Zosen
If it wasn’t for Zosen (http://www.tofulines.tk) I wouldn’t be as deep as I am into this world of art on the streets talk and urban arts, sometimes illegal and most of the times inconvenient. So we start the best possible way, remembering past days for old time sake. Let’s see what this “old” friend has to say about his trips to Brazil and New York. Let’s find out what happened to the old school and let’s ask ourselves what the hell is happening to today’s art.
When, how and why did you start painting on the streets?
Mi first experiments on the streets were simple tags and I can date them back to 1989 when I was still living in Buenos Aires. After that, in 1990, I came to Barcelona and I got myself deeper in what was the Graffiti and Hip Hop culture. At the beginning I didn’t have any relation with Hip Hop because I came from the Punk and Thrash world, which was the music I listened to in those days. And why? Well, because I think that when one starts as young as I did, I was 11 or 12, one never knows why… you just do it because you need to.
You represented, for a long time, the famous ONG crew. Tell us how it was born, it’s evolution and why did it have to die?
Well, Skum and Sae where the original creators of ONG, and then a few days latter Debens, Pez and myself decided to join the crew. The name came from a joke because ONG means Non-governmental organization and we decided to change it to Ovejas NeGras (Black Sheep), which was how we felt we related to the Graffiti and urban art world. That was back in 2001 in Barcelona. So out of the blue we started collaborating with artists that did different stuff like Mister, Riot, Kafre or Maze, people from different realities, different generations and with different energies. It was like an experimental workshop made by friends, on the street. A great project that grew because we wanted to learn, collaborate and experiment and that finally died because we got to a point where each artist wanted and needed to sign for himself and not under the ONG label. I think it’s only natural, that something that was born, one day, had to die.
Even so you still collaborate with some of the members, like Maze or Kafre. But who are you as a solo artist, who is Zosen?
As an artist I continue with my campaigns/projects, always talking about things that I don’t agree with, like the political system or subjects like animal liberation etc. I still keep some Graffiti influences but I see myself heading a different path, growing. And as a person I can tell you that I’m discovering and trying new things, and each day learning. Just because I’m on this for 15 years, it doesn’t mean that I know everything!
And what does Tofu Pax (www.tofulines.tk) represents?
Tofu Pax a.k.a Tofu Libre was one of my multiple campaigns that came as joke as well because I am vegetarian and against animal cruelty. “If you eat tofu you’re in peace” “Tofu is not exploitation” or something like that heheheheh Nano says that it’s too hippie hehehehe I don’t write it anymore because for me everything works as a cycle, like life does. If I continue doing the same thing over and over again I get bored, and I think that is what happens with many Graffiti artists, who do what they do because they don’t know what else to do. When things don’t have the same passion anymore I think it’s time to evolve to something else.
Tell me about the tour you did around South America. Brazil, the pixaçao, a new brave world totally different from Europe and Barcelona right?
This tour was a very fulfilling experience and most of all it was incredible to find artists with great potential and impressive quality and at the same time so humble. Totally different of what you might find in Europe where everybody thinks they are pop starts just for having a review on a magazine. A good example are Os Gemeos who are two great artists who do very interesting projects with galleries but who never stopped working on the streets. And like them I met many more! Everybody, who deals with urban art coming from Europe and going to South America, you will see that artists struggle a lot to make their art, from minimum conditions they make the best out of it. It doesn’t matter that there’s no spray cans, and it’s no problem if they don’t get to be on the Internet, they do it from the heart without expecting anything. For me, that seems very valuable, rich and true.
And what about Mexico? I see an enormous influence of Mexican art in your work. Are there any plans of future trips?
My next trips will be to Mexico and India, because of all the iconography, all the folk culture and the mural paintings. Maybe not as much for Diego Rivera but for the symbolism that these artists used when painting on the walls. You can see the entire history of Mexican civilization, from the Indians till our days, painted on the walls all over the country. I think it’s a very interesting and accessible way to tell the story of your own country. In a way it seems like I have already been there because of all the indigenous and popular iconography influences I find in my work. It seems so authentic and I think that’s why I like to use it.
It can also be said that you are an artist that likes using performance. You like to be in disguise and to stage the act. Why?
Because I should have been an actor! I think it’s a way of making your work reach other areas, you know what I mean? The idea of total ouvre or art equals life or whatever the equation you want to use in this case, but the theme of using performance in your work is a way to connect yourself with your work, not only as an artist but as a person as well. It’s a way of getting to know you better so people can see what you are creating. And there’s always the fun side to the story, and to take that cold impersonal side of art that makes it so boring. If you can send the message and have fun at the same time I think you’ve succeeded!
Tell us what you think about today’s Graffiti. What happened to the old school and what do you think about what people are doing nowadays?
Lots of people still paint like the “old” times. I respect a lot the classic Hip Hop culture as I respect Rock and classical music, but at the same time I like Electro or Hard Techno, to give you an example. The problem is, in general in our society, that people choose something and then defend it as the only possible way. Things like these happen in the Graffiti world. It’s Ok to defend classical Graffiti but I think that one should go one step further. A good example is Futura 2000, he did whole-cars, top to bottoms in trains, painting atoms and doing abstract painting. So what is that? Is it not classical and true because it’s not Wild Style? Sometimes people talk just for talking or because of their ignorance or because they are just afraid of trying new stuff. What I mean is that it’s ok to use Wild Style or Bubble Style as a starting point but as time goes by and when you evolve with practice it’s good to try new styles and new ways of painting.
And what about Barcelona… is Street Art dead?
Barcelona… well with the new laws the thing is getting more and more complicated. People still do Graffiti, but hiding now. At the beginning of 2006 I was very sad to see that people were painting in lost hidden factories or that they were going to the outskirts of town to paint. I’m not against it, but I think it’s just a way to say: ok you’ve won the battle. And if Graffiti is, by itself, the natural expression of discontent with society, the voice that shouts: here I am and I’m against it! it should continue to sound out loud. Well we’re not dead so far, so we should continue saying: here I am! We have to continue painting the city, only using different methods or what will happen is that one day we won’t recognize our own town, because the only tags and throw-ups we see are from out of town people. Now I only see things from Pez, Lolo and Kenor, and where is everybody else? I don’t know… and I leave the question unanswered… we have to react and with the city’s history of social agitation we have, continue breaking the rules, if not in a couple of years it’s gonna be totally impossible to paint on the streets.
But now it seems that everybody only thinks about exhibiting and selling their work. What do you think about that?
I think it’s ok. It’s only natural that folks, who are in the Graffiti world for so many years, that paint on the streets and just give away for free endless hours of their life want to receive something back. On one hand I think it’s ok to say: enough is enough, but because you’re exhibiting it doesn’t mean that you have to stop painting on the streets.
You’re returning from New York where you’ve been chilling there with Momo and Maya Hayuk. How did the big apple seem to you? Was it how you expected?
New York, New York, the big city of dreams hehehehe that’s how the song goes right? If I had been in New York 13 or 14 years ago I would have been crazy out of my mind with all the entire Hip Hop scene. But now the only thing I can say is that Graffiti is dead in New York. I’m sorry but it is. All that I saw was Obey posters and Faile stuff. It seems so weird that a big city, with so many different cultures, like New York, urban and Street Art can be so poor compared to Europe. Barcelona, which is much smaller as a city, is richer in this kind of art. Apart from Momo, Maya Hayuk, Revs, Oze 108 and U.F.O. everybody else seems boring.
Who might you say represent the future of Street Art?
The future in Spain are the Galician artists: Nano 4814, Tay one, Tay one, the twins (Tiñas y Pelucas) … all the Niños especiales, I think they have what it takes to be the future of Street Art. Also 3ttman is doing different and fresh stuff, Arnau Sala. From U.S.A: Momo, from Denmark Freak Gallery (Tele), my group United Hands City Circus and EF10, almost every artist from Escandinava seems very interesting like CCrazy Horse (Maes), Ekta, Huskmitnavn, Glue etc.
You’ve just finished burying the dead with a Mexican altar, at the Dudua shop. What’s the next step?
Well, the next move is gonna be at Distrito Quinto, where we’ll do something for BAC (Contemporary Art Barcelona). It’s gonna be a work in progress where different artists paint the same canvas. Next year I have some plans to go to Peru and Brazil again, to do a tour maybe…
Something happening that you wanna share with us?
Well check out Sonik’s work and the French collective Le dernier cri.
Video “Barrio mutante” (http://www.tom14.com/muta)
Otros videos aquí (”Tu mente duerme”) y aquí (”Cubos en el límite”).
Interview by Ana Neto: anousca6@gmail.com
December 1st, 2006 11:02am Administrador
