artLIVE – Khanh Taurus is a familiar name in the hiphop community in Hanoi. He is one of the first graffiti artists and tattoo artists in Vietnam.
Having a relationship with graffiti art for nearly 21 years
Associated with the familiar name tag Taurus, Khanh Taurus’ artistic journey began when he was a 10th grader in Russia. Here, he had the opportunity to interact and immerse himself in the unique graffiti culture of Russia.
He confided about his passion since childhood: “Back then, I only stuck with university students. Everyone loved me because compared to my peers in grade 10, no one in that area could draw as well as me. I was a foreigner, so everyone loved me even more, and whenever there was something, they would invite me along. There were meetings, going to the park, with up to 500 people gathered to talk about graffiti”. From those gatherings, he learned many drawing techniques from basic to complex, developed his creativity and discovered his potential.
Graffiti originated from the streets and is often misunderstood as vandalism or spontaneous behavior. But for Khanh Taurus, Graffiti is absolutely art, but whether it is street art or mainstream art depends on the artist himself. This shows the importance of creative thinking, artistic intention and the value that the artist brings to each work. He also reflects on the nature of graffiti as a diverse and flexible art form.
Pursuing the ‘Ethnic Culture’ art style
With nearly 21 years of pursuing graffiti and 14 years of accompanying the art of tattooing, Khanh Taurus has not only succeeded in building his own style but also contributed to affirming graffiti as a legitimate art form. He skillfully incorporates ethnic elements into his works, bringing depth and cultural meaning.
In addition to Graffiti art, Khanh Taurus also has a 14-year journey full of passion in the field of tattoo art. He shared that graffiti and tattoo have many similarities, both complementing him on his artistic path. It is this combination that has helped Khanh Taurus constantly improve his skills, while expanding his influence in both fields.
With more than two decades of dedication, graffiti has become an indispensable part of Khanh Taurus’ life and artistic journey. Although he is also successful in the tattoo industry and has contributed to many other art projects, graffiti always holds a special place in his heart. For Khanh Taurus, graffiti is not only an art form, but also a means for him to express himself, tell his story, and contribute to the spread of national culture.
Imprints through art events
Khanh Taurus has a strong passion for Graffiti and Tattoo, so he is also very active in artistic activities and participates in many major events at home and abroad. In 2004, he participated in the Yamaha Youth Festival, marking his first steps in bringing street art closer to the public. He continued to affirm his seriousness in his artistic career through the exhibition “Stroke” at the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA), Hanoi in 2017.
In his artistic journey, Khanh Taurus has achieved many outstanding achievements, including the role of representing Biti’s Hunter’s “Bao” product line in 2023 and especially winning 5 prestigious awards at Vietnam Ink Festival 2023, with the categories: First prize New Asia Medium, Second prize Realistic Medium, and Third prize in the styles Neo Traditional, New School, and Old School Large. He also won two Best of the Day awards, affirming his position in both the graffiti and tattoo art fields.
Recently, Khanh Taurus continued to contribute to the art project called ‘Hai Phong Dragon’ at The Lu walking street, Hai Phong. In parallel, he was also invited to be a judge at two graffiti events ‘Futurism Graffiti Jam’ and the artLIVE Graffiti Championship 2024 competition, affirming his role not only as an artist but also as a guide and inspiration for the younger generation.
The artLIVE Graffiti Championship 2024 competition is a competition dedicated to Graffiti artists, this is one of the outstanding activities within the framework of the event Saigon Urban Street Fest do artLIVE organized.
Despite his many achievements, Khang Taurus always emphasizes the spirit of learning and self-improvement as his creative philosophy. He believes that effort and the will to progress are the factors that help him develop further in the art field. “Vietnam is constantly developing, and so am I. I think I need to learn a lot to improve my work and myself further.” With a unique creative style and significant contributions, Khanh Taurus has made a strong impression in the hearts of the street art community.
