effect, are blank canvases for more artists to paint on. It’s a common sight to see new work every few months, or bump into muralists working through the day. And did I mention that it’s completely free?
Time Out Tip
The area isn’t a crowded one, so you won’t bang into throngs of people at any point of the day, but we’d say the best time to visit’s probably late afternoon, when the golden hour’s creeping in. Grab an iced latte or cold brew from one of the many tiny cafés in the adjoining Meharchand Market and walk along!