



— Brazilian Artist, Arlin Graff , was invited to Kaohsiung, Taiwan by Arcade Art Gallery and the Lingya District Office to participate in an ongoing city beautification project. Arlin spent 10 days to complete his beautiful mural in Weiwu.

On the mural’s completion Arlin provided this thoughtful explanation of his subject matter:

« I spent a lot of this past winter in my studio in Detroit. Some days I would sit at my desk with my pencil and sketchbook in my hand, looking out the window, waiting for the inspiration to come. Most of what I saw outside the windows was brown and very snowy and lifeless. But every once in a while, a flash of vibrant red would appear when a cardinal came to rest on a branch in my backyard. It is captivating to see. What is this bright and vibrant creature doing in the midst of all these shades of brown and gray? I'm used to seeing beautiful bright-colored birds at home in Brazil, but in the winter of Detroit, it looked almost like a mirage. So this is a tribute to the beautiful red bird that stays around during the cold times and reminds us that warmth and vibrance are available to us, even in the darkness of winter. And coming to Taiwan, I knew that there is no cardinal here, so I wanted to share it with the people of this neighborhood and remind them that there are always new worlds to discover and new beauty to be seen. »

During his stay in Taiwan, Arlin had the chance to become part of the local community, and to develop a greater understanding of Taiwanese culture. We were all so fortunate to witness his passion and to enjoy his positive attitude during his stay. He often compared the warmth and generosity of the Taiwanese people to those of his home town in Brazil. Needless to say, Arlin had a great experience here in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and he is very happy to have left a piece of himself behind that the community can enjoy for years to come.

About Arlin:

Arlin is Brazilian, based in Detroit and São Paulo. He is 30 years old and was born in the city of Tatuí, in the countryside of São Paulo. As a child, he loved to play with wood blocks, putting things together and then dismantling them again in a small woodshed where his father passed his time making birdcages and other small objects with wood. As a teenager, specifically at the end of 1999, Arlin began with graffiti, painting trains in his neighborhood. In 2007, he graduated with a degree in industrial design. A year later, when he moved to São Paulo, he combined this passion for art with design, while he worked as an art director in various advertising agencies. Quickly, Arlin began to piece together a type of deconstructionism, inspired by his childhood in the little woodshed. He created a very distinct style, giving life to his abstract creations that seem to be emerging from a digital work. Beyond just painting in the streets, the artist moved toward fine arts and began to study new possibilities. Each time in a more elaborate form, animals are Arlin’s principal theme, creating a species of synthetic nature fragmented by the influence of the modern technological world. Today, in addition to canvasses, his elaborate paintings are executed in large scale around the world, bringing a little more of color to city walls.

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