[Video] European Graffiti Artist Tags His Way Across Saigon

We recently caught up with Munich-based graffiti artist, Nasca Uno, who spend five weeks in Vietnam last year, painting beautiful pieces of art in Saigon and Phan Thiet.

When he arrived in Saigon, Nasca Uno rented a motorbike and drove around the city with no particular location in mind.

“If a spot was decaying, like an old abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, I just started to paint,” he told us, adding “every spot has it’s own story.”

For the artist who uses concrete as their canvas, context is very important. So, the local surroundings often serve as inspiration, and is often intrinsic in the process.

Context is often very important for street artists as they often try to pick a concrete canvas that works with ther art and vice versa.

“When I paint, I also try to create something related to the culture/country I’m travelling through so that the locals can identify with my work and understand it. I visualize my point of view or my experiences in the country and paint them on walls. While some graffiti writers just write their names on the wall in a very typical style, I always try to work and communicate with the beholder.”

Nasca Uno found locals to be extremely accommodating and, generally, they seemed to embrace his art.

“There were some spots where I asked for permission, had a little chat with the locals, showed them my sketches and they were happy with it. People appreciated my art, they never saw it as an act of vandalism, quite the opposite in fact.”

“They invited me to their homes for lunch and we talked about different topics like the reasons I paint, where I’m from and so on.”

The artist has also painted in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar in 2013 and 2014 while based in Kuala Lumpur for five months.

While he enjoyed his time in Vietnam, don’t expect him to return anytime soon.

“There’s a lot more to see out in the world, many more countries to explore and many more walls to paint.”