'I almost couldn't believe it': Exchange student leaves his mark on NTU's legal graffiti wall

When Norwegian exchange student Marcus Olnes first arrived at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), he wasn't expecting to find something that reminded him of home: a place where graffiti artists could legally pick up a spray can and create.

Olnes, 21, is studying Business and Computing at NTU for a semester.

After arriving on Aug 3, the budding graffiti artist decided that he wanted to find somewhere he could legally spray paint in Singapore.

As he was exploring NTU's campus after class one day, he spotted a wall covered in spray paint.

Upon closer inspection, he found a sign that read: "Spray Paint Area".

Olnes told AsiaOne that he could not believe what he saw.

"I was really surprised NTU had a wall dedicated to spray painting, considering Singapore's strict stance on graffiti," he said.

Under Singapore's Vandalism Act, writing, drawing or painting on public or private property without written authority or the owner's consent may constitute an offence.

Wanting to be sure the wall was an authorised space for spray painting, Olnes sought clarification before starting work on his piece.

He first posed a question about it on the NTU subreddit. However, after most students were unable to answer his question, he approached the School of Art, Design and Media's office directly.

There, staff confirmed that painting on the wall was permitted.

"They reassured me that it was okay to paint, so I went through with it!" said Olnes.

AsiaOne has contacted NTU for comment.

Passion for spray painting

Olnes told AsiaOne that he had initially planned on spray painting a wall at Somerset Skate Park, one of the few areas where it is legal to spray paint in Singapore.

However, he decided it was more convenient to start with the wall in NTU since he lived on campus.

The exchange student considers himself a graffiti artist, since 2020. He added that he has been drawing and sketching graffiti letters and characters since he was a kid.

He runs a sole proprietorship in Norway and takes on several commissioned gigs related to his art each year, including creating custom graffiti pieces, logo design and conducting workshops.

"However, I’m currently not in a position to make this my full time career at the moment," said Olnes.

Olnes took about two hours to complete his work of art in NTU on Sunday.

His work features his tag, also known as his signature in graffiti, in a bubble-lettering style and the words: "Oslo to Singapore!".

He uploaded his completed piece onto the NTU subreddit on the same day and Redditors have commended his artwork.

One user said that it was "fire" while another commented: "Lovely work man, happy to have your awesome work there."

Olnes also posted his work on his Instagram account, marcitospray, on Sept 13 with the caption: "Leaving my mark on Singapore".

He told AsiaOne that this was his first graffiti piece in Singapore and that he has "more plans to paint".

"I have discovered a few more legal spots to paint on here in Singapore, so I almost feel obliged to do so during my time here!" said Olnes.

He still hopes paint at Somerset Skate Park and he added that he found another wall in NTU to spray paint called fREe roam art @ Hall 8.

"It seems like no one has painted here in a long time, but I'm hoping to change that soon!" he said.

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com

当挪威交换生马库斯·奥尔内斯第一次来到南洋理工大学（NTU）时，他没想到会在这里发现一些让他想起家乡的东西：一个涂鸦艺术家可以合法地拿起喷漆罐进行创作的地方。

21岁的奥尔内斯正在南洋理工大学学习商业和计算机科学一个学期。

这位崭露头角的涂鸦艺术家于 8 月 3 日抵达新加坡后，决定要找一个可以合法进行喷绘的地方。

一天放学后，他在南洋理工大学校园里闲逛时，发现一面墙上涂满了喷漆。

仔细查看后，他发现一个标志，上面写着：“喷漆区”。

奥尔内斯告诉亚洲新闻网，他简直不敢相信自己所看到的。

“考虑到新加坡对涂鸦的严格态度，我真的很惊讶南洋理工大学竟然有一面墙专门用于喷绘，”他说。

根据新加坡《破坏公物法》，未经书面授权或所有者同意，在公共或私人财产上书写、绘画或涂鸦可能构成犯罪。

为了确保这面墙是允许喷漆的地方，奥尔内斯在开始创作之前特意询问了相关规定。

他最初在南洋理工大学的Reddit子版块上提出了这个问题。然而，在大多数学生都无法回答他的问题后，他直接联系了艺术、设计与媒体学院的办公室。

现场工作人员确认，在墙上作画是允许的。

“他们向我保证可以画画，所以我就开始画了！”奥尔内斯说道。

AsiaOne已联系南洋理工大学征求意见。

对喷漆的热情

奥尔内斯告诉AsiaOne，他最初计划在萨默塞特滑板公园的墙上喷漆，这是新加坡少数几个可以合法喷漆的地方之一。

然而，他觉得从南洋理工大学的墙开始作画更方便，因为他住在校园里。

这位交换生自 2020 年起就自认为是一名涂鸦艺术家。他还补充说，他从小就开始绘制和素描涂鸦字母和人物。

他在挪威经营一家独资企业，每年都会承接一些与他的艺术相关的委托项目，包括创作定制涂鸦作品、设计标志和举办研讨会。

“但是，就目前而言，我还不具备将此作为我的全职职业的能力，”奥尔内斯说道。

奥尔内斯周日在南洋理工大学花了大约两个小时完成了他的艺术作品。

他的作品以泡泡字体风格写着他的标签（也称为涂鸦签名）以及“奥斯陆到新加坡！”的字样。

当天他就将完成的作品上传到了NTU的subreddit上，Reddit用户们纷纷称赞了他的作品。

一位用户称赞它“太棒了”，另一位用户评论道：“兄弟，作品很棒，很高兴看到你的优秀作品在那里展出。”

9 月 13 日，奥尔内斯还在他的 Instagram 账号 marcitospray 上发布了他的作品，并配文：“在新加坡留下我的印记”。

他告诉AsiaOne，这是他在新加坡的第一幅涂鸦作品，他还有“更多绘画计划”。

“我在新加坡又发现了一些可以合法作画的地方，所以我感觉我有义务在逗留期间好好画画！”奥尔内斯说道。

他仍然希望在萨默塞特滑板公园进行涂鸦创作，他还补充说，他在诺丁汉特伦特大学找到了另一面墙进行喷绘，名为“8号大厅的自由漫游艺术”。

“这里似乎很久没人画画了，但我希望很快就能改变这种状况！”他说。

laili.abdeen@asiaone.com