When you think of the Malaysian capital city Kuala Lumpur, you don’t exactly think of its world-renowned graffiti and thriving street culture. That is for now. But thanks to the Malaysian writer CLOAKWORK, a new reputation for the city as a creative hub is being created, and all with a healthy dosage of humor and skills.
The graffiti artist who also works prolifically as an illustrator, has been spreading his imagination on the through color since 2012, is no stranger to the benefits of his favorite Montana GOLD and BLACK can colors. The duality of the name CLOAKWORK stands for CLOAK (representing being hidden, or stealth), and WORK (representing his ethic, motion, and action), is only the beginning of his invitation to explore his creativity. A prospect that is not easy to do growing up in a country like Malaysia, where the penalties or punishment for activities such as illegal graffiti are well beyond that of countries where it is taken relatively lightly.
Regardless of the difficulties the local culture represents for a keen graffiti artist, CLOAKWORK has managed to overcome diversities and remain positive. A mindset that shows through in his work, which is nothing less than colorful, vibrant, inspiring, and of course, very aesthetic. Possibly this is the key to his success as he manages to bring a smile to viewers of all orientations. Whether they are young, old, open-minded, or other.
A prospect that is not
easy to do growing up in a
country like Malaysia,
where the penalties or
punishment for activities
such as illegal graffiti
are well beyond that of
countries where it is taken
relatively lightly.
Regardless of the
difficulties the local culture
represents for a keen graffiti artist, CLOAKWORK
has managed to overcome
diversities and remain
positive.
With the skill of capturing a particular character in his artworks, CLOAKWORK takes his letters and figures to a varied assortment of surfaces, including walls, boats, cars, food trucks, or the digital realm. If he hasn’t been on your radar until now, don’t worry, on his side of the world he is well and truly on the radar having worked with clients such as Adidas, Volkswagen, BMW, Converse, Warner Music, Hypebeast, and Tiger Beer, just to name a few. Keep your eye out for more CLOAKWORK pieces from now on.
All images by the artist CLOAKWORK
The artcile was published on the MontanaCans LOOKBOOK #6 – read online here
