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Mumbai Taxi Art
Sameer Mistry, artist with a fine blade
In 2009, the magazine Creative Review appeared with a cover that brought sudden attention in the West to an art form that had hitherto remained almost entirely unknown: the ornate typographic embellishments adorning Mumbai’s kaali peeli taxis. A decade later, I set out in search of the artists behind these “Mumbai Typo Taxis,” seeking to discover what, if anything, has endured of their once resplendent decorations.
Signs of Saigon
Tracing Old Saigon
Inspired by the Signs of Saigon project by Steffi Neukirchen, I set out on my first trip to Ho Chi Minh City in December 2019 with the expectation of encountering a wealth of historic lettering. As it turned out, it proved less straightforward than expected.
Amsterdam’s Krulletters
Letters and Lager
They belong to Amsterdam much as pubs belong to London: bruin cafés—intimate, traditional establishments frequented by locals and, for the most part, still largely untouched by gentrification and the excesses of tourism. What unites these cafés, beyond their preserved local character, are the often playful letterings at their entrances, known as krulletters.
Kolkata’s hand-painted buses
Pilot!
Kolkata seems to be full of pilots. At least if one follows the inscriptions on its public buses. On the driver’s side door, the word “Pilot” is often painted in bold letters, while the opposite side prominently bears the designation “Emergency Gate.” No two of these meticulously crafted inscriptions are alike. Each is hand-painted, frequently embellished with floral motifs or other decorative elements.
In the Museum Depot
A Visit to the Prater Whale
The inn Zum Walfisch, founded as early as 1782, was a true Prater institution and, for generations, a cherished destination for Viennese patrons. Above its entrance, a nine-metre-long whale—installed in the early 1950s—delighted visitors with its playful water fountain, captivating not least the younger among them. In 2013, however, the restaurant closed its doors, and with it seemed to come the end of the whale.
A (virtuell) walk to Vienna’s gilded Signs
Vienna, Gilded
Pallas Athena, the Secession, the Plague Column—Vienna has never been sparing in its use of gilding on architectural landmarks. Far less attention, however, has been paid to the gilded shopfronts and commercial portals that came into vogue around the turn of the twentieth century, and which played a formative role in establishing Vienna’s reputation as a centre of sign painting.
Hong Kong Neon
The world of Wong Kar-Wai
In December 2017, I travelled to Hong Kong to document the remaining neon signs. My explorations took me across all parts of the city; night after night, I followed the glow of this distinctive medium. Although Hong Kong’s neon may be in decline, it has lost none of its enduring fascination.