Graffiti and street art are often regarded as distinctly separate art forms, but some artists manage to find a way for the two to flow together naturally. Abdulrashade (the name is a combination of his real name, Abdul Rashid, and graffiti name, Shade) is just one such artist. His art combines the energetic flow of his graffiti with a menagerie of wild beasts, birds, and monsters.
涂鸦和街头艺术通常被认为是两种不同的艺术形式，但也有一些艺术家却能将二者出色地融合，譬如 Abdulrashade。这个名字由他的真名 Abdul Rashid 和涂鸦笔名 Shade 组合而成。他尤其擅长将野兽、鸟类和怪物的图案融入到活力四射的涂鸦作品中去。
Both his graffiti and murals are defined by choppy, wavy textures, and the two styles often merge with one another. His letters burn like flames, billow like smoke, and vibrate with energy. He uses the structure of his graffiti letters in his character designs, slicing them into shards with black linework, coloring it all in the same bright hues, making it easy for one to become the other. He describes it as an expression of adrenaline.
Abdulrashade 的涂鸦和壁画兼具有波浪式的纹理、熊熊燃烧的字体，它们彼此交织融合，字符如跳动的火焰，而波纹像飘缈的烟雾，迸发出蓬勃能量。在每一个字符的设计上，他沿用了字体设计的形式，将字体轮廓用线条一刀刀切割成不同的碎片，然后再用统一的亮色填充起来，让图案与字体交融得浑然天成。每当以这样的形式创作，都能让 Abdulrashade 的肾上腺素飙升。
The Kuala Lumpur-based artist got his start with street art at a late age, not picking up a can until he was 23. These early days were spent painting the same character over and over again, but bored with that repetition, he eventually decided to try his hand at a wildstyle piece, which is a graffiti style using complicated details and the elastic exaggeration of letters. The typography and design involved in such a piece seemed like a natural progression from his graphic-design roots. It was his graffiti that first caught the public’s attention and he’s stuck with the art form since.”I started by exploring the alphabet’s flow but injecting my own organic style,” Rashid says. “Then I began incorporating those strokes into my subjects or abstract patterns. The can and walls are just mediums. I manipulate the strokes into whatever I want it to be. I’m a shapeshifter.”
这位来自吉隆坡的艺术家直到 23 岁才拿起喷漆罐。最早的时候，他总是一遍又一遍地喷绘着相同的字符，直到对这种重复产生厌倦，他决定尝试创作更为野性的作品——Wildstyle，又称野性涂鸦，其拥有复杂的细节、具有侵略性的字体样式。这样的进阶对于本是平面设计出身的 Abdulrashade 来说，像是一件水到渠成的事。
初次引起公众的关注之后，他决定要将这种风格坚持下去。“我先去研究了字母设计的流动性，但同时注入自己原本的风格，之后再开始将这些字体设计纳入我的主题或抽象图案中。喷漆罐和墙壁都只是媒介，而我是这场魔术的主角。”
Rashid has more recently started folding Southeast Asian elements from Malay and Nusantara culture into his work, such as batik patterns infused with nature-related motifs. “I like local folklore too,” he tells us. “It makes my pieces more interesting and meaningful. I feel compelled to promote local culture via graffiti. Not everyone owns their local culture, so when you successfully assimilate the two, it captures people’s eye.”
Abdulrashade 最近开始将马来人和马来世界（Nusantara）文化等东南亚元素融入作品中，例如蜡染图案与自然图案的交相呼应。他说：“我很喜欢当地一些民间传说，这些元素使我的作品更有趣，也更有深层的内涵。我觉得自己有责任通过涂鸦来推广传统文化。并不是每个人都那么熟悉自己的文化，但换一种方式将它们结合在一起，自然会吸引更多人关注。”
These days Rashid runs with BAMC, a global graffiti crew that’s recruited some of the best artists from around the world, including many in Kuala Lumpur. “They have everything I love, it’s definitely not your regular graffiti lettering style!” he gushes. “I found the perfect family, they keep me pushing to be better and I’m honored to carry the name.”
近期 Rashid 加入了 BAMC，这是一支全球性的涂鸦团队，在世界各地招募最出色的涂鸦艺术家，其中也包括吉隆坡多名艺术家。“这个团队有我想要的一切，大家的涂鸦作品都很不同凡响！我们是一个大家庭，它让我不断努力变得更好，很荣幸能成为他们的一员。” 他激动地说道。
Rashid is a full-time mural artist now but often avoids government commissions to stay out of politics. “If it’s an event or festival for the people, I’m all in,” he says. In fact, it was one such festival that convinced him to start painting animals.
Rashid 现在是一名全职壁画艺术家，不想参与政治的他，并不待见政府主办的任何项目。他说：“如果是面向大众举办的活动或节日，我倒是很乐意参加。”实际上，促使他开始创作动物图案的契机也是他参加的一次活动。
He recalls that his usual style might not have made sense at this particular event, so he decided to paint a rooster. “I called it ‘Be a leader, not predator,’ because roosters are supposedly the head of the family but sometimes eat baby chickens or eggs,” he explains. “I got a good response and learned that Malaysians prefer things they can relate to.”
回想起来在一次活动上，Abdulrashade 原本的涂鸦风格与活动主题有些出入，于是临时决定画一只公鸡。他解释说：“我给这幅作品取名’成为领导者，而不是掠夺者‘，因为据说公鸡虽然是一家之主，但有时也会吃小鸡或鸡蛋。这幅作品获得了很好的反响，这让我意识到，马来西亚人更容易接受与自己文化息息相关的事物。”
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Website: www.abdulrashade.com
Instagram: @abdulrashade
Facebook: ~/abdulrashade
Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li
Website: www.abdulrashade.com
Instagram: @abdulrashade
Facebook: ~/abdulrashade
供稿人: Mike Steyels
英译中: Olivia Li
