Interview with T-Kid done in occasion of the book
realease tour "The Nasty" in Milan at Eastpack
store.
- You have been featured on several graffiti
magazines all around the world, you became famous worldwide
after the Subway Art book release, now you have your
first solo book, "The Nasty". How this celebrity
has changed your personal view of graffiti and why?
Well, first off I have to say I don't feel like a celebrity
and my views on Graffiti are still the same, it is the
oldest form of art known to man and it is the most powerful
form of communication crossing all cultural and age
barriers. Graffiti to me is what it always has been
to me from when I first started, a form of expression.
And I expressed myself on trains trucks walls and anything
else I felt deserved my tag.
- What is the thing that impressed you more
in these years of activity?
What has impressed me the most in all my years is how
graffiti has evolved into this culture that has spread
world wide. I have to say that I am proud of the fact
that I am a pioneer in this culture, and I have deep
respect for all those who paint and keep the movement
alive.
- What is the thing you love more in graffiti?
And what's the thing you hate more?
Wow these are good questions. What I love the most about
graffiti is that you don't have to be a trained artist
to be a graffiti artist you just have to have the desire
to express yourself. Graffiti is true art. you don't
express what a teacher teaches you. you express what
you feel and is that not what art is suppose to be about?
What I don't like about graffiti is that fact that it
is not accepted as art and it is viewed as childish
vandalism. This is not true graffiti has been used since
the beginning of civilization to express the feelings
of the population at large toward any policies governments
have bestowed on the people. Whether good or bad people
have used graffiti to voice their opinions. So the negative
stigma has been attached to graffiti since the beginning.
- Is there any objective real avant-garde in
graffiti nowadays, in your opinion?
Hmmm.. Very good question. I have to say that the fact
that big corporations are reaching out to graffiti artist
to help promote their products shows you the power of
graffiti as a communication tool. Graffiti is like air..
it is everywhere.. you stop it in one area ( like trains
and walls) and it surfaces in other areas like television
commercials and magazine advertisements. Graffiti the
purest form of art cant be stoped or prevented.. What
can be more advent-garde then that!
- Is there any "point of not return"
in graffiti when a writer become a full time artist?
Who is the person who helped you more in your personal
artistic growth, both on trains and in galleries?
I have not experienced this point of no return yet.To
me graffiti is my passion my love my world. But it is
not a full time occupation I have a regular job so I
can eat and my children can have what they need. I feel
the reason I have not reached this point yet is because
I di not jump at the chance to be a graff artist back
in the mid 80s when the media decided to promote this
street culture called hip hop. I saw all the fakes and
phoney ass toys jump at the chance to sell out the art
form and establish themselves as hardcore graffiti artist
and are now world renowned artist and the truth be told.
They were nothing but mere toys who might have painted
a train or two. At this time I remained underground
true to my roots as a graffiti writer never letting
anyone know who I was.This is why after all these years
did I decided to write a book so the world could know
about the graffiti writer and not just pictures of pretty
paintings.
My artistic growth on trains was inspired by all the
writers before me like Phase2, Riff170,and all those
dope ass old school mother fuckers who blazed the trail.
On an individual bases I have to say Padre dos help
me develop my style in letters and Tracy168 helped me
with simple characters and composition.. As for canvases
and gallery's I have to say life experience is my teacher.
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