Graffiti artist Octo - Malaysia's answer to Banksy?

 

MALAYSIANSKINI | The story of Banksy is indeed an intriguing one. They are a street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity is still kept hidden even as their work has impacted millions.

Banksy’s influence has even spread to Malaysia’s shores and last month, a gathering of activists at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall brought about a chance encounter with a graffiti artist who goes by the moniker Octo.

Octo’s work comes in the form of graffiti and sculptures that often have a socio-political message behind them.

Police brutality and climate change

They told Malaysiakini that their oeuvre began with IPCC Now, a call for accountability for police brutality and custodial deaths through an Independent Police Complaints Commission.

“This (above) is the first piece that started it all. I made this in response to the A Ganapathy case, where an innocent milk trader died while being questioned in police custody. Overwhelmed by anger towards law enforcement, I felt compelled to create this piece.

“The figure is inspired by (neo-expressionist artist) JM Basquiat's black man portrayal from his paintings. The police officer has a long nose, like Pinocchio, to show he's lying.

“In his hand, he's holding a rubber hose and a court hammer. The rubber hose represents the things used to hurt Ganapathy, as he reportedly told his mother before he died. The court hammer represents the 'law' they use to scare people and protect themselves.

“In the middle, I've written "Run, Run, Run, Run" in Tamil signifying the harsh reality faced by Indian men who must continually flee from those entrusted to protect and serve them,” said Octo, referring to the disproportionate number of Indian men who have experienced death in police custody.

Octo said another piece was done under a railway bridge, where he added graffiti to an existing sign and received surprising feedback.

“I was inspired by another work of street art I stumbled upon on the internet, which said, ‘If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes politics.’

“I translated it into Malay and illustrated it as if a monkey were fixing the words. I made this artwork in my hometown, where trains cross the area.

“During the process, I encountered a homeless person who lives under the bridge, leading to a touching moment where he expressed genuine appreciation for my art. This made everything worth it,” Octo recalled.

Capitalisation

They also have a strong passion for highlighting the destruction wrought by climate change and the greed of unbridled capitalism that allows nature to be destroyed in the name of business interests.

“I also created a piece as a reaction to the increasing deforestation in Malaysia and the concerning future for wild animals.

“The depicted Sumatran rhinoceros, named Iman, passed away in 2019, alongside a Malayan tapir, and are both gazing at a palm fruit on the ground.

“Whatever we are told, ultimately the palm oil industry has been devastating wildlife habitats and its continuous growth is disheartening, especially considering the clear extinction threat faced by various animal species,” said Octo.

Why this art form?

One wonders why such a form of expression as anonymous graffiti art was chosen, but Octo said the point is to reach common people through art, as opposed to having it rotting away in a glorified gallery.

“I like to tell the truth through my art, and I want it to be seen and felt by common people who walk the streets and take the bus. Most of them can't afford the time or money to see art in a gallery and usually, gallery works are censored or filtered so that no particular party is hurt or offended.

“That's why I'm bringing the art to the streets,” said Octo.

In the last decade, Lithuania-born Ernest Zacharevic (born 1986 in Lithuania) made a name for himself as a multidiscipline contemporary and public artist based in Penang, but Octo’s clear inspirations are Banksy and Basquiat.

“They were an inspiration to me. They both told their truth in their unique way. But I'd say life and living this human experience inspires me more.

“I enjoy creating art that explores the various manifestations of dominance within our society. I am opposed to any form of dominance; whether it's an employer exploiting a worker, a mother abusing a child, or discrimination against a minority community - I stand with the affected, advocating for their rights,” said Octo.

“The piece I take the most pride in is titled "Homeless or Houseless," created in Chinatown Petaling Street last year. It addresses the issue of homelessness, portraying both a tiger and a homeless man deprived of necessities,” they added,

Octo does not mind if the street works are quickly pasted or painted over.

“I don't mind and to be honest I welcome it. Change is inevitable, if someone does anything to my art, I would call it a collaboration.

“Currently I'm getting fond of wheatpaste pasting, which is poster pasting which I'd either draw by hand or print. It's easy, quick and not nerve-wracking when I'm out at night doing my thing.

“If the place I'm doing my art is quiet and no one is around I'd prefer spray paint and wall paint, if I'm doing it on a busy street I'd prefer pasting. Either way, a 2D image is created and a story can be told,” said Octo.

The reason for choosing the Octo tag is also an interesting one:

“I thought of myself as not a single human being but a collection of atoms in a human form. So I googled how many atoms are there in a human body and I found it was seven octillion atoms. I first named myself 7octom. Then I changed it to Octo because I realised how similar I am to an octopus, camouflaging through life,” they explained.

Needless to say, graffiti art does not pay the bills and Octo also does murals, tattoos and more conventional paintings.

“Apart from that, I'm working in film sets in production design while also trying to learn more skills, so that I can travel, earn money and create art worldwide,” they said.

An introvert by nature, they are committed to keeping their identity secret.

“I don't hang out with many people, but the ones I do hang out with, including my parents, know what I do. They support me in any way they can.

“I’m just trying to be my best self and offering love back to the world as much as I can,” said Octo. - Mkini