Adding colour to a modern city

A GARDEN without flowers is not a garden; a city without graffiti is not a city. There’s no soul.  

This is the view of Mahathir Masri, a graffiti artist whose creation of a character called They, in an astronaut’s suit, has graced numerous walls in the city. 

So popular is They that his audience has begun to call him by the same name.  

A long stretch of graffiti, promoting peace, done on the retaining wall of the Klang River.

Like most popular characters, They is beginning to create waves in the form of toys, stickers and prints on apparels.  

“They looks like he’s out of this world, but is still human. They represents our youths – they may be influenced by Western culture, but are still very much Malaysians,” said the 24-year-old from Batu Pahat.  

Graffiti is, to the youngsters, a means to express their opinions, but is vandalism to most others. Some call it art, but others call it an act of crime.  

Mahathir has taken graffiti, or street art as he prefers to call it, a step further. He and friend Mohd Nazri Amran, 23, also from Batu Pahat, run a shop in Sungei Wang Plaza that offers customised graffiti designs and services as well as graffiti-themed merchandises.  

“I guess I was only aping the Westerners at first,” said Mahathir. “I liked to draw and I was influenced by the hip-hip culture. Then, I realised that it was also an art form, so I began to study it seriously.  

At T-Hop, theworks ofMahathir andMohd Nazri arelegal.

“It’s also challenging.  

“We used pencils to draw when we were younger, but graffiti is different,” he said. “The wall is our canvas and aerosol spray is our paintbrush.” 

Mahathir said graffiti artist should know how to control the nozzle. “And, you have to be precise. We can’t get the proper spray for street art, so we can only use what we have and learn how to do it well. It’s not easy, but it’s satisfying,” he said.  

It is not cheap, too. A can of spray costs RM6 to 8. A simple piece of graffiti costs the artists anything between RM50 and RM70.  

Nazri loves art and he was exposed to graffiti over the Internet. There he chatted with graffiti artists who encouraged him to be brave enough to draw anywhere.  

His room, house, friends’ residences and abandoned buildings in Batu Pahat became his canvases. The works captured the eyes of businessmen who commissioned him to do graffiti works. His first was to paint the backdrop for a break dance competition. He was only 16 then. Orders had not stopped since then, and he came to Kuala Lumpur to explore the art form further three years ago.  

“Graffiti is something natural,” said Nazri. “Even Stone Age people drew on walls.”  

Mahathir said he liked to do stickers, stencils and characters, while Nazri is good at writing. Together they make good partners. Their commissioned works adorn Sungei Wang Plaze, Berjaya Times Square and Cineleisure Damansara, among others. 

Some of their works have even been featured on Graphotism, an international magazine that specialises in street art.  

Their “illegal” works, created with their gang of graffiti lovers, are widely seen in the city, too. The most eye-catching piece is that done on the retaining wall of Klang River, near Pasar Seni LRT station.  

“Thirteen of us did that in less than half an hour one night,” said Nazri. “We do it real fast when it is illegal.”  

Their commissioned works are priced between RM1,000 to RM30,000. Even so, they still relish painting without permission on public walls.  

“It is the best way to communicate with our audience,” said Mahathir. “If we put up our works in a gallery, not many see them. Moreover, galleries aren’t willing to feature unknown artists like us. Space means money to them.  

“In some ways we are addicted to doing graffiti. Our works speak directly to our audience, and we get feedback fast,” he added.  

The skatingrink in TamanMetropolitan Batupark has been givensome vibrancy.

They do these in groups, sometimes numbering 30. Their favourite spot is a park in Taman Melawati, the only wall in Kuala Lumpur that is dedicated to graffiti. Taman Metropolitan Batu Park, that houses a skating ring, is the other.  

Cheras-born Shahrane Mat Zaini, 29, known among his friends as Tha-bi, is a new member to the scene. He started doing graffiti about two years ago.  

“I feel an adrenaline rush whenever I do graffiti. It’s challenging, especially the ones done without permission, as you really have to do it fast,” said Shahrane, who took to the streets after being inspired by US-based graffiti artist Dave.  

Shahrane ... ‘Itgives me thatadrenalin rush’

Shahrane has been shooed away by enforcement officers and property operators. “Once I even begged them to let me finish my work first.  

“I don’t put up messages to provoke something. I like to draw characters. I want the viewers to feel relaxed.  

“Yes, I guess it is vandalism and it’s not right, but it’s challenging,” he added.  

Mahathir, however, does not think it is vandalism.  

“If we want to vandalise we won’t bother to do it nicely. We are sincerely trying to produce pieces of art. If you find them ugly, that’s because we have not been given enough time to do it,” he explained. “We are not stealing; we are not committing crime.  

“Those who chase us away don’t know art. In fact, some universities overseas are teaching street art. It’s a matter of exposure,” he added. 

Nazri said he saw doing graffiti as a growing trend. “Many youngsters are into it in recent years,” he said.  

The graffiti lovers have only one wish: “Give us a wall.”  

Catch their works on www.phobiaklik.com, tha-b.blogdrive.com or on www.woostercollective.com, a site dedicated to street art.  

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