Taiwan graffiti artist | ANO (Arno)

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Taiwanese graffiti artist | ANO

Video games, science, and graffiti... these three are essential nutrients and aspects of his life. He started to get into graffiti during middle school through skateboarding, making his life inseparable from graffiti art; playing in his grandfather's large arcade toy store since childhood made him quite familiar with the elements and interfaces of video games, which led him to incorporate the game-like qualities of "pixel" art elements into his personal image creations, thus becoming the most distinctive symbol in his graffiti work!

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Q & A

Q: How do you start your day?

Brush my teeth and wash my face. After breakfast, I start learning new software because I try many new programs for my creations. Basically, mornings are my learning time; in the afternoons, I usually draw, create, or do woodworking. In the evenings, I reply to work emails.

Q: Where do you usually hang out the most?

Studio (Banqiao) and delicious restaurants.

What is your most frequently visited restaurant?

"Good Morning Breakfast," everything is delicious, and there are Japanese magazines to read! The most commonly ordered is the pork rib sandwich, which has thick meat inside, and guys should really love it. What's special about this place is that they also have fried glutinous rice balls; it's not easy to have fried glutinous rice balls for breakfast (haha).

Good Morning Breakfast Fan Page www.facebook.com/hoochuu

The "San Ma Stinky Hot Pot" in Shulin is highly recommended. This is the flagship store (just saying haha). The hot pot ingredients are all freshly selected and paired. The spicy duck blood is a must-order!

Q: What is your entertainment after work?

Since starting my own business, there has been no such thing as "off work," because work perfectly blends into my daily life and it's hard to distinguish (bitter smile). If there's anything that can help me relax, it's playing games, going to the gym, and skateboarding... Recently, I've been into Mario Party.

Q: What is a book you recently read? What insights or thoughts did you have after finishing it?

The book "A Manual for Humans" is very interesting, describing behavioral science, interpersonal relationships, and social connections, etc. It analyzes human behavior through observation. After reading it, it seems that as long as people make good use of empathy, understanding, and compromise in any relationship, they can be successful (laughs).

Q: Why do you use pixel technology as an element in your image creation?

My grandfather's family used to run an electric toy store. In the early days, the game graphics had very low resolution, and Mario's face was represented by just a few pixels, which I found very interesting. Later, I got a job in mobile game art during the era of NOKIA phones, when games were all in black and white. As game resolution increased, the digital age arrived. The pixel style gradually disappeared, and I thought, pixel art is a classic of our time, and I want to preserve it!

What is the creative concept of this exhibition?

Treat this place as a game space, similar to the concept of a children's playroom. The exhibition theme is called "Game Room," and "Room" refers to the many rooms in hotels, which extends this concept. Many creations come from life; I really enjoy observing the things around me. The artwork "Good Luck Star" is inspired by the Chihuahua that the owner of the 10-yuan store at the end of my street raised. Later, it passed away due to old age, so I thought of painting a picture to commemorate it. I later showed this painting to the owner, and he was very touched and surprised!

Q: What is the spirit of graffiti?

Creation completed without the constraints of time, space, and others' instructions is, for me, the spirit of graffiti!

Q: What do you think is the most interesting or attractive place in Taiwan?

Night markets, especially those in central and southern Taiwan, are very flavorful, with a wide variety of innovative snacks. The Chiayi Cultural Road Night Market has a large area, and the stir-fried snail meat next to the Cultural Road Post Office is fragrant and crispy, making it perfect as a side dish for drinks! If you don't want to eat snacks, there are also restaurants to choose from. The Houfeng Bikeway in Taichung, from the starting point of the bikeway to the Houli Horse Ranch, has diverse scenery along the way. You will also pass through iron bridges and tunnels, experiencing different riding sensations.

Houfeng Bicycle Path

Q: What do you look forward to the most when staying at a hotel?

I look forward to seeing things I never imagined (laughs). I have a small wish; having stayed in so many hotels and inns, the laundry facilities are usually in public areas or have laundry services, which can be inconvenient for washing personal clothing. I suggest providing laundry detergent in the room, and it would be even better if there is a place to hang dry!