For graffiti artists it is crucial to use a recognizable tag that cannot be traced back to them. This is important because the application of graffiti is forbidden in most places. Martinus Papilaja (1988) considers it a sign of recognition for the specific craft of graffiti that his work is now presented to the public explicitly under his own name.
In 2018, Papilaja graduated from ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem where he researched the handwriting of graffiti writers. He studied what their urge or compulsion of these artists to write is, and how this affects their personal handwriting. Papilaja thinks of graffiti as a craft that can be perfected through practice and studying the work of others. He has been active as a graffiti writer since 2004. At first practicing his craft in the neighbourhood he grew up in, he now also works in large-scale urban environments, both in the Netherlands and abroad. It is important to him to search for locations where he can compete with others; how else can he stay visible and, more importantly, recognizable in a new environment? For his work at Prospects, Papilaja consciously chose to experiment with form. Rather than spray painting a flat surface, he presents three sculptures outside the Van Nellefabriek and two sculptures inside the exhibition that establish his tag in the spatially.
Text: Jorne Vriens
Translation from Dutch to English: Marie Louise Schoondergang