A CLOGWORK ORANG

In Singapore, while graffiti is a bit of a touchy subject, there is a steady growing band of artists that are making their mark. One such artist is Clogtwo. His work can be seen on the walls of places, including Dbl O, *Scape and Iluma. Recently, he and a couple of his friends (Onetwodelta; Zero; Speak Cryptic, Skope and Statement) put together an art show at Taksu Singapore. CATALOG pulled Clogtwo out from the spray fumes to ask him a few questions.

How did the name, Clogtwo, come about?

I started graffiti in 2004, tried a few tag names, and managed to settle down with Clogtwo after an unfortunate event one night at the old skatepark at Somerset.

It's a nightmare when a graffiti artist's spray can's nozzle gets choked, paints were dripping everywhere, and I couldn't finish my piece. And thus, the name Clog came to place. I added the "two", as a reminder to always be humble and strive to be first, so that you will constantly be building and creating works.

Your work ranges from the dark to the childlike. Is this just you being versatile or is this just an evolving art style?

I think, it's just an evolution taking place subconsciously as you grow. Moving and constantly changing keeps it fresh and different every time, so the viewers won't get bored of the works that I produce.

What is the central theme in all you work?

I guess it all narrows down to questions that don't seem to have answers.

You gave a talk at Dunman Secondary School about being a graff artist; what was the experience like?

It was nerve wrecking. The last time I spoke to a huge group was during my Polytechnic days. So to be back up on stage, talking to a hall full of students was a knee-trembling experience.

But after a few good laughs and the barrier between the students and I broke and it turned out to be a good episode. I did a few pointers about the punishable law for practicing illegal graffiti arts in Singapore, but what you don't see doesn't mean it isn't there. 

Do you think the legitimizing of graffiti would negate the spirit of graffiti itself?

Graffiti has been a form of vandalism, destroying and territorial marking. We can’t deny that it is a criminal art but as the years go by, and our society matures and develops, this art of mischief is accepted into the art world. Pushing it into commercial works and galleries.

But this privilege will not divert us away from the roots of painting in the streets, because that's the only time writers can get together socially, to do what we love doing and if the mural gets painted over the next day, it's simply a lesson in life, get over it and move on. 

Any plans of veering to other visual fields like comic books or short films?

Hopefully into installation arts, exploring more of the different types of crafts and learn more than just two-dimensional pieces. Hope to bring the interaction between the viewers and my artworks together, so to say that both elements will need each other in order to complete the story, instead of just the artwork being judged as an object.

How would you like to be remembered?

I'll let my artworks be the memories of yesteryears and hopefully they'll tell their own stories about the era that we lived in and the events that occurred.