Writing on the Wall

Brusby however,is not used to such luxury of time. “What I have done in four hours is usually completed within an hour. Graffiti artists work against time,” he says,still pondering whether to draw peacocks,mynahs and monkeys on the branches. On September 10,he will unveil the finished mural. The artist is in town as part of his exhibition of mixed media works,currently on display at Wieden+Kennedy’s art gallery,Triveni Complex.

Brusby is a non-conformist graffiti artist,choosing to steer clear of making radical statements on politics or the functioning of the administration. Instead,his philosophy relies on seeking inspiration from nature and the surrounding environment in which he is working. “I like to focus on the greenery and the beauty of being in harmony with nature. Things like birds,butterflies,animals and the plants figure in my works prominently,” he explains. Brusby was baptised into the secretive world of graffiti artists as a 14-year-old after working with guerilla-style-graffiti-artists like Bansky and Massive Attacks,3D,from the Bristol street art scene. His emphasis is on figures and forms rather than the large style letters synonymous of the New York graffiti scene. It has evolved into his style,earning him the street name,‘Zenz’,which means sense.

Like every newcomer,Brusby began as a can totting teenager defacing public spaces with his anti-establishment work while growing up in the neighbourhod of Yorkshire. “I liked the fascination of labelling the walls,banners,billboards,signages with my feelings and scurrying away before being noticed or caught. But over the years I have retreated into a more peaceful realm of graffiti,” says Brusby,who is based in London. His works have been shown at art fairs in Basel,New York,Miami and outside musical performances in London. Brusby occasionally works on the streets with his outfit of three artists,calling themselves 20th Century Frescos. “We try to spin off from Michelangelo’s style of paintings,and still sneak out at night to spray the walls with figures of birds,butterflies,” he says.