Ep 31: Kenji Chai Vui Yong - On Life as a Street Artist (aka "Chaigo")

Kenji Chai Vui Yung is popular Malaysian graffiti artist most known for his alter ego, Chaigo the Stray. A dog that, if you’ve ever been to Kuala Lumpur, you’ll have probably seen spray painted all over! But more than that, Kenji Chai has done plenty of mural art and collaborations with companies such as Tiger Beer, Netflix, Volkswagen, Uniqlo, and CIMB. His drawing of a giant cockerel on the side of Nando’s building at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock even made it into the Lonely Planet Pocket Kuala Lumpur guidebook and Lonely Planet Malaysia, SG & Brunei guidebook. In this STIMY episode, Kenji Chai shares: 1:46: Coming from a broken home 2:41: Childhood love of comics, cartoons & storybooks like Ninja Turtles 4:05: Changing his name to Kenji at the age of 15 4:57: Why Kenji thought all his dreams could be fulfilled in Kuala Lumpur 10:31: His former street name, Black Fryday 14:35: Getting a job at Sakai Sushi 19:40: Doing free work to get his name out 20:18: Winning the Character Licensing eSport Asia 2010 Thailand’s Custom Toy Design Contest 24:57: Being hired to draw a giant cockerel for Nandos (his first building mural artwork commission) 30:31: How Kenji got his numerous commissions while just starting out 31:35: How “Chaigo”, his alter ego, was formed 34:07: The first time he (illegally) drew Chaigo at Kampung Attap 36:33: The rules of street art to avoid getting caught! 37:42: Why does Kenji keep doing street art when it can land you in jail?! 38:26: Why Kenji doesn’t always sign off on his art & how people can trace it back to him 39:51: Working on 25-storey RED by Sirocco mural art over 21 days 46:04: Being filmed for art projects 49:13: How Kenji’s collaborations with other street artists come about 51:06: Working with international artists like Gus Eagleton 52:19: Life transforming experience painting in Mongolia 54:26: How street artists like @Kaws make it big on the international stage 58:31: What up & coming artists should do to build their careers 1:00:43: Don’t waste time on haters 1:01:48: The importance of social media Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/31