The Wall at LBX Gallery

The Wall is Hangzhou’s first ever graffiti gallery exhibition. Organized by Dalian-born graffiti artist Kiddy and Hangzhou’s LBX Gallery, the exhibition features work from notable Chinese graffiti and street artists including Romi, Soos, Gan, Sanhao Tuya, Kong2, NILone, Rage, Yangyangyang, Jinzhigou, and Los.

迷墙是杭州首次举办的涂鸦群展，由大连出生的涂鸦艺术家Kiddy和杭州的LBX Gallery主办。参展作品来自国内一众知名涂鸦和街头艺术家，包括Romi、Soos、Gan、三好涂鸦、Kong2、NILone、Rage、羊羊羊、金只狗和Los。

Neocha: How popular is graffiti and street art in Hangzhou?

Kiddy: When I was planning the event, I didn’t think too many people would show up. I wasn’t sure if people in Hangzhou were ready for a graffiti gallery exhibition. Only a couple years ago, when we would paint graffiti around Hangzhou, Zhejiang and neighboring cities, people didn’t understand what we were doing. But these days things are changing. Now, when we go out on the streets to paint, little kids will know to call it “graffiti”. Sometimes, they can even decipher and read out the names that we’re writing.

Neocha: 涂鸦和街头艺术在杭州很受欢迎吗？

Kiddy: 在展览准备阶段，我真没想过今天会有那么多人过来，当时还担心很多人接受不了。现在想想，还是觉得挺神奇。可能近来涂鸦渐渐被更多人接受了。不久的几年前，我们在杭州以及浙江的一些周边城市画的时候，旁人根本不了解我们在做什么。但是现在一些小朋友能说出我们在画涂鸦，甚至有时候能认出我们写的字。

Neocha: How did you get started as a graffiti artist?

Kiddy: I used to love street dance, but because of my lack of physical coordination, I had to give it up. I had a lot of friends in the hip-hop scene, but I still didn’t know anything about graffiti. Later on I would watch some films that had graffiti scenes and I would try to copy the letters. At the time, I didn’t even know that you were supposed to use spray paint.

When I left my hometown to study at Hangzhou’s China Academy of Art, I had booked a hotel in advance for my first night there. Then it just so happened that when I arrived at the hotel, there were two guys painting graffiti on the building next door. They were the only graffiti crew in Hangzhou at the time. It was a strange coincidence, it really felt like fate.

Neocha: 你最初是怎么接触到涂鸦的？

Kiddy: 我以前很喜欢街舞，但是我身体协调能力非常差，所以根本就没办法跳。我在这个圈子里认识了很多朋友，但还是不太了解涂鸦。后来无意中看到一个片子里的涂鸦场景，我就试着模仿写那些字。当时我甚至都不知道这需要用喷漆画。

之后，来杭州上美术学院时，我预定了第一晚住的宾馆。到了宾馆碰巧看到旁边有两个人在画涂鸦，而当时杭州的涂鸦团队就只有这一个。这件事让我感觉太巧了，太奇妙了！

Neocha: How does traditional Chinese culture influence your art?

Kiddy: I don’t purposely try to create anything that contains Chinese culture. In my opinion, China doesn’t have too many graffiti or street artists who have expressed our culture well. Most artists are too obvious. They might use calligraphy or a splash-ink technique, and then boast that it’s Chinese culture. I think that’s boring. I try to be more subtle with my work – I might use abstracted versions of Chinese elements. For example, previously I used the Song Ti typeface as a reference for some of my letter shapes. Those who type in Chinese everyday might recognize certain Song Ti strokes or shapes and then make that connection. I don’t need to paint calligraphy in order to express that I’m a Chinese artist.

Neocha: 中国传统文化会影响你的创作理念吗？

Kiddy: 我不会刻意去做很中国文化的东西。在我看来，这方面目前中国没几个涂鸦或街头艺术家做得好，大部分人只是生硬地套入书法和泼墨，就鼓吹这是中国文化。这样挺无聊的。我会选择抽象化用到的中国元素，用更隐晦的方式将它们融合到作品中去。比如之前的画里，我就应用了中文的宋体笔画做成的图形。因为现在大家每天都在打字，很可能会轻易辨认出那些特定的一撇一捺。所以我们不用完全地画一个书法去表现中国味道。