Pssst! Graffiti art is going legit, all over town
WHEN Michael Thompson leaves for Paris next month, he will have left his mark all over Johannesburg.
The 25-year-old street artist is one of three chosen from among 50 graffiti artists vying this week to have their artworks displayed at Newtown Junction Mall in the city centre.
The area has become a hub where street artists can showcase their work.
Armed with more than 60 cans of spray paint, Thompson and fellow finalists Mduduzi Tshabalala and Ryza Phatzo spent three hours bringing their vision to life.
For Thompson, known in the trade as Mister_copy, that vision was of his French fiancée, Charlotte.
“I love doing faces of the people I love. Since women are not featured a lot in graffiti, I thought I should do her. Her beauty, fun and makeup show the young, vibrant energy of this place,” he said.
“I live and breathe art every day,” said Thompson, who has painted a picture of his business partner on a freeway pillar in nearby Mary Fitzgerald Square.
He is hoping his new life in France, where his fiancée is based, will enable him to grow his experience in street art.
Thompson reminisced about the days when he and other artists would “tag” and “bomb” buildings in Hillbrow and other parts of Johannesburg, but said stricter bylaws had put an end to that.
Street art has gone commercial, and Thompson counts Planet Fitness, CocaCola, Absolut Vodka, Sprite, MTV and Pam Golding among the clients of NVS, the international graffiti group he belongs to.
His business partner, known as Nausea Krusher, said it had taken a long time for graffiti to be recognised and accepted by society.
“Five years ago we didn’t have many of these types of competitions, which give us an opportunity to meet other street artists.
“We used to do more tagging and bombing -— where artists go to any public property, [such as a] train station, and paint anything they like. With every piece they would leave their signature. It was not safe, but we loved the adrenaline that came with the possibility of getting caught.
“Nowadays, the corporate world has come to accept us. That’s where we make most money, as businesses now prefer this kind of art over posters and banners.”
The three finalists’ artworks will be posted on the mall’s Facebook page, where people will choose their favourite.
The winner gets R20 000, and his work will be displayed in the mall.