Maalai (Evening)

Dedicated to Chennai, its people and its gorgeous skies, Sawant's mural is titled ‘மாலை’ (Maalai/evening) and celebrates all the different aspects of Chennai that make the city unique. Both the ‘Goli Soda ’-a popular local beverage and a hand-drawn ‘Kolam’ pattern - usually found outside homes throughout the city find references in the mural. Sawant has also used motifs and patterns from clothing worn by women as part of the mural and paid tribute to a local game similar to Ludo, which is played in Kannagi Nagar. The visual aesthetic of the piece and its collage-like layering are inspired by walls as observed in the city – as significant carriers of social-political messaging and numerous stories simultaneously.