The writing is on the Expo wall

• Source: Global Times
• [14:01 May 26 2010]
• Comments

(Top) A collage of work by Shanghai graffiti artists. Photos: Courtesy of Shanghai Graffiti Park

By Nick Muzyczka

Last Sunday one of the least publicized Expo events took place in Putuo district. Down an innocuous lane of an innocuous street, those in the know headed to an old school building, which is now the home of the Shanghai Graffiti Park (SGP). Hip-hop music blared and free food and drink was available to the crowds of (mostly) young Chinese people who came to check out this compelling art scene.

The event was affiliated with the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai and was organized in conjunction with the German Pavilion.

"Today was a big opportunity for our graffiti lovers to make connections with European artists. The European Expo community had already invited many top-level aerosol artists. They are the masters, they are beyond hip-hop culture, and internationally famous," said William Zhou, team leader of Reload, the city's first graffiti crew, and the founder of the Shanghai Graffiti Park.

The first part of the day, a lecture, was designed to give more examples about how to combine graffiti skills with other expressions of art. It was given by TASSO, WOW123 and LOOMIT, three internationally famous artists from Germany, who were brought to Shanghai by the German Pavilion to perform a show about urban youth culture.

Later in the day, the German artists were joined by SUIKO from Japan, STAN and SINIC from China. The group gave demonstrations to an enthusiastic audience of amateur artists, a sprinkling of expats and some slightly confused local residents.

SGP is home to Reload. It was the earliest group to take graffiti art in a commercial direction in the city. "Over the last five years, we've met friends who are practicing the art form, but normally it's just like a hobby. At the very beginning we didn't have the right materials, the right tools and no textbooks to learn from. The conditions were very limiting," said Zhou.

In the early days, local artists would use photos taken from the Internet and try to replicate the designs of other artists. "But hip-hop culture in China has been growing fast, and step-by-step everything is becoming more convenient. Many locals who are interested in graffiti are beginners, using local materials to paint tags or simple characters. But they are confused as to how to develop their technique and their style," said Zhou.

Reload is looking to make ties with the international community and follow which graffiti artists are coming to China. "We try to set up events, to learn from these people, to share experiences. We take foreign influences and add in Eastern elements, such as writing in Chinese characters. We want to create a truly local style."

TASSO was unfamiliar with Chinese graffiti before arriving in Shanghai but now believes that the art form will develop rapidly. "Everything in China is moving fast. These young artists will reach a high level quickly," he told the Global Times. TASSO produces most of his work from photos. He is a pioneer in a style known as "graphoto," which involves producing photo-realistic pieces of graffiti.