This is the second part of the unedited version of an article first published in Off the Edge Magazine, October 2008, Issue 46. Many thanks goes to OTE for granting Arteri permission to reprint.

With names such as They, The Kioue, Tha-B, The A80s, The Damis, Mile09, F-code, Jo Tribe, Phobia Klik and Vector Crew to name a few of the pyseudonyms, graffiti artists in KL are committed to their practice. The largest and longest and perhaps most well know ‘gallery’ of their work used to be the along the banks of the Klang River by Pasar Seni LRT. Beginning in 2006 it soon became an organised project with artists being invited to contribute which eventually led to 300 meters of artwork on display by over 30 artists. But in May 2008 the wall was painted over by City Hall in an attempt to clean up the site. Some artists have created new work but many have tried to keep their distance not wanting to be manipulated into making their mark once more only to be vilified by the government which contradicts public opinion that was mainly favourable to the mural. But not all graffiti art is situated in the street, and there are numerous commission based works, competitions, demonstrations, workshops and some of these artists have opened their own galleries and retail spaces selling customised clothing, shoes and artwork such as the well known Super Sunday concept store and theyartstudio located in the Monorail Station Bukit Bintang and the Annexe, Central Market respectively.

Super Sunday, 2008, Retaining Wall, Sungei Klang, Pasar Seni, Image courtesy of the Artist

Super Sunday is one of the most well known and respected crews on the graffiti art scene in KL. They began in 2007 with founding members The Kioue and The Damis (who is no longer a part of the collective) and A80s and Tha-B joining shortly after with Mile 09 following in 2008. The Super Sunday are not only graffiti artists but event organisers, t-shirt and graphic designers who also support break dancers and independent musicians with their concept store functioning as a hub for production. They have completed numerous commissions for organisations such as Rakan Muda, Melia Hotel, Cineleisure Damansara, Hugo Boss and are currently working with Lee Jeans. Each artist has their own unique style reflective on their personal thoughts and goals but The Super Sunday crew’s signature pieces (large scale ‘masterpieces’) are a combination of bubble-like writing of their tag name incorporated with pop references such as figures from 80’s robot cartoon Transformers, pop characters and fiery backgrounds layered with wild style morphing and organic forms in acidic colours. They also incorporate key images from Kuala Lumpur such as the twin towers or important figures from Malaysian culture. Unconsciously the work exudes collaborative surrealist and abstract expressionist energy but is there meaning behind this highly graphic imagery? Is understanding just for informed or should the public be able to recognise the thoughts behind its creation? Yes and No. Just as with every art form meaning is both obvious and elusive, intuitive and considered, personal and public. Firmly aware of this dichotomy Super Sunday comment that for the public it is mainly about colour and form but amongst their own circles it is about competing styles and who can produce the most ambitious composition and graffiti calligraphy.

Super Sunday, 2008, Bukit Bintang, Image by the Author

In a departure from their recognisable street art style, Super Sunday organised an exhibition of a different sort of work earlier in 2008 at the Annexe disko elektro art feel. Showcasing more traditionally structured spray painted canvases that focused on youth cool beatnik imagery of young men and women lounging against blank backgrounds, abstract organic graffiti forms and lyrical landscapes, the space also doubled up as a night club for viewers to be immersed fully into the culture of the artists. The use of an exhibition is a strategy to re-contextualise their practice as Art, appropriate for a gallery context and therefore for wider art audiences whilst also blending their signature trademark of urban style, music and performance. The Super Sunday and many other bombers want to be considered artists who not only confront established ideas of where art can be found but also playfully challenge the establishment who seem to take such offence to their work, a recent piece is layered over a wall in Bukit Bintang that already had a spray painted stencil of a Tenaga Nasional logo and now displays another graffiti invasion by the crew with the caption “Super Sunday loves the haters”.

Another very active young artist who is bringing the outside inside in, is They, who has his own studio theyartstudio in the Annexe, Central Market. Customised t-shirts, baseball hats and merchandise are available, but the space also functions primarily as a gallery/studio space for street art with up to 8 exhibitions organised every year. With titles such as Klikklik and Kecikkecik, exhibitions (mainly group shows) are often initiated through an open call with the best work selected for display and the studio is supportive of a range of media from painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. It is a commercial enterprise but the main market seems to be tourists who wonder into the Annexe from Central Market rather than local collectors who at the moment remain loyal to more established fine art dealers to find young art world rising stars. They has been researching the scene and collecting images and information about different styles and local artists as well as the history of international graffiti for the development of his own practice which can be seen through numerous commission works and bombing sites around KL. He also uses this knowledge to educate young people during workshops he has been asked to run with Kementerian Belia Dan Sukan. His signature style is a Puckish character representative of the artist’s persona and is a white androgynous rounded being; a cross between an Eskimo and an astronaut referencing Malaysia’s space dreams and the artists own fascination with and desire to see snow for the first time. Often this creature is found in various poses that emulate hip hop gestures in bold and playful settings. The lack of facial features create a certain distance to the character who is unable to express emotion other than through his hand gestures, body poses and chosen props. But there is no aggression rather a good humoured mischievousness. There are no racial denominators either, this is a neutral, space/cultural traveller or comic book hero but one that seems proud to be Malaysian. Studies for new works incorporate batik design and look at the local tastes and flavours both literally and figuratively in sketches titled: They – Buahahahaha, They – Fungsi and They- Sweet Cryin. These sketches illustrate a new evolution of style with the character embedded in the features of large faces in order to convey more emotion and therefore unlocking a wider spectrum of meaning available to the artist. It is also an indication that graffiti is not as unsystematic as assumed but a considered practice of graphics, branding and visual experiment.

They, 2008, Retaining Wall, Pasar Seni, Image Courtesy of the Artist

Graffiti art is at the moment still functioning predominantly as an alternative sub- culture but it is growing as more and more artists join the KL scene. There is no academic debate surrounding this genre and its at times playful or bold graphic styles have meant its coercion into set design and backdrop for events and commercial venues but not the label of artworks in its own right. The question also remains to be answered if KL’s graffiti artists will continue to practise in their 40s and 50s or whether graffiti is routed within a certain moment in youth culture. However, the scene is growing and has to be encouraged by the enormous recognition both commercially and publicly of British street art super star Banksy and large scale exhibitions like the recent offering at Tate Modern, London where the exterior of the museum was adorned with 40 feet high images from four of the most renowned international graffiti artists, and the 2006 Brooklyn Museum survey Graffiti exhibition in 2006 as well as the activity of the Graffiti Research Lab in New York.

Talks are also underway between the city and the artists to provide a designated wall in KL for graffiti although as of yet this has not been confirmed. However, graffiti artists will, by the nature of preferring to work on walls in public spaces always have to deal with issues around vandalism even if such a wall does get allocated. Artists, need to continue to develop their styles since they have the luxury (at the moment) of being outside the constrains of the mainstream contemporary art world establishment and market values which allows the genre to evolve more organically and with more substance. Over time recognition may follow and with that academic frameworking that legitimises this complex and important antidote to art world strictures.

There are so many more sites and artists, that I have not covered but the plan is to keep documenting and put more up on Arteri soon!

(EM)