The Alliance Française of Madras is getting a revamp. After the addition of Van Dough pizzeria, the French institute is now getting a new mural on its walls. But this is not just another splash of colour. It is part of a national movement, the fifth edition of Wall Art India, transforming public spaces across 15 cities into open-air galleries.
The initiative, led by the Alliance Française network in collaboration with the Embassy of France in India and the Institut Français, is bringing international and Indian street artists into neighbourhoods, campuses and cultural hubs.
In Chennai, the spotlight falls on French street artist Kashink, whose bold, four-eyed figures are known across the global urban art circuit for their unapologetic feminist voice.
Perched on scaffolding at the Nungambakkam campus, she is painting a monumental portrait that draws from the cosmic force of Shakti. It is a mural that watches you as much as you watch it.
“I’ve been in India for a little more than two weeks now,” says Kashink, who has already painted in Chandigarh and Kolkata before arriving in Chennai. While this edition centres on women’s empowerment, she notes that her work has always carried a feminist undercurrent. “I’ve been painting murals for the past 20 years, always with this type of feminist approach. Back then, it wasn’t really addressed publicly that much. It’s great now that’s changed.”
French artist Kashink
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
For Kashink, the act of painting is rarely pre-planned. “I always improvise when I paint. The process of creation is mysterious sometimes. I love the challenge of spontaneous creation,” she says. Rather than arrive with a fixed blueprint, she absorbs the energy of a place. “I like to feel the vibe and the moment as I’m creating and inject these emotions that I’m feeling in that moment into my paintings.”
Her characters, instantly recognisable, bold and almost mythic, are imaginary figures rendered in striking colour. They often carry a message directed towards women and oppressed minorities. In Chandigarh with her mural, she penned a line in French that read: The love you deserve is inside you. So honour yourself, my love.
In Kolkata, where she painted at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, conversations with students shaped the work. “They were very passionate about art, and politics,” she recalls. The mural there carried a message about intuition: Deep down, you know exactly what to do. So go with your guts.
Chennai, however, is unfolding differently. She may not write a message this time. Instead, the symbolism lies in the image itself. The figure she is painting at Alliance Française de Madras carries her signature four eyes — one pair looking straight ahead, confronting and confident; and the other turned sideways, softer, more introspective. “The two pairs can express two different feelings, and that’s exactly who I am,” she says.
Shakti, she admits, is not a concept she grew up with. “Where I’m from, it doesn’t really exist. So it was important for me to listen to what people here were saying about Shakti.” Conversations about the many forms of feminine energy of goddesses, colour symbolism, and divine power began shaping the mural’s direction. The mural took her three days to complete.
The decision to bring Kashink to Chennai was deliberate. Patricia Théry-Hart, director, Alliance Française de Madras, says Wall Art India is a project the Alliance runs every year, working with Indian and French street artists through an open call. This edition, however, was shaped around women’s empowerment. “I picked her because she really illustrates the new generation of young women who are powerful and fighting. It’s very strong and colourful at the same time. She does not paint for art’s sake. It’s meaningful and bold,” she says.
The mural also arrives at a transitional moment. There has not been a woman at the helm of the Chennai chapter in the last two decades. As Patricia prepares to move on from her role later this year, the wall becomes more than surface. “Let’s leave a mark for women empowerment,” she says.
Published – March 04, 2026 04:43 pm IST
