So I’ve just finished my 1000-word feature article for one of my Journalism modules, and it was disappointing to know that it wouldn’t get published, but I’m happy with it all the same!
If you’re interested, here it is:
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Graffiti is not a Fame Game for Ceno2
It’s a hazy afternoon at The Mill at Jalan Kilang and two gentlemen lounge languidly across from me, chatting cheerfully over coffee and a communal, makeshift ashtray that’s almost filled to the brim.
One of them is Mohammad Azlan Ramlan (or customarily known as Ceno2), a local graffiti artist and the owner of Artkhalytis, a company that provides graffiti services to clients. The other is Rohit Saikia, who Azlan mentors on a sporadic basis. They’re both backed by a large neon green wall with a half-finished graffiti piece that Azlan has been working on for an upcoming party.
Azlan posing beside his half-finished graffiti piece.
Azlan is 29 this year and has been dabbling in art since he could draw (which he recalls was four years old) and has been doing graffiti for over 20 years. He has been commissioned by some large corporate entities such as Scoot Airlines, the Singapore Science Centre, and Singapore Changi Airport.
Big stuff. Graffiti hasn’t always been this corporate-friendly though, and has historically amassed some antagonistic stigmas. In fact, the recent incidents of graffiti-related vandalism in Singapore only seem to reinforce these imputations that edge on the periphery of misconduct, rebellion, and politics.
Political (Non)-Affiliation
“Most of my art isn’t political though,” Azlan claims, when asked about the messages behind his art. “I mostly play around with human, everyday life,” he muses, gesturing to his half-finished work behind him, which is an exceptionally detailed portrait of a man holding a tube of cream. “I actually love Singapore,” he says unironically.
He does however feel that when performed legally, foreign graffiti artists seem to garner more attention by local folk and the government. Oddly enough, he seems to magnetize more support overseas than in Singapore. “The support overseas is overwhelming,” he affirmed. In fact, the support is so overwhelming that he’s participated in a myriad of international projects and exhibitions including the 2012 International Meeting of Styles in Chicago, and Tuff City in New York in 2013.
It must be the novelty of foreign talent.
But that’s about as far as he goes politically. When asked about the graffiti-related incident that happened last year where two German men broke into a train depot to vandalize a train with graffiti, he shrugs, nonplussed, and says that “they’re graffiti writers – they just write their own names, and I guess that’s how they do things”.
A piece like this might take a couple of days, depending on how detailed Azlan and/or his client want it to be.
Graffiti as a Business
Either way, effecting graffiti on public spaces in Singapore without a permit is still considered vandalism, which is inarguably, a crime. “Graffiti is not meant to be on canvas. So we mostly do it on walls,” Azlan explains. But unlike canvases, walls don’t come about so easily, so commoditizing the art not only allows him to “keep on the right side of the law”, but it also allows him to indulge in his passion, and pay the bills.
Talk about hitting several birds with one stone.
And this proverbial stone would be his company – Artkhalytis, which was formed in 2004 and has been doing well ever since. He shakes his head dismally when alluding to it as a business though. “I’m not selling stuff, I’m creating stuff. I’m the factory, I’m the worker,” he asserts.
“This is more than a business to me – it’s a passion. I’m an artist, and not an in-house designer. I need to be in the mood when I do my work,” he says candidly.
Going through his extraordinary gallery of work though, you’d presume that he’s constantly in a good mood.
“But business is good. People seem to have faith in me and trust me, so I’m happy,” he says. “As long as I can pay my bills on time,” he adds jokingly.
Painting with graffiti can be lucrative though. Depending on how big or complex a job is, a single project can usually bring in thousands of dollars. At least based on the pricing grid that Artkhalytis provides.
“The materials are not that expensive,” Azlan points out. “However, it’s the time, planning and workmanship that clients are usually paying for.”
Personal Philosophy
Even with massive press coverage on his art, Azlan quips that he doesn’t quite fancy speaking to reporters. “But you’re speaking to me,” I interject jokingly. “Oh, I responded to you because you stated you were a student,” he assures good-naturedly.
I’d call this ironic privilege, but I’m not complaining.
Azlan is quite involved in the community as well. He does a multitude of philanthropic activities involving youngsters. On top of granting interviews to junior journalists, he teaches art classes and counsels troubled youths as well. He doesn’t always have the time to fulfil his altruistic tendencies as he juggles all that on top of his commissioned graffiti jobs.
He attributes these acts to his desire to give back to the community, and he doesn’t “do things for name” because he believes “it’s better to give, than to get.”
“What goes around comes around,” he says, adding that he also believes strongly in treating everyone equally.
A good example of this would be Rohit (also customarily know as Psycho), Azlan’s mentee. Rohit is 23 this year and is from Assam, India. He approached Azlan in 2012 for an internship program and Azlan agreed to take him under his wing.
“I’m more than happy to have him,” Azlan says genially.
“He gives me harsh love,” Rohit conceded, when asked about how it was like to be under Azlan. “Our jobs are tough, but I learn a lot. We used to work for days without proper sleep,” Rohit recalls.
The pair would take turns taking power naps during jobs that could last anywhere from a day to a whole week.
“That’s why people don’t understand why the art isn’t cheap,” Rohit explains.
In fact, it was Rohit who coaxed Azlan to get onto Instagram, which has amassed over 33k followers in the last two years.
The two of them work and joke together like good friends and you can hardly see any chain of command between the both of them.
“That’s the great thing about the whole graffiti scene, we don’t discriminate.” Azlan says.
And that’s worthy of a mic drop.
Sidebar: Ceno2 did not work on iconic piece at Italian Restaurant
Despite being heavily covered in numerous press articles, the iconic graffiti mural in Jamie Italians’ Restaurant at Vivocity was not done by Azlan. He won the competition that scouted for an artist to work on the wall out of over 100 participants, but turned the job down later “due to monetary issues”.
A Stab at Grandeur (or the lack thereof) 