Bending the structural rules
Graffiti artist balances street writing with traditional calligraphy in his newly released Chinese typeface, in which he sees a future in cultural collaborations, Li Yingxue reports.
By Li Yingxue | China Daily | Updated: 2026-07-23 07:44
Graffiti artists often call themselves "writers", emphasizing the construction of letterforms and personal style. This understanding connected naturally with Xu's childhood training in Chinese calligraphy.
He began practicing brush calligraphy in primary school and later studied printmaking at the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts and public art at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. In 2011, Xu and his team won both the China and Asia championships at Wall Lords, an international graffiti competition in Asia, and ABS Crew later became involved in street art projects and commercial collaborations.
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