It took four hours of intense concentration and hard work, but a once nondescript wall near the Pasar Seni LRT station in Kuala Lumpur is now emblazoned with Hari Raya Aidilfitri greetings.
True, there was no official permission granted for the wall to be painted, and neither was there any approval for the final artwork.
But the messages on the wall are not mere scribblings sprayed carelessly by vandals.
Some people may still be blinded by their bias towards graffiti’s negative reputation, but those less prejudiced would notice that the artwork are meticulously done, with attention to detail and technique. This is, after all, a showcase of the talent of some of the best graffiti artists in town.
True, there was no official permission granted for the wall to be painted, and neither was there any approval for the final artwork.
But the messages on the wall are not mere scribblings sprayed carelessly by vandals.
Some people may still be blinded by their bias towards graffiti’s negative reputation, but those less prejudiced would notice that the artwork are meticulously done, with attention to detail and technique. This is, after all, a showcase of the talent of some of the best graffiti artists in town.
Graffiti dates back to ancient times when history of civilisations are recorded on walls.
In modern times, graffiti has taken on subversive overtones, most notably to express anti establishment sentiments on public spaces.
In the United States, graffiti has been used by gangs to mark their territories, while political activists use it to forward their causes.
However, in recent years, people have begun viewing this urban art form in a different light, with growing appreciation for its power of expression, accessibility to the public and aesthetic value.
When hip-hop culture arrived in Malaysia, it brought along with it elements like breakdancing, rapping, DJ-ing and graffiti art.
Members of the local graffiti groups The Super Sunday and Poison Pills worked on the Hari Raya wall. The Super Sunday and Phobia are among the more active graffiti groups in Kuala Lumpur. They are not widely known outside their circles, but they are at the forefront of a growing graffiti art movement in the capital city.
Graffiti artists are also referred to as graffiti writers since the art often involves a lot of word styling. Each writer has a pen name, called “tag”, that he sprays on walls as his signature.
Graffiti artists usually prefer to work in groups because it is more fun and they can get more work done.
“I used to do solo as well but it’s boring to go bombing (graffiti spraying) alone and you run out of ideas after a while. With a group, you can meet writers from other groups when collaborating, you can do nice productions (bigger graffiti work involving several writers) and let more people know about your work,” says Qhaidar Nazaleen Qamaruddin Khidhir, 18.
She is one of the rare female graffiti artist around, but it has not deterred her from pursuing her passion for the art.
In modern times, graffiti has taken on subversive overtones, most notably to express anti establishment sentiments on public spaces.
In the United States, graffiti has been used by gangs to mark their territories, while political activists use it to forward their causes.
However, in recent years, people have begun viewing this urban art form in a different light, with growing appreciation for its power of expression, accessibility to the public and aesthetic value.
When hip-hop culture arrived in Malaysia, it brought along with it elements like breakdancing, rapping, DJ-ing and graffiti art.
Members of the local graffiti groups The Super Sunday and Poison Pills worked on the Hari Raya wall. The Super Sunday and Phobia are among the more active graffiti groups in Kuala Lumpur. They are not widely known outside their circles, but they are at the forefront of a growing graffiti art movement in the capital city.
Graffiti artists are also referred to as graffiti writers since the art often involves a lot of word styling. Each writer has a pen name, called “tag”, that he sprays on walls as his signature.
Graffiti artists usually prefer to work in groups because it is more fun and they can get more work done.
“I used to do solo as well but it’s boring to go bombing (graffiti spraying) alone and you run out of ideas after a while. With a group, you can meet writers from other groups when collaborating, you can do nice productions (bigger graffiti work involving several writers) and let more people know about your work,” says Qhaidar Nazaleen Qamaruddin Khidhir, 18.
She is one of the rare female graffiti artist around, but it has not deterred her from pursuing her passion for the art.
“When I first started doing graffiti outdoors, my parents didn’t like it. They said it is for boys and I will be mixing with a lot of guys out there.
“But I explained that I want to develop my art. Although I started learning art on paper, I don’t have to stick to paint brush forever, right?” she says.
Qhaidar adds: “The wall (at the Pasar Seni LRT station) was dirty and had inappropriate words on it. We discussed how we could clean it up and beautify it so that when people walk pass, they will appreciate it.” The petite girl was not at all bothered that her hands were speckled with green paint while working on the wall.
A beginner in graffiti usually starts with sketching his tag name, then “tagging” his name on the wall and eventually progressing to creating other images. For the untrained eye, it is easy to pass a tag name as an oddshaped block but for the writer, it is his identity and creativity displayed on a wall.
Only time will tell if the public will appreciate graffiti work.
That’s another thing about graffiti – the message gets out to the public faster than exhibiting a work in the gallery and the feedback is almost instantanous.
However, spray painting during the daylight is a challenge, says Qhaidar, who goes by the tag name Barbie.
“Most of the time we don’t have permission to paint graffiti. We curi-curi buat (do it secretly) but we make sure we do it neatly,” she says. She was nervous when she went for her first graffiti outing. Her father met The Kioue, a graffiti writer from The Super Sunday, and after learning about what they do, he agreed to let Qhaidar go along.
Since then, she has begun to pursue the art seriously, painting graffiti in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan and even teaching at a graffiti workshop under the Rakan Muda programme. Qhaidar now has her own graffiti group called Poison Pills, with two other male writers Nas-el and Phaez.
“But I explained that I want to develop my art. Although I started learning art on paper, I don’t have to stick to paint brush forever, right?” she says.
Qhaidar adds: “The wall (at the Pasar Seni LRT station) was dirty and had inappropriate words on it. We discussed how we could clean it up and beautify it so that when people walk pass, they will appreciate it.” The petite girl was not at all bothered that her hands were speckled with green paint while working on the wall.
A beginner in graffiti usually starts with sketching his tag name, then “tagging” his name on the wall and eventually progressing to creating other images. For the untrained eye, it is easy to pass a tag name as an oddshaped block but for the writer, it is his identity and creativity displayed on a wall.
Only time will tell if the public will appreciate graffiti work.
That’s another thing about graffiti – the message gets out to the public faster than exhibiting a work in the gallery and the feedback is almost instantanous.
However, spray painting during the daylight is a challenge, says Qhaidar, who goes by the tag name Barbie.
“Most of the time we don’t have permission to paint graffiti. We curi-curi buat (do it secretly) but we make sure we do it neatly,” she says. She was nervous when she went for her first graffiti outing. Her father met The Kioue, a graffiti writer from The Super Sunday, and after learning about what they do, he agreed to let Qhaidar go along.
Since then, she has begun to pursue the art seriously, painting graffiti in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan and even teaching at a graffiti workshop under the Rakan Muda programme. Qhaidar now has her own graffiti group called Poison Pills, with two other male writers Nas-el and Phaez.
Tis the season: Qhaidar Nazaleen aka Barbie and Mohd Nasir aka Nas-el are part of a group of artists responsible for the ‘Selamat Hari Raya’ graffiti mural at a wall near an LRT station in Kuala Lumpur.
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