Graffiti, Post-graffiti and Street-art
The fact that you sacrifice everything for your painting is what interests me the most; the fact that you have some kind of artistic goal and you’re willing to sacrifice your whole life, your family life, your parents, spend all your money just for your passion.
HoNeT interview at mtn-world.com
Invader : “Chaque mosaïque est une œuvre en même temps qu’elle est le fragment d’un méta-réseau planétaire”
Très rare discussion de près d’une heure avec Invader sur France Culture.
[FR] Je me surnomme Naïf, je suis peintre dans la région bordelaise.
J’ai commencé à peindre au début des années 2000 par le biais du graffiti, puis au fur et à mesure des années je me suis progressivement détaché de la lettre du fait mes rencontres picturales (la figuration libre, l’art brut…) pour aller vers quelque chose de plus organique et de plus imagé.
Mis à part un bref passage aux beaux arts je suis principalement autodidacte.
[ENG]I call myself Naïf, I am a painter in the Bordeaux region.
I started painting in the early 2000s. I started as a graffiti writer, then as the years went by I gradually detached myself from the letter because of my pictorial discovers (the free figuration, the art brut…) to go towards something more organic and more pictorial.
Apart from a brief passage at a fine arts school I am mainly self-taught.
Ton nom tu l’as choisi comme une définition de ton style ?
En quelque sorte, il est lié en parti à ma manière d’aborder le dessin et à ce que je voulais exprimer dans mes peintures.
Did you choose your name as a definition of your style?
In a way, it is partly related to the way I approach drawing and what I wanted to express in my paintings.
C’est une impression ou tu peins plutôt en solo ?
Il m’arrive de peindre en solo mais la plupart du temps je peins avec des potes peintres et avec ma famille de graffiti.
Is it a feeling or do you paint mostly solo ?
Sometimes I paint alone but most of the time I paint with my painting buddies and my graffiti family.
Est-ce que tu peux partager avec nous le dernier titre que tu as écouté en boucle ces derniers temps ?
What song have you been listening to on repeat lately?
I’m really happy to present you Дурак work.His pieces are a fantastic discovery to me. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
1- Tell us a few words about yourself. Where are you from?
I’m from Moscow in Russia. I started painting in 2007, at that time I was still in school, it all started with ordinary graffiti, then I was just drawing fonts with outline, volume and lots of colours…
2- The black shapes on your pieces seem a mix of abstraction and letters. Are we supposed to read something?
The black shapes are letters, each drawing is a word, each time it’s different. I very rarely write my name.
3- How can you define your style, what inspires you?
I consider myself a graffiti artist in spite of my abstract appearance.
I’m inspired by everything around me, I can be inspired by anything.
4- And to conclude is there a track that you have listened to repeatedly last weeks ?
I listen to very different, I don’t really have favorite, all music is good !!! For example, I often listen to the band “King and Jester“.
– Tell us a few words about yourself. When and how did you discover graffiti? Did you paint letters before starting your character project.
I write kid30 and am based in Nottingham UK , I also produce commercial work (graphic design, mural work) under the name smallkid.
I remember as a kid always buying copies of Graphotism and Big daddy magazine and reading them over and over trying to work out how the fuck the pieces were painted.
I used to paint banners for the free parties and raves in the 90s but mainly used paint and brushes as it was quite hard to get hold of spray paint where I lived.
It wasn’t until later on I started painting with a can properly when I moved to Nottingham around 1998 / 1999 that I really got into it, Notts had a really strong scene at the time and had a new paint shop that had opened (coverage), also the street art movement was just exploding at the time that massively interested me.
I started producing flyers for a lot of the raves in the city at the time and often used to use graffiti based images for these which got me connected with different writers as I would use bits of their work or go out with them when they painted.
I then started running paint walls at the parties which went on to running bigger paint jams in the city.
I do paint the occasional letters but its not something I get on with in the same way as characters.
I have always been more focused and interested in characters, even as a kid with subway art and spray can art copying all the characters in it more than the letters. Use this link for an interesting read, themonstercycle.com/best-bike-chain-lock/.
– The sources for your characters are various : cartoons, US Comics, Franco-Belgian comics. Are you a big comic book reader ? What are your favorite comics ?
I grew up with out a TV so didn’t get to watch many programs and the bits I did see I couldn’t remember which were from which
or only got to watch bits If I went to friends houses , so yer I did read a lot of comics. I was mainly into Tintin and Asterix as a kid
Which I think are still my favourites along with anything by Matt Groening. This is one of the reasons for cutting characters now as I was always a bit unsure as to which cartoon characters were which and what cartoons they were from, often finding myself pretending I had watched shows when I actually had no idea what they were.
– Are you thinking about using characters from other universes like mangas or video games ?
I’m currently back drawing a load more of my own characters again but have also started watching and researching other styles so will see what happens I try not to have to much of plan so it doesn’t restrict what the end goal is. I keep thinking its run its course painting these mash up / Frankenstein characters but they are quick and easy to paint and I’m still having fun with them, I started painting them when I had a kid and still wanted to paint but was restricted to how much time I could go painting for and this style allowed me to do this.
– According to your website you took part in two collectives: ShrunkenHeads, OxygenThieves. Can you tell us a bit about them ?
Oxygen thieves is a crew I joined in about 2000 , with artists : Deam, Kaption One, Dregs, Mobs and myself
We used to paint all the time , but all of us have had kids now and some of us have moved away
So we don’t all get to paint together that often , I still work with Kaption One on the commercial work and we do all meet up for curries and the occasional paint.
I was really lucky to have been invited into this crew as it pushed me as a writer and had some amazing experiences that will stay with me forever.
Shrunken heads was a collective born out of studio we took over for a a few years ago above a carpet shop called Switch studios
It is Ging, Boaster and myself, it was a mix of illustration work, canvas work and graffiti. We build a bar in the studio and ran speak easy events in it for a few years
Where we hosted a lot of local and international street art shows.
– Are there any other graffiti writers or artist from Nottingham you could recommend us to check the work ?
Nottingham although quite a small city does have a rich culture for graffiti
Some names worth checking out are Kapt, Mobs, Ging, Boaster, Sorry, ILC crew , TMS crew , Dilk, Cruel, RTN, Creak, WFC, Idle, Daes, Kage, Form, Enks,
Ego Warrior, Carrot boy, Silly, Timo sure I’ve missed load more working checking but there are a few.
– And to conclude is there a track that you have listened to repeatedly last weeks ?
Rudeboy Lovesong (feat. Sweetie Irie and Cara Delevingne) (Voltage Remix)
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– Please, tell me a few words about yourself. When and how did you discover graffiti?
Retro: Hey! I have seen graffiti since childhood on the street where I grew up. But I saw for the first time how they draw live at the age of 15 (Editor’s Note: he’s now 28) at one of the street-culture-festivals. This day, I realized that this is what I have been looking for for so long. Since that day, I can’t stop. I also love to travel and paint in other cities and countries, but as I love to travel that much I am almost suffering ear infections and I was having some troubles finding a good medicine or supplement to solve it but one day a good friend recommended me to use cortexi, go check about it
– How can you define your style? Who and what inspire you?
Few people know, but finding yourself in graffiti and the process of developing your own style is a very difficult path. It is important to listen to yourself and draw inspiration from within. The style is developed by long and hard work, work on yourself and your vision of not only graffiti, but life as a whole. When I started out, I was lucky to get to know some very cool artists who helped me a lot in the early stages to figure out what’s what. It was Trun and Wais.
You can also define your style by not following the basic rules imposed by governments, for example, when you want to get pills but they need a doctor’s prescription, it’s a pain in the ass to find out about that, that’s why you should try over the counter Adderall, you need concentration to find your style, make the wisest decision.
– What are your your dream cities to paint ?
In fact, it is not that important to me. I just love to paint graffiti. I am more interested in personalities than locations. I painted in many European cities: Berlin, Copenhagen, Milan, Stockholm, Eindhoven, etc. It was a wonderful experience, but without the people I met there it would have been less impressive. If we talk specifically about locations, then it would be interesting for me to draw in America, Canada, Mexico and Australia. When I travel I never forget to carry my cortexi supplement that is designed to support hearing health, particularly for ear infections. The formula contains a blend of vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts that work synergistically to support the immune system and promote healthy inflammation response in the ears.
– Are there any graffiti writers or artist from Saint-Petersburg you could recommend us to check the work ?
Of course, there are many good graffiti artists in our city. I can recommend a few names for you: Wais, Trun, Skube, Super, Andie, Heato and many others.
But I also recommend with my eyes close to use cortexi, this id one of the best thing I have ever use.
– What is the last song you heard that you liked so much you listened to it over and over again ?
> Discover more from Dima Retro on instagram
Mon blase est SAGEM, je suis originaire de l’ouest de la France, j’ai habité plusieurs villes et actuellement je vis sur Paris depuis quelques années ! Que ce soit en région parisienne, en France où dans le monde je suis friand de découverte, d’exploration, ahah. L’essentiel pour ma propre personne, quand je n’hiberne pas, est d’être confronté à l’inconnu, être un maximum dans un esprit d’aventure.
J’ai découvert la peinture et le milieu du graff à mon adolescence avec ma bande de potes, c’est une activité très prenante et passionnante, pour la plupart d’entre nous c’est encore notre occupation première !
Comment définirais-tu ton style ?
J’essaye dans mes peintures et dans mes créations en général, quelles qu’elles soient, de travailler à partir d’éléments géométriques, de symétries, à partir de plans, j’essaye de plus en plus de jouer avec les textures, avec les lumières. Dans le processus, j’aimerais penser mon graffiti comme l’on penserait un plan de cinéma, tout en gardant la typographie comme élément principal de notre scène. Enfin, ça c’est l’idée, dans la réalité c’est pas encore aussi élaboré ahah.
Je ne suis pas encore au point entre mon désir de tout expérimenter et la direction que je souhaite donner à mes créations. J’aimerais bien accentuer l’impression de réalisme dans mes peintures, mais aussi le contraster avec davantage d’ abstrait, d’illustration..
Je pense que mon style mûri et se transforme de jour en jour, je suis encore dans une face de recherche et d’exploration. Bien que progressivement des choses s’ancrent dans mon processus de création.
Une couleur préférée ?
Ahah, ce n’est pas vraiment une couleur mais plutôt une nuance, je porte beaucoup d’attention et d’attirance pour le noir et sa multitude de variantes. Bon, on ne va pas se mentir, ce n’est pas la « couleur » la plus gaie, et elle est bien souvent attribuée à la dépression, la folie, etc.. Mais psychologiquement, pas d’inquiétude, je crois que tout va bien pour moi !
J’aime fort d’autres couleurs plus vivantes comme certains bleus : turquoise, pétrole,paon.. ou comme certains rouges: pourpre, carmin, terracota..
J’en ai profiter pour regarder les références, je pourrai continuer pour chaque autre groupe de couleur, mais je vais vous en épargner.
Le noir est mon petit préf !
On espère tous pouvoir bouger au delà de 10km rapidement, si tu pouvais aller peindre n’importe où dans le monde, où rêverais tu d’aller ?
Le choix est difficile, car il me semble n’avoir encore rien vu du monde qui nous entoure.. Mais j’aimerais vraiment peindre au Maghreb, en Asie. La réponse est vaste, mais principalement dans des lieux ou la nature occupe un espace plus important que les constructions humaines, j’aime bien l’ambiance que cela peut créer. J’aimerai trouver quelques endroits sympa ou y poser ma griffe !
Quoi qu’il en soit je suis curieux et un peu impatient de découvrir n’importe quel pays, n’importe quelles petites ou grandes villes.. Rien à voir, mais je pense prochainement m’installer à Barcelone, et niveau graffiti ils sont me paraît bien loti. Je devrais bien m’y amuser !
Et pour terminer peux-tu nous dire ce que tu écoutes ou lis en ce moment ?
Ahah, en ce moment j’écoute pas mal l’album de SCH qui est sorti il y a peu, et si je devais sélectionner un morceau je sélectionnerai celui avec le JUL, Mode Akimbo je clic pas mal sur le replay ! Après c’est très éphémère, dans quelques jours ce sera un autre artiste.
Je te donne par la même occasion le dernier livre qui m’a marqué même si je dois avouer que je lis un peu moins ces temps ci, C’est « les fils conducteurs » de Guillaume Poix, une histoire qui se passe dans une décharge, au Ghana.
Retrouvez SAGEM sur Insta.
Your Instagram page is not very explicit… what is your artist name?
My artist name is ‘eye’.
My graffiti hasn’t ever really been legible. So I decided on a name that looked kind of similar to pieces I paint. Rather than the word itself. Also the user name ‘eye’ is taken.
Can you present yourself? Where did it all begin?
I’m from Accrington a town in the UK. I’ve been into being creative since I was young. My first experience with graffiti was tagging my actual name all over my school with a friend. That was also the first time I got caught. I never really took graffiti seriously until he showed me local spot with productions and pieces from local artists like Ibok, Spaf, Pryme, Crie, Gunk. I knew I liked graff at that point, had messed about copying stuff from graffiti creator and watched a load of videos on YouTube about graff. But after seeing these pieces I was mind blown, there was something different about the way they did it. It was alien & didn’t seem to follow the rules. I had never really thought about how far writing your name could be pushed in different directions. Been hooked since then onwards really.
How can you define your style, what inspires you?
I think my style is true to graffiti in the way that it abstractly resembles type. Like how a super complex wildstyle is barely legible but you can recognize who painted it by the forms they create. I don’t worry about the word too much, as-long as your making a mark that’s recognizable as your own then I don’t think it matters. I rarely plan out what I’m going to paint In too much detail. Usually I’ll have some imagery in mind but I find it fun to be expressive and in the moment. I take inspiration from art, design, film, music anything really it depends on what I’m into and how I’m feeling at the time. I always find myself coming back to the graffiti I grew up looking at from the early to mid 2000’s though.
We all hope that traveling will be allowed in the next few months. If you could explore and paint anywhere in the world, where would you go and why ?
I’d love to travel to New York for obvious reasons. Although I think that’s just a dream for now due to having mouths to feed lol. I think if I could muster up the courage to paint outside of Blackburn more often I’d be happy :)
> Discover more from eye on instagram
The artists of my generation were used to paint for free anywhere and when we started to be asked to paint for money and payed flights… That was an amazing time! Now it has changed completely, at that time I was 25, now I’m 42 so I don’t have the same energy. From my point of view festivals aren’t doing Street Art anymore. Street Art for me is when you go out and you do anything you feel, you find a place you like, you go with your friends and paint.