Graphic novelist Appupen does a balancing act of his dystopian art and colourful graffiti for big brands
For those following the niche graphic novel scene in the country, Appupen might be a familiar name. The creator of Moonward -" a graphic novel set in the imaginary world of Halahala --" Appupen is the pseudonym of Bangalore-based graphic novelist and artist George Mathen. When he is not working on his third novel Aspyrus, (Legends of Halahala, the second in the series and the first "silent" graphic novel in India, was released recently), Mathen might be found creating art on a wall. Not under the cover of darkness, wearing a hood, as one might like to imagine rebellious graphic novelists to be doing, but in a corporate store, pub or a restaurant.
So far, Mathen has done murals for 26 stores of Fastrack -" the Titan brand -" across 13 cities, apart from a few walls for pubs and restaurants in Mumbai and Bangalore. He has also done the artwork for Kingfisher Blue. The designs are colourful, with superhero-like figures leaping out of the wall. He says he hit upon the idea of creating murals for brands after a couple of stints in advertising, where he saw that brands were stuck between the necessity of having to conform to a uniform style and the need to appear young and edgy in order to connect with the customer. Murals, which echoed the spirit of the rebellious, anti-establishment world of graffiti but which also reflected the brand's values in some ways, seemed to be a good fit. "We didn't want to over-indulge in visuals but at the same time we wanted to engage with the customer," says Hemal Panchamia, head, retail marketing and operations, Titan, explaining why they decided to have the wall art. Panchamia calls Mathen's work part-graffiti, part-art and says a lot of people used to turn up at stores just to watch him paint - a type of live branding.
But for someone whose artwork seems to have strong dystopian tones (and who uses a discarded Communist flag as a curtain for his kitchen window), isn't there a conflict between the two worlds? "Oh yes, there is a 'full-on' conflict," acknowledges Mathen. "But the murals that I do commercially help me return to dystopia with greater gusto." The murals, he says, are like the superhero comics which attract people and have no complexities or layers because "the superhero flattens any conflict". And, of course, it helps pay the bills. "Graffiti itself has not taken off in India the way it has in the West because as a society, we are essentially pro-establishment," says Mathen. Expensive spray cans is another deterrent.
Mathen's tryst with murals dates back to his college days in St Xavier's, Mumbai when he convinced the management of The Ghetto, a retro rock bar in Breach Candy known for its graffiti-covered interiors, to let him paint their walls. "I had to paint Halloween masks on cloth that was hung up at first, because they did not know if they could trust me with a wall initially," he grins. His work at The Ghetto earned him a little money and a lot of free beers but more importantly, it caught the attention of the advertising and 'arty' crowd that frequented the pub. Other assignments for a music store in Ahmedabad, pubs and a restaurant in Bangalore followed, culminating in the work for Fastrack and Kingfisher Blue.
But painting on walls of commercial establishments also comes with another risk: the chance that the art might vanish if the outlet closes or moves, as has happened in the case of a restaurant and pub in Bangalore. Mathen says he has made peace with this. "The art of painting itself is satisfying. It's like four to five days of meditation, even though it's in a commercial space," he says.
For those following the niche graphic novel scene in the country, Appupen might be a familiar name. The creator of Moonward -" a graphic novel set in the imaginary world of Halahala --" Appupen is the pseudonym of Bangalore-based graphic novelist and artist George Mathen. When he is not working on his third novel Aspyrus, (Legends of Halahala, the second in the series and the first "silent" graphic novel in India, was released recently), Mathen might be found creating art on a wall. Not under the cover of darkness, wearing a hood, as one might like to imagine rebellious graphic novelists to be doing, but in a corporate store, pub or a restaurant.
So far, Mathen has done murals for 26 stores of Fastrack -" the Titan brand -" across 13 cities, apart from a few walls for pubs and restaurants in Mumbai and Bangalore. He has also done the artwork for Kingfisher Blue. The designs are colourful, with superhero-like figures leaping out of the wall. He says he hit upon the idea of creating murals for brands after a couple of stints in advertising, where he saw that brands were stuck between the necessity of having to conform to a uniform style and the need to appear young and edgy in order to connect with the customer. Murals, which echoed the spirit of the rebellious, anti-establishment world of graffiti but which also reflected the brand's values in some ways, seemed to be a good fit. "We didn't want to over-indulge in visuals but at the same time we wanted to engage with the customer," says Hemal Panchamia, head, retail marketing and operations, Titan, explaining why they decided to have the wall art. Panchamia calls Mathen's work part-graffiti, part-art and says a lot of people used to turn up at stores just to watch him paint - a type of live branding.
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Mathen's tryst with murals dates back to his college days in St Xavier's, Mumbai when he convinced the management of The Ghetto, a retro rock bar in Breach Candy known for its graffiti-covered interiors, to let him paint their walls. "I had to paint Halloween masks on cloth that was hung up at first, because they did not know if they could trust me with a wall initially," he grins. His work at The Ghetto earned him a little money and a lot of free beers but more importantly, it caught the attention of the advertising and 'arty' crowd that frequented the pub. Other assignments for a music store in Ahmedabad, pubs and a restaurant in Bangalore followed, culminating in the work for Fastrack and Kingfisher Blue.
But painting on walls of commercial establishments also comes with another risk: the chance that the art might vanish if the outlet closes or moves, as has happened in the case of a restaurant and pub in Bangalore. Mathen says he has made peace with this. "The art of painting itself is satisfying. It's like four to five days of meditation, even though it's in a commercial space," he says.