Truck Art Restoration
Traditional truck artists are a dying breed. For generations, their handcrafted art adorned trucks but lately, work is hard to come by. By commissioning, promoting & selling their art on a global scale, All India Permit helps truck artists survive.
We put the art works for sale on Allindiapermit.com. To promote this, we do everything from creating content, to giving talks and interviews.
We have been featured by: TheVibe, Vans, Levi's, Little Black Book, Times of India, Hindustan Times, Colokyal, The Daily Eye, Team bhp, Mid-day, Man's World India, Homegrown, GQ India, Subcltr and The Hitavada.
We were invited by: Pechakucha Brussels, Whistling Woods Mumbai and Dat Wat We Nog Niet Wisten Rotterdam.
But to make our project really famous, we built India's first mobile art gallery on the back of a truck, and drove it 1500 km across India. We went from Nagpur to Bombay and stopped at schools, colleges, malls and bars where we could talk to the masses from all different walks of life, including influencers. Our impressions are in the millions, and traffic to our website has gone up ten times.
Our aim is to build a permanent gallery and take our truck beyond borders and collaborate with truck artists in Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Additional
Media coverage:
Podcasts:https://goo.gl/c255Shhttps://goo.gl/G5uDr6
Talk at PechaKucha:https://goo.gl/CDMrHW
TheVibehttps://goo.gl/cdsR6z
Times of Indiahttps://goo.gl/nbn5xo
Colokyalhttps://goo.gl/rSV8yf
Whistling Woodshttps://goo.gl/ejsAAq
The Daily Eyehttps://goo.gl/WdU63V
Bollyyhttps://goo.gl/M3G5BQ
Team-bhphttps://goo.gl/Jb9ehj
Hindustan Timeshttps://goo.gl/e1KkuC
All India Permit's 'Truck Art Restoration' is an on-going campaign to support truck artists. We provide truck artists with recycled cold rolled sheets from truck panels, so buyers can own an authentic piece of truck art. These art pieces along with the stories are then promoted on allindiapermit.com and our social media channels.
Since less than 35% of India is connected to the internet, we decided to take it directly to the masses. We raised money from sponsors like Vans & Levi's and built India's first mobile gallery on the back of a truck in collaboration with the artists themselves . We drove this conspicuous truck 1500 km across the heart of India through villages & towns and created a buzz that millions saw - in person, on media or on social channels. It helped the artists get the recognition and support they deserve. The art that came from the slums and back alleys of India, now proudly sits in the offices of Stefan Sagmeister and royal chambers of Princess Laurentien.
In India, hand-painted truck art has been a tradition for generations of truck artists who are commissioned by truckers or truck owners. Truckers ask for art that reminds them of home, since they are away for long stretches at a time, while truck owners often want protective charms or typography promoting their business.
However this art form is fading fast, thanks to cheap DIY stickers and pre-painted trucks. And the artists, who don't have any formal qualifications, end up doing menial jobs. In India that means having to live below the poverty line.
The founder, Farid Bawa, saw the plight of truck artists first-hand. His grandfather ran a transport business with a fleet of 54 trucks. Farid grew up seeing these trucks being brought to life by truck artists but he was also witness to their decline.
His challenge was to form a community of truck artists from all over Indian and make their art form popular again, bringing them the recognition and financial stability they deserve. All this while he works as full-time Senior Designer a few thousand kms away in DDB Amsterdam.
