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The crew and I just returned from Singapore, where we painted a large mural called “Mosaic of Peace and Harmony.” I did an art show at Opera Gallery with around 150 pieces and a pop-up clothing collab. Painting a mural is always important to me because I believe in the power of accessible art and the need for artistic expression in public spaces. I especially believe in these principles in a place like Singapore, which is very strict and bureaucratic, with more challenges to overcome to create public art. I’m very grateful to Opera Gallery for finding me an incredible wall in the Chinatown neighborhood and working for a year to secure the needed permits to make it happen. The next challenge was to find paint that I could use since Singapore does not carry MTN, my usual spray paint choice. In fact, Singapore only carries limited colors of water-based spray paint, which I applaud from an environmental standpoint, but it presents serious problems when working in 90% humidity conditions with unexpected bursts of rain! We also had to mix custom colors of latex paint to apply with rollers since our spray paint choices were limited. On top of the paint issues, the crew and I also had to complete a 9AM to 6PM safety training course to be permitted to work on scaffolding. We’ve painted over 125 large-scale murals with every sort of rig and safety measures, so it was frustrating to lose a day to a mandatory course, but hey, we’re certified in Singapore now! Lastly, the execution of the mural was brutal for a few reasons, mostly because it was a sauna at 90 degrees and 90% humidity, but also because the humidity kept the water-based paint from drying, and the rain bursts would make the paint drip down the wall. We were all very drained by the conditions, but we finished after four days, and I’m happy with the result. Thanks to Dan Flores, Rob Zagula, and Jon Furlong (who also shot the great photos) for the hard work! Also, thanks to the Obey Clothing Asia crew and all the people who rolled by to say hello!
-Shepard
