Singapore's Graffiti Godfather: making a career from Street Art.... by Cornelius Grey

Earlier this year, Oliver Fricker, a Swiss man who spray-painted graffiti on a Singapore train, was sentenced to three strokes of the cane and seven months jail. "It is conduct which is entirely unacceptable in Singapore, regardless of the artistic merit (or lack thereof) of the graffiti," the judge said in a written statement.

Though such events are rare in Singapore, this one raised the issue of whether graffiti is art or vandalism. To discuss this and if you can make a career out of street art, Cornelius Grey met up with Mazlan Ahmad, aka Skope, whom some consider the godfather of graffiti art in Singapore.

Skope is certainly a pioneer of street art in the red dot and his work has brightened up the walls of many shopping centres, stores and even schools in the republic. He has also been invited to many countries to work alongside other graffiti artists and has also helped establish public spaces in Singapore where artists can paint legally.

Date: August 2010
Mazlan: Mazlan Ahmad, aka "Skope"
iCUBED.us: Cornelius Grey

iCUBED.us: How did your interest in graffiti start?

Mazlan: As a child, I loved to draw and then in 1984, the movie “Beat Street” brought hip-hop and graffiti closer to me. Like most graffiti artists, I started out doing illegals, there was no legal place in Singapore where I could do it originally. I have been caught red handed and harassed by the authorities, but I have never been arrested

iCUBED.us: Some people say graffiti is vandalism

Mazlan : I think it is sad for people to be ignorant and misinformed in this era.

iCUBED.us: So is graffiti art?

Mazlan: Of course it is. These people are just like any other artists. They are expressing themselves with graffiti as their medium. The only difference is that they are daring to bring it to another level by doing art in public spaces. They are sharing their art of typography, iconography and socio-political poster art with the public.

It is also very interactive... thousands if not millions can watch it as it is being done for free without going to a gallery. One thing I will NOT tell young people is that graffiti is not art.

iCUBED.us: Who inspires you?

Mazlan: All kinds of artists, especially the ones with the courage to go against the grain.

iCUBED.us: Tell us about some of the major projects you have worked on.

Mazlan: The most appealing project I have done was probably the invitation to the Joan Miro Museum in Barcelona, Spain, for an exhibition. I was never really into the arts scene in Singapore, but somehow, through the years, the name I’ve been using has gained some recognition. For a guy without a degree or some kinda papers in the arts world, I think this is a major break for indie artists like myself.

iCUBED.us: And what do you advise to those who may want to make a career in the arts?

Mazlan: It can be challenging choice. People with a passion for art need to keep an open and positive mind when doing things like this to earn a living. Everyone just needs to persevere in what they do, you have got to plant those seeds and be patient to watch them grow.

If your readers want to start doing graffiti, we hold numerous workshops in Singapore. I will not, and I do not condone them doing it illegally, I tell young artists that if you get caught doing illegals then you are going to face some serious trouble.

iCUBED.us: What kind of career direction can someone doing graffiti expect?

Mazlan: With graffiti as a starting point, you can also explore other directions such as being a designer, an art director, a muralist, airbrush artist, tattoo artist, toy maker, CG artist for movies... the list goes on and on, its how you want to progress in it. And yes, true practice makes perfect, not just practice. I’ve been doing this for 15 years perhaps, and yes I think it is possible to make a career from it. It is also about how you market yourself. Guerrilla marketing is the best no doubt.

iCUBED.us: Do you think you will still be doing graffiti when you are 65?

Mazlan: I see myself doing this until I physically can’t do it anymore. I might take it to another level too, and who knows, somewhere along the way, I may have other plans, but I believe that they will be related to what I am doing now. I will certainly not stray away from my art.