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
When a broad-edged marker touches a surface, a Chinese character begins to move beyond the familiar order of horizontal and vertical strokes.
As a dip pen moves, the line sharply shifts between thick and thin. Each turn carries the energy of street graffiti while echoing the precision and ornamentation of Gothic calligraphy.
The traditional Chinese character fa, meaning "to prosper" or "to flourish", appears bold and forceful while remaining unmistakably Chinese. It seems to have grown out of traditional calligraphy while retaining the visual intensity of street art.
This fusion of writing traditions lies at the heart of ABS Street Ink, a newly released Chinese typeface by graffiti artist Xu Yan, who blends Gothic calligraphy with the visual language of street graffiti.
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