Graffiti artists in Shanghai can express themselves in spray paint without fear of illegality at two designated locations. One of them is Tian'ai Road, but exponents of the art need to buy imported paint if they really want to make an enduring statement.
Shanghai graffiti artist William Zhou was finishing up his second graffiti work on Tian'ai road this afternoon, which was inspired by the movie "King Kong". The theme of the graffiti is "Find Love Again", and is intended to mix in well with buildings and the surrounding area.
"I chose to draw King Kong because I want to express the idea that there are many kinds of love in the world, not just between human beings," Zhou said.
"I painted a picture of a deer in a heart, which means that when you meet someone you like, you can feel the heartbeat and butterflies in your stomach," Graffiti artist Cao Wei said.
"I think it's very creative, I can feel the emotion expressed by the artist," Visitor Wu Jiaying said.
Zhou was among the first group of people in Shanghai who started to do graffiti 10 years ago. He said many of his friends back then have stopped doing graffiti because the environment for graffiti artists is not very favourable. One problem facing the "artists" is pretty fundamental - sourcing spraypaint. Zhou said in Shanghai he cannot find anywhere to buy good spraypaint, because color from the locally-produced spraypaint can only last for a few months. So Zhou has to buy imported varieties from Australia through his friends.
"The imported spraypaints are very suitable for outdoor painting, and you can even paint it at temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees. Normally, the color lasts from 10 to 30 years if the environment is good. But no shops in China sell it," Zhou said.
However, these artists face an even more pressing problem: where to find walls to draw on? Tian'ai Road is an exception. Hongkou Cultural Bureau said that the walls on Tian'ai Road have always been scrawled with doodlings, so instead of fighting it, officials contacted the artists who draw on a similar space on Kangding Road to consult them on building a wall for artistic expression on Tian'ai Road. Sun Zheng, a part-time graffiti artist and full-time architect, was thrilled to join the project.
"A city has to have its culture, and the basic human culture passes through the streets and architecture. I think graffiti is a good way to express the culture of the area to the next generation. If the government can organise more activities like this, the city will become more vibrant, Graffiti artist Sun Zheng said.
So far, Shanghai had no specific rules on graffiti. But without government authorization, graffiti is not allowed. The M50 creative industry park on Moganshan Road in Putuo District is another place in Shanghai where graffiti painting is legal.
