Josh Franklin, better known as Stash, a legendary graffiti artist from New York, brought his graffiti aesthetics to the collaborative exhibition “Namecaps: Spaceman”, in which he joined forces with Jahan Loh, a contemporary artist from Singapore. Held at Event Hall, Central Chidlom, “Namecaps: Spaceman” showcases art pieces in an East-meets-West concept that delivers compelling storytelling about the past and the future.
Jahan explained that “Namecaps: Spaceman” basically is an East-meets-West and past-meets-future exhibition. The word namecaps is spaceman spelled backwards.
Stash added that in the exhibition, Jahan represents the future as he has seen it and is the spaceman, and he is the “graffiti artist with spray nozzles”.
The exhibition’s working process was intriguing because Stash and Jahan had a 12-hour time zone difference. Stash revealed they each started their paintings independently in their studios in New York and Singapore. Then, they met in both cities to work together before finishing everything in Bangkok, which they refer to as Southeast Asian New York due to its diversity.
“We share a lot of philosophy. We liked the idea of our 12-hour time zone difference. We were up at a time when we shouldn’t have been and we communicated and created a lot in those off hours,” explained Stash.
Jahan added: “The exhibition’s unique aspect is it basically uses spray paint aerosol in the context of the canvas.”
When asked how they blended different styles together, Stash replied that their styles complement each other.
Chidlom Dreaming.
“I think we have similar colour palettes that we both enjoy. And I think the energy and movement of graffiti art, what he paints, the subject matter and the style in which he paints merges well together. Then, there is the narrative which we discussed a lot,” said Stash.
“Since we were 12 hours apart, we talked either very late for me or very early for him, or very early for me, but very late for him. We had very interesting observations in those hours of creative moments.”
“Namecaps: Spaceman” features artworks that Stash and Jahan worked on together in the form of paintings, sculptures and immersive art as well as solo art pieces. These paintings are entitled with initials of both artists such as Namecaps SJ, Namecaps TA and Namecaps AH.
In the series, Jahan painted a spaceperson of neutral gender. Jahan wrote the word chokdee (meaning good luck) in Thai on the spaceman’s helmet to wish viewers luck. Meanwhile, Stash created backgrounds for the series. Stash also explained how they decided to work on different tasks.
“We knew what we both could deliver, how to best communicate and celebrate our histories and where we come from, what we wanted to show and where we’re going.”
The highlight, Chidlom Dreaming, which Stash and Jahan worked on together, are two paintings described as a graffiti revolution. This large exhibit looks like a mural where each painting has half the face of a spaceman on one side and the rest of the painting incorporates raw and vibrant graffiti expressions, whitewashed over and repainted in layers, symbolising the cyclical process of creation and erasure.
“We experienced a lot of positive energy here, so we said let’s blend something that’s from the West with something from Southeast Asia. Basically, we deconstructed that whole canvas and painted over the original. Then, we switched it around and repainted again to make it different,” explained Jahan.
Stash’s solo work features graffiti aesthetics incorporating bold colours, clean lines and urban motifs. One mixed media painting titled Chokdee depicts the word good luck in Thai accompanied with urban graffiti aesthetics. Many of Stash’s solo paintings are named after well-known locations in Bangkok such as Suvarnabhumi, Yaowarat, Siam, Victory Monument and Thong Lo. Stash revealed that he named these paintings when he was in Bangkok because he always wanted to give something back to where he was.
“I was here finishing the paintings. There are also two paintings of spacemen titled Nakbin Avakart. The painting Suvarnabhumi depicts a spray ship and I love the name of the airport,” explained Stash.
Nakbin Avakart by Stash.
“Other locations are all the roads from the studio that led to where we are today [Central Chidlom]. I also wanted to use locations like the BTS and some of the landmarks that led to what we were painting.”
Both artists admitted they had never showcased their work at a mall before. However, Stash said that he did not consider Central Chidlom a mall.
“I think they are trying to elevate what people think about the mall because it is also a lifestyle. People go to the mall to eat and to meet others. To introduce this kind of environment is smart,” said Stash.
Jahan said he is excited to have the exhibition at Central Chidlom.
“It is about building new communities and a new place for people to come. I think it is important to get people out of their house to experience something or be involved with something since it is very difficult because people tend to look at things on their phones.”
Since Stash and Jahan have worked in the art industry for decades, they have noticed how technology has become part of the artists’ toolkit.
Suvarnabhumi by Stash.
“Street art has changed quite a bit because of technology and the world around us. Street art is a reflection of lifestyle. Artists tend to use whatever is available to us, including technology. We incorporate it into our artwork if it makes sense,” said Stash.
“When I started doing graffiti, there wasn’t a commercial angle. Back then, there was no CCTV for PolCam network in Singapore. But I think everything changed after Michael Fay spray-painted a car in Singapore. Basically, the government caught him and sentenced him to six strokes of a cane [for violating the Vandalism Act in Singapore]. After CCTVs were installed, street art became more legal because there is a commercial angle and permission can be sought. Taking one step forward from street art to gallery, technology has influenced the way we create art as well. Even from beyond canvas, technology will be immersive with street art,” said Jahan.
As veteran artists, Jahan and Stash gave advice to aspiring artists. Jahan said that to achieve success, talent is only 10% while the rest is hard work. Stash told young artists to embrace their failures. He emphasised that when experiencing failure, they should not be discouraged and keep going.
Though Stash and Jahan are thrilled to showcase their work in Bangkok, they are humble.
“I have no expectations. Hopefully, there is something to make you have a good day or make today a better day,” said Stash.
Yaowarat by Stash.
Somchai Poomlard
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