Interview with Frisk

SIMPLE SIX

1. Besides art & music what else drives you?
My two children who I dont get to see

2. Favourite character from the Muppets?
Gotta be Animal!

3. Window or isle?
Window.

4. 3 favourite colours to use?
I dont really have three favourite colours....

5. First thing on your mind most mornings?
Sex!

6. Favourite artist to collaborate with?
Adam Mclevey ....would really like to paint with Illjoseph..






DOWN to BUSINESS

• What style of art do you create & where did it start for you?
I paint portraits mostly....but dont think I have a "style" as I tend to experiment with every new piece, I've worked that way from an early age..

• Who was your main inspiration at the start?
Gotta say Zephyr, Iz the Wiz,Seen and Futura....they made me do it!


• What are you trying to say or create with your art?
Not trying to say anything with my art,if my work gets a smile I think my job is done.

• Where have you taken your art or had it put up?
I've taken my work around the UK and exhibited in galleries both here and abroad....I intend to travel more this year!

• How have you used your art to change your lifestyle?
My lifestyle changed drastically when I quit my job to become a full-time artist

• How does the community benefit from your art?
It's not as grey!



• With the boom of urban art & the many classifications such as street art, graffiti, bombers. . How do you view these styles & what would you like to say about them?
I hate the way the different styles are pigeon-holed...Bomb it! Spray it! Paste it! Then do it again! Peace.

Pictures from ma galleries 33 artists show

Interview with Konsumterra

SIMPLE SIX

1. Besides art & music what else drives you?
trying to make a crust from art - im a big fan of history, comics, SF, books, magazines

2. Favourite character from the Muppets?
kermit and that guy who sold letters from his trench coat in alleyways on sesame st in the 70s

3. Window or isle?
window

4. 3 favourite colours to use?
pink black and white

5. First thing on your mind most mornings?
not safe to say really

6. Favourite artist to collaborate with?
Bunkwaa and i do the most together - SMC, Vars, Tom666 are other notable faves






DOWN to BUSINESS

• What style of art do you create & where did it start for you?
I started postering anonymous political agit pop and hoaxes in the late 80s - stickers began about 97 inspired by Sync, Cadet, Cloak&Dagga - Crash my faux corporation started 99 and stenciling and collage paste-up in 01. I like a variety of styles and most of my peers in Adelaide would dabble in a variety of street art forms. I like to make up new idenities and campaigns in different styles to keep it fresh.


• Who was your main inspiration at the start?
Sync, Cadet, Cloak&Dagga - my brother used to destroy ciggarette ads in the adelaide hills. Karen Eliot and the Blind Authority Manipulation Corporation was a big influence too (see BAMCO and Neoism). I was a fan of Jenny Holzer, Kieth Harring and and Matt Groenig's life is hell comics. Punk poster art too. I worked with Michal Dutkiewicz for years too - best comic and pinup artist in Australia ever.

• What are you trying to say or create with your art?
Alot of my CRASH work is a parody of corporate greed while the collage is more anonymous and uses détournement to reinterperate ad hype. Other stuff like my characters are just fun for kids and me and has been more developed in Sydbney. More and more I enjoy getting ordinary people to do art as an activity not just oggle it.


• Where have you taken your art or had it put up?
Ive had stuff projected on walls in Berlin, taught at the MCA, lectured for unis and paint companies, lots of stuff has been published and i have a healthy web presance. Ive had so many exhibits i dont really keep track. I have a few murals round Newtown and have had lots of work in night clubs.


• How have you used your art to change your lifestyle?
Well i earn a living princaply from street art and from design - i get a few travel ops occasionaly too and came to stay in Sydney. I have too many friends I know only by their secret IDs - its a bit like being a super hero or a freemason.I spent too many years partying for free and im a bit over being cool now.


• How does the community benefit from your art?
Most of my painted work is by request. I still like to think paste and stickers make the streets more interesting. I Like it when people like your stuff to preserve your work. I have had people say my political stuff has changed peoples minds. Ive taught thousands to stencil and make alot of effort to educate the public to appreciate not decimate street art. Clearly it is the visual style of the future and people who like white cubes should get over it.



• With the boom of urban art & the many classifications such as street art, graffiti, bombers. . How do you view these styles & what would you like to say about them?

I like variety and respect skill. Some places rifts between graff artists and bombers matter, other places are more open minded. I probably find I am more interested in people who keep working on the street not just do it for one summer then wear the label on their sleeve the rest of their comercial art career. Even some galleries who say they are street art actually exhibit very little authentic street art. But having fun is still the most important thing. I have done bombing in the past - especialy when i was in pain all the time and it was pretty shit and nothing to boast about. Most of my bomber friends dislike the art world, street art or even proffresional graff or even character art. Street art is just political like it or lump it.



Konsumterra talking generally about community art issues :
Most of my community work is pretty fun but there is alot of red tape dealing with councils and events.Thankfully they do all their own publicity and funding. I do street art tours occasionaly for festivals in Adelaide and Sydney. My own work probably sufferes a bit when i get too busy. I do like dealing with supposably reject kids which normal education gives up on - it's amazing that listening to young people and not just abusing them and their culture can have positive results. Ive probably curated over a thousand first time artists - many who never would have thought of doing so. I also like to travel to regional areas with their own street art stories. Meeting lots of new artists keeps me up to date with new tricks of the trade and keeps my own work fresh.

Jodee Knowles at Friends of Leon Gallery

Ears at Oh Really Gallery

Interview with Chris Brett

SIMPLE SIX

1. Besides art & music what else drives you?
* Friends, Family and my day job as a Dogwalker....
They all teach me to appreciate the simple enjoyments of everyday life.

2. Favourite character from the Muppets?
* Gonzo the Great!

3. Window or isle?
* Anything beyond 3 hours i need the isle.... im 6' 2,
so i need to be able to stretch alot on long commutes....
if its a short bus or train ride then i'll take the window for sure....

4. 3 favourite colours to use?
* Pink, Orange, Black

5. First thing on your mind most mornings?
* Coffee.....


6. Favourite artist to collaborate with?
* My old graffiti buddies.





DOWN to BUSINESS

• What style of art do you create & where did it start for you?
* I guess my work could be called "Suburban Contemporary"
or "NewBrow"...... I have some graffiti elements in alot
of my pieces, being from the suburbs of Toronto, I was
primarily paintings Fr8's and spots along the transit lines
into T.O..... It involved alot of bushwacking most times and
i loved that aspect of nature meets concrete and steel, those
experiences of graffiti stuck with me alot deeper then when i
would paint the inner city.... That mixed with a steady diet of
Disney, Dr. Seuss, Jim Henson, Ren & Stimpy, and Saturday
morning cartoons growing up. I guess my style could more or less
be called Fun....



• Who was your main inspiration at the start?
* My main inspirations at the very start was some graffiti writers
from Calgary, Alberta. It was around 97-98 when i started to catch
all these pieces and throwups along the c-train line to my school
from these guys Pestoe & Voes... Over the course of about a year these
2 guys hit most if not the entire line.. station to station... corner
to corner of the city... that really impressed me, and had me
start diggin deeper into the graffiti scene in Calgary.
Eventually started painting with a couple guys from my high school,
and then my boys i met when i moved out east to Ontario. The Ontario
guys were my main inspiration in terms of work ethic... Hardest
working dudes i know.


• What are you trying to say or create with your art?
* Im trying to create a sense of tension with my work, but also a sense
of relief. The Nostalgic feel of a technicolored childhood, paired
with the "life aint perfect" sensibilities of an Adult.... I enjoy
the viewer creating there own meaning versus telling them directly.
My experience with the painting is personal as is the viewers
experience, and i enjoy hearing how that experience overlaps or
differs entirely..... bottom line is i hope people are amused and
mildly disturbed when they see my work.


• Where have you taken your art or had it put up?
*Ive had shows in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Miami, SF, Des Moines,
and Seattle..... Unfortunately on my budget ive only been able
to physically bring my work to local shows in Toronto and Ottawa.

• How have you used your art to change your lifestyle?
*I dont go out and party very much. Weekends in the studio are
pretty common. Before that it was weekends in the train yards. Art
has been a great way to blow off steam and feel like a productive
human being.... not to say i dont go out and Rage, but its few and
far between.


• How does the community benefit from your art?
* Hopefully by making them smile.




• With the boom of urban art & the many classifications such as street
art, graffiti, bombers. . How do you view these styles & what would
you like to say about them?
* I view all those styles as important pieces to the new movement of
art we've been experiencing over the last 30 years. The are all
equally important, and to appreciate one you have to appreciate
the other....... Im still very excited by what im seeing in all facets
of the "culture" and look forward to its further evolution in
the generations to come.



Info:

To stay in touch with new works, shows, and musings

http://www.ChrisBrett.ca
http://www.twitter.com/ChrisBrett
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-of-Chris-Brett/266892240808

Interview with Paul Baines

SIMPLE SIX

1. Besides art & music what else drives you? Politics, the environment, philosophy, strange dreams, impossible memories and flashes of inspiration.

2. Favourite character from the Muppets? Animal - used to have a friend years ago who looked like him and played the drums too. Although he was called Ken.

3. Window or aisle? Window

4. 3 favourite colours to use? Black white and hmmm.... the other depends on my mood.

5. First thing on your mind most mornings? Tea, emails, cats, weather, work, sketching any ideas from dreams.

6. Favourite artist to collaborate with? Warhol, William Blake and Marcel Duchamp - will need a séance.





DOWN to BUSINESS

• What style of art do you create & where did it start for you? Urban art, or that's what most people tell me it is. It's a long story, I used to make giant collages from commercial posters from a company in Brighton, then I got into design, graphics mainly, then fashion, then worked my way back to art. I realised that if I ever wanted to get my political views across to a wider audience I'd have to learn to visually entertain...


• Who was your main inspiration at the start? Andy Warhol


• What are you trying to say or create with your art? That life is fake. The media and government tell us what to do, what to look like, how to behave, and feed the never ending cycle of greed and vanity.


• Where have you taken your art or had it put up? Nowhere as yet, except on people's walls. Don't work the streets (any more) and don't like most galleries, except a few indie ones. If I ever get around to screen prints I have a few offers to exhibit.


• How have you used your art to change your lifestyle? My basement is now a screen printing studio, and p/t cat sanctuary for local strays - although that part wasn't planned lol.



• How does the community benefit from your art? Fight the power.


• With the boom of urban art & its many classifications such as street art, graffiti, bombers. How do you view these styles & what would you like to say about them?
It's all art under another name, the point is there isn't a top-down filter system in the arts these days. The rich and influential have to wait in line like everyone else. Urban art and all its sub-genres have made the public realise that artists are more like them than the dealers, galleries, auction houses and posh magazines that pimp them out to rich bankers looking to make a quick buck investment. Art for all!



http://www.arturban.co.uk/

State Of The Art

State Of The Art opening night was held at Absolut Stairwell Gallery last night in Sydney. Here is a small selection of art works by 4 of the 10 artists that exhibited their works last night. for artists names just select picture.
For more details see the Sugar Mill link located to the right of blog.

Interview with: Enves

SIMPLE SIX

1. Besides art & music what else drives you?

beside art & music? is there anything else hahahahaha....well I guess only other things I can add is money/women/mates and drink

2. Favourite character from the Muppets?

Beaker or the Swedish chef

3. Window or isle?

Isle, hate having to climbing over people for a piss and I do love a drink or few

4. 3 favourite colours to use?

atm...black/white/pink

5. First thing on your mind most mornings?

"fuck you alarm!"...."snooze"

6. Favourite artist to collaborate with?

well depends how you look at it....
who I would like to collaboration with...kid zoom, id love to watch him work...
favourite who I have worked with...well I cant pick 1 so you get 3.... Rubiks/ Yes/ Skewr





DOWN to BUSINESS

• What style of art do you create & where did it start for you?

I’m into most of the elements of street art/ graffiti.. stickers/ wheatpastes and spray work...started doing more stickers and wheat pastes but doesn’t seem to earn as much respect as spray work, so I’ve been practicing more on that the last 12 months.. mainly characters as I feel more at home with them...I started painting about 94 but stopped for about 13 years


• Who was your main inspiration at the start?

well at the start I was inspired by Perth painters dash and Shime, world class painter...what inspired me the 2nd time round was sticker artists mainly, my mate Rubik’s has a chilled house were we can paint so that got me back into spraying..


• What are you trying to say or create with your art?

Mainly interesting characters, something that makes you smile or think..


• Where have you taken your art or had it put up?

well so far vie had things up in Iran/south Africa Canada and UK...want to get up more in different places.. going global you know!


• How have you used your art to change your lifestyle?

art has influenced my life heaps in the last 12 months, I’ve been a Dj at clubs/pubs/raves for about 15years now and that’s even taken a bit of a back seat...when I have time its spent round mates practicing on boards or walls...I’ve found a lot of legal work, so a lot of my weekends are spent painting


• How does the community benefit from your art?

its free/colourful and creative...better than a bland brick wall


• With the boom of urban art & the many classifications such as street art, graffiti, bombers. . How do you view these styles & what would you like to say about them?

well I find anything that uses more than 1 colour is more creative and draws more attention, even if its a throwie or whatever...I’m not the biggest fan of hand styles/tags, some have talent and look outstanding...the other 90% I just find as vandalism...people don’t see the artist side of tags,,

ok ok ok
as we have come to the end...
just some shouts out..

respect goes to Rubik’s for getting me back into painting and giving me some walls to practice, shouts out to yes n Toni for having me round and practicing...big shouts go to all the Perth and Australian writers, and to the Deviant Art members..
keep up the madness!

Chor Boogie painting in Sydney

Chor Boogie speakin' real & painting on May's Lane. . .

Interview with: Bundy One

Artist of 'Clockwork' on World Graffiti. .

SIMPLE SIX

1. Besides art & music what else drives you?
Creativity on all levels and the pursuing of as much knowledge as I can get.

2. Favourite character from the Muppets?
The two critic blokes who sit in the stands and start positive then end up negative or vice a versa.

3. Window or isle?
Depending on where and who I'm with I don't mind. If someone is with me and hasn't seen the area and I have, window for them.

4. 3 favourite colours to use?
white,milka montana gold and pink lemonade montana black. these will change by tomorrow.

5. First thing on your mind most mornings?
"Why do I get up at 540am for a shit job, and I hope I see panels when going passed waterfall".

6. Favourite artist to collaborate with?
Vel, Fews, Stain and Relic, Yfuk and Sour and Math...They are great people and fun to collaborate with. Stain reinvigorated me when I was thinking about stopping. Word SdAWg & getting up with Daddy Meins and Dirty Doctor Mles.





DOWN to BUSINESS

• What style of art do you create & where did it start for you?
I do 3D, it started because I had to stop doing trains from too many arrests and my age these days (coff coff) so I started doing 3d's because I had pushed all my other styles I was doing to what I thought was the max for them and only had 3d to do.95% of all my pieces are freestyle. I don't like taking a sketch.


• Who was your main inspiration at the start?
I live in Wollongong so when I started I only saw old school bombing and pieces by Poker and FDK crew (I never ever got to meet them) but I was very young then and didn't know or meet any other writers for close to ten years of writing because of demographics and home life.


• What are you trying to say or create with your art?
I am trying to create something different and it has to be "freestyle" every time I pick up a can or marker. Style is what I'm about and when I finally get stagnant I will give it up. But I want to create things that are different from everyone out there and Hopefully I am achieving this but if I'm not I don't mind either because I'm happy with my shit.I have never sent a photo to the magazines ever.


• Where have you taken your art or had it put up?
Trains, trains, trains, trains, trains but I’ve had a few things in the Canberra National Gallery in the late 90's and one or two pissy canvases here and there. I do a lot of canvases constantly but have never been asked or pursued the gallery route. Maybe I might make that this years challenge?


• How have you used your art to change your lifestyle?
Well it has made me very open minded and given me a different outlook on life, but at the same time it is what I have dedicated my whole life to which has cost me a lot in my personal and professional life too...So now I try and find a happy medium between my personal life and my relationships instead of giving it all up for graffiti.


• How does the community benefit from your art?
When we do our stuff we are tidying up the spots most times. I have done so much community art and legal’s I stopped doing it because I was becoming what I always said I wouldn't become Artist wise.


• With the boom of urban art & the many classifications such as street art, graffiti, bombers. . How do you view these styles & what would you like to say about them?
I don't like a lot of the above classification styles because a lot of them are generic and unoriginal but I appreciate good style and conceptual works. I will leave it at that.... hmmmmm



•Would you call most of it art?
Would I call most of it art?
Yes its all art no matter what. It gets its classifications (Art or Vandalism) due to the standard of which one does his trade. People rate Abstract Art when one cant see what's in it or what's going on but they are quick to downgrade wacky toy tags or the rest of the Art form. Not everyone can just grab a can and get up, I mean they can... but you know it when you see it. As long as one is having fun painting no matter what or the standard of work that is being produced, that is what its about, the classification is meaningless then because Art should be about self expression not what others think...





Myspace contact http://www.myspace.com/332570516