Do & Khatra
Do & Khatra are an art duo from Gujarat, India. Their association began in 2013, in their final year of art school at MSU, Baroda.
The duo started their street art journey with a mural for St+art Delhi 2014, during which their work gained traction and was widely appreciated. Over the years, they have painted murals that play with combinations of diverse styles - from graffiti to illustration, arriving most recently to contemporary abstract expressionism. Their work in urban environments often imbues local themes and stories so as to create an intimate interaction with their audience.
Together, the duo has participated in several St+art festivals and done projects with brands like Facebook, Google and Levis amidst others.
St+art Court
mumbai, 2020
Carrying the simple yet insightful claim of “sport doesn’t care”, New-Delhi based artist Khatra’s piece on the basketball court of Mumbai’s St. Andrews College highlights that inherently, sport doesn’t discriminate. Inaugurated on the occasion of International Women’s Day, this St+art Court, this project was realised in collaboration with Adidas and Asian Paints.
Lodhi Art District
New Delhi, 2019
The artist duo creates an indefinite landscape resembling an acid crumbling city with 3 main points of focus which exemplify the three stages of love. The initial attraction, the state of ever-lasting togetherness, and the inevitable after - the break up. While we have popularly recognised, and accepted these phases, what usually gets unacknowledged are the layers that appear in between, the ones that fade in and out as lovers progress their affair.
American Center
New Delhi, 2018
American Center hosts a range of educational and cultural programs and exchanges for the youth of India, and is always teeming with young people. Working with the young artist duo of Do & Khatra, the project sought to connect this specific audience of youngsters with the space through bold and bright art pieces.
For the cafeteria, the duo created a composition which engages the viewer’s imagination with its abstract shapes, done in a colour palette inspired by the national colours of the US. While for the second intervention, Khatra used his skills in calligraphy to create mixed media mural installations in the conference lounge. A bold typography with an acrylic cut out read ‘Let’s build together’, becoming a motivational backdrop for the center’s conferences.
Blossa
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2017
Every winter since 2003, Blossa has launched a new flavor in a unique design, which for many, has become a collectible. In 2017, Blossa found inspiration for a new flavour in Khari Baoli - Asia’s largest spice market, located in Old Delhi. Thus, a new Blossa flavour was concocted with notes of sun-ripened mango, spicy cumin and hot chili. For the pre-launch reveal of the drink, XXL artist duo Do & Khatra flew to Sweden to interpret Blossa 17 Old Delhi in an artwork.
Completed in stages, the duo’s artwork was composed of several layers that in different ways depicted the flavours in Blossa 17. A time-lapse video capturing the completion of the piece’s various parts served to highlight the multi-layered flavour and design of the drink. The finished piece was a colourful blend of hot and cold elements – simultaneously representing flavours of India and the seemingly endless winter of the Nordics.
Facebook AIR
gurugram, 2017
The Artist in Residence program is Facebook’s ‘on-site’ art initiative that invites visual artists to create site specific works across Facebook Headquarters, fostering a global network of emerging talents.
In a consistent partnership with Facebook, XXL has curated several artist led projects as part of this program in India. In 2018, when Facebook opened a new headquarters in Delhi NCR’s Gurugram, XXL invited Do & Khatra. From the streets of the capital to indoor walls, their abstract shapes and colours hypnotize the viewer. The gaze is engaged in an imaginative discovery amidst the multiple layers of their pieces where the elements are tight by a hidden narrative. Here, they visualised the constant flow of life which never stops, the giant roads and variety of people as key features of Gurugram. Vivid colours and 3D elements such as acrylic sheets cut outs open new dimensions to the bidimensional surface while offering a unique identity to the space.
Sassoon Dock Art Project
mumbai, 2017
