While in the West graffiti art is a form of anti-establishment expression, some artists in Vietnam are focusing on its visual elements, using it as a tool for beautification of city streets.
The Saigon Graffiti Club, which was started by 5 artists, has asked city authorities to allow them to use the city’s empty and old walls as their canvases (some examples of which can be seen in our previous article on 15B Le Thanh Ton), reports VietNamNet.
For the group, it’s all about permission:
“However, my club and many other graffiti groups in HCMC just do it when we have permission from property owners or city authorities. Without permission, graffiti can be considered an act of defacement or vandalism,” said Trang Nhon Khoa, who tags as Kank.
“We just want to use it to beautify the city, old and mossy walls or to decorate houses and cafes at the request of owners,” Khoa added.
The club was started by art students who wanted to highlight graffiti art:
“To us, graffiti not only gives us a chance to share the passion and develop our skills but also makes us more open-minded,” said one member. “Even though we are still students and do another job, we will never give up graffiti. We will make it bigger in the contemporary art community.”
Though some traditional graffiti artists may say that asking for permission to paint defeats the purpose of graffiti art, we’re happy to see these guys add some color to Saigon’s streets and alleys.
[VietNamNet // Photo via Zing]
