“I want to paint something that represents youth, freedom and of course, rebelliousness.”
Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Cloakwork is an illustrator and street artist who’s traveled the world in search of blank walls. His colorful murals have found homes in the streets and alleyways of Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, England, Australia, and beyond.
“我想要画出能反映青春、自由、当然还有反叛精神的东西。”
常居在马来西亚吉隆坡的涂鸦艺术家、插画家 Cloakwork，同时也是一位旅行家，他走遍世界各地许多地方，一路上寻找空白的墙。现在在蒙古、日本、韩国、台湾、香港、英国、澳大利亚等地方的大街小巷里，都可以发现 Cloakwork 的創作。
Cloakwork has been making street art for the last eight years, citing as motivation his “rebellious personality and trying-to-do-something-extraordinary mentality as a student.” Using vibrant colors and bold line work, he creates narrative-driven pieces with astounding details. A look at his work makes clear that each wall he paints is a work of love.
Cloakwork 从事涂鸦已经有八年的时间，“一开始，我想是我的叛逆性格，以及从学生时代就开始发迹，那种总是想要做点大事的憧憬，让我成为一位涂鸦艺术家。” 于是他将热情淋漓尽致地挥洒在墙面上，他尽兴地画， 大胆的笔触和鲜明的用色，充满故事性的篇幅设计，让每一幅涂鸦都具有丰富、又不失细节的饱满视觉感。
“My style is myself,” Cloakwork says. “But I am still soul-searching and exploring the world.”
The different people, places, histories, and cultures he’s encountered influence the aesthetic and creative direction of each piece. Including local culture into his graffiti has become a hallmark of his work.
“I always keep myself inspired, and I’m also endlessly interested in different cultures and countries. Every place is different and unique,” he notes. “When I paint at a spot, I usually create something that fits the surroundings to make the mundane wall into something that’s both alive and humorous.”
“我的风格就是我。我也还在寻找自我和探索世界的路上。” 在 Cloakwork 的涂鸦旅程中，每一个地方不同的人民、街景、历史和文化都成为启发创作的来源，让他的作品始终充满地方性的文化色彩。“我接收灵感的开关始终保持在开启的状态上。我也对于各个国家的文化很感兴趣，每一个地方都是独一无二的。我希望能创作出符合当地情景和环境的涂鸦，让一面平凡无奇的墙能获得新生，获得被观赏的乐趣和幽默感。”
As in much of Asia, in Malaysia street art still hasn’t quite reached mainstream status. A lot of people remain skeptical about the artistic merits of graffiti art. Often street artists are seen as just vandals. “In Malaysia, to be honest, graffiti is still in a grey area of public opinion,” he says. “There are those who appreciate street art, but there are also some who are just following trends. But I do believe that public perception is slowly changing for the better as people become more educated and are appreciative of art. Street art is for everyone, and whether they approve of it or not, it will always be around.”
然而，在亚洲许多地方，街头艺术的文化还在发展的进程中。部分民众对涂鸦抱持质疑的眼光，甚至把它视为一种破坏公物的行为，不是一种艺术的表现形式。“在我的家乡马来西亚，涂鸦艺术依然处在大众和政府认可的灰色地带。有些人是真心欣赏，有些人只是为了跟随潮流而已。但我相信未来会更好，人们会慢慢被教育去欣赏街头艺术。毕竟，街头艺术是画给每一个人的，无论你同意或不同意，它还是会在那里。”
Cloakwork says that graffiti for him is a way to have fun and delight anyone who stumbles across his work. “The future is hard to predict, but I feel I’ll keep doing graffiti until my body tells me to stop,” he says. “So why is street art so irreplaceable to me? Perhaps that’s the answer.”
If you’re lucky, perhaps one day on your travels you too might just stumble across one of his colorful pieces.
对现在的 Cloakwork 来说，涂鸦单纯是为了享受这个过程，并在同时娱乐观众。“未来的事还很难说，我只知道我会一直涂鸦下去，直到我的身体告诉我该停止了为止。” 所以为什么涂鸦对他来说如此重要？也许这句话本身就已解释了所有。
关注更多 Cloakwork 的消息，有机会的话，也许你能在旅行路上的墙与墙之间，幸运找到他到访过的踪迹。
