Kannagi Nagar, the large resettlement colony off the Old Mahabalipuram Road in Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, became India’s fifth “art district” in 2020, when the non-profit St+art India painted giant murals on its housing blocks at the invitation of the Greater Chennai Corporation. The Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB), which owns the buildings, and Asian Paints backed the project, Citizen Matters reported.
The murals are free to see and sit on ordinary residential streets, so a visit needs some thought. This guide covers what was painted, how the neighbourhood came to be, and how to walk around it with respect for the people who live there.
The neighbourhood behind the walls
Kannagi Nagar is one of the largest public housing sites in the city. TNUHDB’s scheme list for Chennai district records 15,656 tenements in the Kannagi Nagar scheme, in Corporation Zone 15 and ward 195; two neighbouring Ezhil Nagar schemes in the same ward add 8,048 more. A 2013 government press release on one round of resettlement describes the standard unit: a 220 sq ft flat with kitchen, living room, bath and toilet in a ground-plus-two block, sold on hire purchase over 20 years.
Most residents were moved here from slums along the city’s rivers and canals, many after the 2004 tsunami. CNN reported that the area was built largely between 2000 and 2010, and put its population at about 80,000. For years the address carried a stigma, and some residents told reporters they had been turned down for jobs because of it.
What was painted
Work began in December 2019. By February 2020, five large murals were finished and about 15 were planned for that year, Citizen Matters reported then. Among the early works:
- Antonyo Marest: the first mural, in pastel blocks inspired by colourful houses in Tiruvannamalai.
- A-Kill, “Sisters”: two smiling girls, a nod to the colony’s young people.
- Osheen Siva, “Protectors and Providers”: a woman in a sari holding a bowl of water, drawing on the lives of fisherwomen.
- Bronte Naylor: a scene from the Koyambedu flower market, about the small trades that keep families going.
- Kashmira Sarode, “Harbouring Hope”: a mother and daughter among waves and iris flowers, for families who moved inland after the tsunami.
Later artists included Epoc, Poornima Sukumar, David Leitner and Ben Johnston. By 2022 the project had run three editions, the latest adding six paintings, and residents counted 16 painted facades from before the pandemic.
The project borrowed its model from the Lodhi Colony art district in Delhi, which St+art India had painted earlier and where visitor numbers grew over three years. In Chennai the Corporation’s south region office invited the group in, and a participatory painting workshop called “Neelam” was held on an unfinished construction site so that residents could take part.
What residents say
Reactions are mixed, and visitors should know that. In the 2022 Citizen Matters report, some residents said outsiders now came to the area and children gathered at the painted junctions, and one said people had stopped spitting on the walls. Others said the blocks leaked, lacked overhead tanks and needed repairs more than paint, and that they could see the colours but not the stories behind them.
A TNUHDB official said then that Rs 19 crore had been sanctioned for refurbishing Kannagi Nagar. In June 2024, DT Next reported research by the resident advocacy group IRCDUC calling for stronger services across the city’s resettlement sites. Several of the earliest murals have faded; the Corporation said in 2022 that faded works would be repainted or replaced in later editions.
Visiting respectfully
- Getting there: Kannagi Nagar lies a short way inland from OMR near Thoraipakkam. MTC buses on the OMR corridor stop close by; check routes on the Chennai Bus app.
- Go in daylight. Mornings are cooler, and the murals face different directions, so light varies.
- Ask before photographing people. The walls are public; the residents in front of them are not exhibits.
- Keep groups small and stay off private stairwells and terraces.
- Spend locally. Tea stalls and small shops are the easiest way for a visit to benefit the area.
Several city groups have run guided photo walks here. A local guide can explain each mural’s meaning, which residents themselves say is often missing.
Quick answers
Where is the Kannagi Nagar art district?
In Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, off OMR, in Corporation ward 195 of Zone 15.
Who painted the murals?
Indian and international artists brought in by St+art India, with the Chennai Corporation, TNUHDB and Asian Paints.
Is there an entry fee?
No. The murals are on residential blocks and streets.
How many homes are in Kannagi Nagar?
TNUHDB lists 15,656 tenements in the Kannagi Nagar scheme.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- TNUHDB tenement schemes in Chennai district (Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board)
- Press release No. 44, 21 January 2013 (DIPR, Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Chennai’s Kannagi Nagar gets a makeover with murals (Citizen Matters, 2020)
- Life beyond the murals in Chennai’s Kannagi Nagar (Citizen Matters, 2022)
- India’s Kannagi Nagar art district (CNN)
- Languishing resettlement sites need more than a facelift (DT Next, 2024)
