Chasing Walls From Russia To China
MART or Martin from X3K crew has HAD a crazy art journey moving from rural Russia to the megalopolis of Chongqing in China, staff writer Abena Ayisi caught up with HIM about his new book, Chasing Walls.
The artist Martin is known for beautiful and vibrant graffiti, but when did it all start and how did his journey with painting begin? In his home country of Russia, Martin began painting graffiti in middle school because of a very middle school reason: it was “cool.” Although he frequently got in trouble, he continued getting into more complicated graffiti as he got older. He then had a change of scenery when he moved to China for university. When I asked him about when he began doing graffiti in China, he told me that “he waited a year” after he arrived because he didn’t know the many important factors involved. After he was more sure of himself, he went on his scooter looking for discreet places to paint.
In Russia, Martin’s graffiti was silver and black, which he considered the best choice as it would “fit” every building. In China, there was a stark difference, everything was bright and colorful, and without him even realizing it, his art changed to reflect his surroundings.
The colors aren’t the only difference between the graffiti scene in Russia versus China. When Martin began painting in China he didn’t get into as much trouble, people liked his graffiti, and they liked his coloring. Now, business people actually commission him to paint their hotels, bars, and clubs. Some want him to copy pictures from the internet, (to which he replies “you can get students to do that”) others want logos and branding.
