Andha Ras, a street artist from in Malaysia, gets his ideas for his portraits from both nature and the people he encounters. According to him, portraits capture unique personalities and elicit awe and interaction from the viewer. Andha has been painting enormous murals all throughout Malaysia and other nations since 2014.
Ras’s mural for PPB Group Berhad.
The artist frequently uses figurative imagery, employing broad brushstrokes to produce dynamic murals that naturally include movement.
Ras was inspired by the fish market at Sassoon Docks. His mural at the Mumbai Urban Art Festival, 2022-2023 pays homage to the women working tirelessly throughout the day there – whether it is peeling shrimps, sorting through the fish or selling it, he seldom saw them at rest. This brilliant blue colour reminds us of the sea.
Here’s what the artist had to share on our top 3 questions:
Ras’s mural at the Mumbai Urban Art Festival, Sassoon Dock.
Q. Can you share about your thought process and how you finalized exactly what to paint for St+art Festival?
A. The theme given to us was ‘the Sassoon dock’. I took around 5 days to study about Sassoon dock, about the history, about the people and the workers there. What caught my eye was a female worker working tirelessly with her daughter and some young girls there. I wanted to capture the essence of these very people. The next day I went to discuss the idea with one of the curator from Start India. Thanks to them, it was approved. We discussed some more details to finalize the outcome subject on the wall. That’s how I came up with the idea.
‘11500’ at Ayer Hitam, Penang, Malaysia.
Q. Do you use different tools and supplies for an outdoor mural than what you use for indoor ones?
A. The brushes and the sprays that I use stay the same, what changes is that I choose different type of water based paint depending on if the location is in an indoor or outdoor setting. Outdoor artworks have to be ready to face everything from extreme heat to heavy rain without losing it vibrancy and impact.
‘The sustenance in mistiness’ at Coimbatore with St+art India.
Q. How different is it working inside a commercial space vs working where the city is the backdrop?
A. Both of them got their own pros and cons.
Commercial space is comfortable. But I prefer to paint outdoor because these outdoor murals are seen by comparatively more people. When working in locations that are exposed to a lot of natural elements, the weather is quite challenging. Either way, it gives me great satisfaction to face them and finally deliver my painting and it’s message to the public.
Also, the city needs some colour to be lively, doesn’t it?
Mural at North Jakarta
What do you think of Andha Ras’s work? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
If you wish to witness Ras’s beautiful blue mural in person, you can visit Mumbai Urban Art Festival at the Sassoon Dock till 22nd February, 2023.