Italian graffiti crew “Truly Design” made their debut production in the MSAR last week at the Graffiti Square located in downtown Macau. Despite rain forcing the Torino-based group to relocate indoors on Friday and Saturday, the guest crew was able to produce two large murals decorated with bright tones and intricate details.
The murals were created as part of the Macau Graffiti Festival, which ran from January 11 until January 16. The festival was co-organized by the Macau Powers of Arts to Inspire Intelligence Association and the art group, Truly Design, and sought to bring together artists from abroad in order to inspire residents and enable graffiti artists to learn from each other.
Truly Design has been active since 1996 when they turned their passion into a profession. Upon landing in Macau last week, the crew headed to a conference at the UNESCO center in the NAPE area.
In March 2014, local graffiti group “Gantz 5” was commissioned to produce a work of art outside the Macao Museum of Art (MAM), but the piece has since been removed.
Contemporary graffiti has been regarded as street art for around 50 years, when it developed from an underground and illicit phenomenon into a recognized art form.
Controversy has arisen in recent decades, as critics claim that the movement of graffiti from the street to the exhibition hall undermines the origin and purpose of the art.
On the other hand, “authentic” graffiti remains equally controversial. In August, five men were arrested for what was described as “unauthorized vandalism,” after they spray-painted on protected, heritage architecture in the St. Lazarus quarter. Incidents such as these continue to tarnish the reputation of the art form.
