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Art or vandalism?

24 July 2009

The artist comes out only by the night. The meaning of his art borders on vandalism. Our intern Phub Dorji reports.

140720091728Do not be scared if you see a shadowy figure discreetly writing or drawing on the walls of Thimphu buildings by the night. On closer observation, you will notice that he is a graffiti artist at work.
Graffiti is an image or a piece of writing with political or social messages scratched, scrawled, or painted on any property. Graffiti is often regarded as unsightly and, therefore, vandalism of properties. But it is sometimes considered a form of art.
Graffiti culture is already taking shape in Thimphu. At least one graffiti artist is known to work by the night on the walls of the buildings opposite Taj Hotel. Chand (name changed) considers graffiti a form of art and practises it on some odd walls.
According to city corporation officials, graffiti is illegal and amounts to defacing properties. Chand knows that but carries on with it. He says that people should understand his art as it expresses messages of frustrations in life, love, betrayal, and hope.
According to Chand, graffiti requires enormous patience and talent. Graffiti is usually done with a colour which can be sprayed like perfume. The dominant colour used is black as it can dissolve any other colour.
“Don’t give up what you are doing. I don’t want to excel in business nor in any kind of government service as it would be an obstacle between me and my art,” Chand said. “Money and art cannot go together.”
He does paintings for kids free of cost. He said he did not want his talent to be exchanged for money or fame. He wants to express his emotions in the form of an art that would definitely catch a glimpse of thousands of passersby.
“That is why I come out after dark although I know the consequences of that,” he said.
Chand has done his art on a few buildings. According to a house owner’s son, his father appreciates graffiti work and does not object to it.
Some passersby find the art appealing and meaningful while others say it is a blot on the face of a building.
Passang Dorji, 29, a private employee, finds the graffiti art interesting. “He gives positive messages through his work. It is at least looking better than doma-stained walls,” he said. He added that one could find messages like ‘stop violence’ or ‘live life’ in his art.
“I feel good if I am able to communicate with people through my art although that leads me to jail,” Chand said. “All’s well that ends well.”

Ratings: 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes | 1.50 out of 5)
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Posted by Chime · Filed Under Feature 

Comments

2 Responses to “Art or vandalism?”

  1. sonam nima on July 28th, 2009 4:21 pm

    i think chand is a person with a hidden talents. even though he does not to exchange his art with money or fame, the govt needs to give him a chance to show his talent freely.

    he can express his and others feelings through his art.
    i would like to comment that he should make himself popular through art.

  2. D on July 28th, 2009 10:17 pm

    Most definitely Art. Way to go, Chand.

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