Obsession (noun): an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.
Obsession knows no logic or reason. You encounter something interesting and you can’t get it out of your head. That’s the subject of this article: My obsession with street artist TONA’s work.
Well, calling it an obsession might be an exaggeration but I sure am fascinated by his art. It’s sort of my personal treasure hunt. From Delhi to Pondicherry, his work is scattered all across India. MISTER TONA [that’s what he likes to himself] is a self-taught German stencil artist who travels across the world and leaves behind interesting artworks in obscure corners of the streets.
WHEN I FIRST SPOTTED TONA
The first time I came across his art was back in 2014, during India’s very first Street Art Festival in Delhi. The narrow lanes of Hauz Khas and Shahpur Jat were used as a canvas by street artists from all across the globe. For some reason, I was quite fascinated by TONA’s work, mainly because of his simple yet unique style.
HIS CANVAS: Worn out walls, rustic gates, electricity boxes, and poles.
HIS STYLE AND SIGNATURE: Monochromatic stencil art showing happy Indian kids.
WHERE ELSE HAVE I SPOTTED TONA
After Delhi, I spotted his work in many different cities, and that too in very unexpected places.
PONDICHERRY
GOKARNA, KARNATAKA
KOCHI, KERALA
ALLEPPEY, KERALA
PANJIM, GOA
A few months back, I started noticing those familiar happy Indian kids’ faces at so many different spots in Goa itself.
NEPAL
A friend of mine and a fellow blogger, who is well aware of my obsession with TONA’s work, was traveling in Nepal recently and spotted his art at several places.
So, have you ever spotted his art in your neighborhood? Keep an eye out if you haven’t yet. This guy is EVERYWHERE!!
And my quest to chase TONA and his art continues….
Check out more of TONA’s work on his social media pages:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tona_one/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mistertona/
CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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