What has 17 years in the street art movement taught you?
That it is important to not stay comfortable and stagnant. Everyday is a learning day. The environment is rapidly changing. 300 CCTV cameras can appear in your neighborhood overnight, forcing you to alter your movement, your practice. Learn to adapt and blend, then learn to stand out, and vice versa.
As an established artist, what are your views on the emerging artists who may be using different mediums to showcase their work?
They are most welcome to do that. At this age, we are given an abundant amount of resources to do whatever we want. Make full use of it. Of course, it helps to learn the basics, how the pioneers started with minimal tools like bad spray cans and stock caps. At the end of the day, those are just mediums. If it helps to use something else that will help elevate your work further, by all means use it. Lately I have been looking at young artists’ works for inspiration, because we already know what the masters use.
With the proliferation of arts schools and social media, can an aspiring artist of today still be self-taught?
Art school is expensive and most times not worth it; social media is free. I’m pretty sure they are able to do that. With proper and diligent research, that is. Not everyone who goes to art school ends up as an artist. And a lot of established artists actually come from different backgrounds, i.e. a pharmacist who took up painting as a hobby ended up quitting his day job and pursuing arts. Social media also serves as a good reference point and platform for exposure.
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