XFUNS Magazine
Sfaustina Feature Interview. / 2005
Web site: http://www.holdland.com.tw
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Please say hi and introduce yourself to XFUNS readers. How would you describe yourself? I'm quite impressive that you said you are a firm believer in self-education and exploration, would you like to talk more about your realization on this aspect?

In the United States we are socialized to think it is inside the institutions of schools where learning takes place. It can, if one is blessed with an enthusiastic and passionate teacher, but real learning occurs through self-education and exploration throughout a lifetime. When you self-educate, you dictate to yourself what is the most important aspects to learn about because you are relying upon your brain and heart to guide you, your interests, and instincts. In the institutions a great trust is placed in the hands of the teachers or professors to dictate what information is important to leave in, or what information to skip over. What or whom is good, or talented, and who is not. That is a lot of power. Bottom line, I just encourage people not to get discouraged in the institutions. I have noticed teachers and professors especially in art/design major's can come across as Gods, and I have seen professors make or break students because graphic design and art are so insanely competitive, and that breaks my heart. Robert Henri in the ART SPIRIT (a beautiful book) has a great understanding on the artist and professor relationship more specifically being juried as an artist. It is on page 139.

It seems that graffiti had been some part of your blood, inside of you. Would you tell us why you're so fond of it? What is it that you find appealing?

I first notice graffiti when I was about 9 years old I lived with my dad for a bit in Oakland, California and would have to take the yellow school bus to school. It was on route to school I would notice words written on bus benches, on walls, and such. I remember this one bus bench it had a playboy bunny character and next to it was bubble letters of a word. It was the form of each letter that made me curious. I did not know what a shadow was but I could not help but be intrigued with what made the letters pop out at me. When I turned about 15 is when a couple of things happened: (1) I saw the movie Beat Street ( haha spit ) and (2) I started to meet other graffiti writers who encouraged my development and passion for the art leading me to writing.

By the way, may I ask that do you make graffiti works on the street? (I think you do, but not very sure.) If yes, would you reveal some of your graffiti works for us, like your style, the technique you used to, the places you like to put on, the time you work on, the impressive experience?

Yes, but not much lately because of some legal matters I rarely discuss what I have done in the past in terms of graffiti. I am not trying to get fame from my work on the streets. I keep my street work completely separated from my artwork. I may use the same tools on both the streets and on canvas but please know I am not trying to recreate the streets onto canvas. But I want it to be known, I have done my fair share of getting up. And if and when I am ever over in your part of the hemisphere you know I will be doing it. However, the style I am into is straight bombing i.e. bubble letters, quick one and two color throw-ups, quick grimy and dirty.

How about your art works (on canvas?!) those mixed media creation, especially combining the graffiti and collage ones? How do you merge both in a very well balance on visual? Compared to the real street graffiti pieces, what's the meaning of them for you?

My canvas work and graffiti are related (if not done for a job) only in as far as technique is concerned. Both are done in stream of consciousness form, quick and never planned. Thank you for the compliment regarding the balance of my pieces. I feel achieving a balance is a bit of a struggle for me. When I view my work I don't see a balance. The design I salivate over is Swiss Design and Russian Constructivist…the super simple style. I start my pieces envisioning simplicity but I feel I always go overboard. My utopia would be having a few images and elements with Helvetica typeface, much to your surprise.

As above, what kind of visual scene do you want too express through these works?

It is difficult to express verbally what I try to convey visually through my art. But I will try. One of the artist's I admire is Dr. Seuss. He is one of the masters of allowing others to enter into another world, to play in it. Also the movie Charley and the Chocolate Factory it has twists and turns it makes the viewer want to bite into it, to experience the bizarreness but not in a psychedelic or cartoon type of way. But more as an urban surrealist vision. When someone owns a piece of my artwork I want the owner of the piece to know they have a piece of me, a bit of my soul, a part of my mind. I would like the viewers, to step into it and be able find secrets and paths within.
Usually when you start a new work, what's your creation process? I do not feel complete each day if I do not either hit up a tag, or make a piece of art/design. It is the desire to create, the state of creating which I am addicted to, the actual work is somewhat of a mystery. At the start of a piece I usually do not know or am concerned with the end result. In a sense it is a stream of consciousness approach. But of course when my work is commissioned I am more aware of what the piece needs to look like.

Let's talk about the collage part of your works. When did you start interested in collage creation / style? What did you get inspired for it?

Learning about the Dadaist like Hanna Hoch, Marcel Duchamp and the Russian Constructivist like Laszlo Mholy-Nagy and Rodchenko they blew my mind (Rodchenko photgraphys are super lovely). They were revolutionist and visionaries.

As for your opinion, how would you define the beauty of collage works? What's the critical way for a good / unforgettable collage work? What's your realization about the aesthetics of it?

I am not sure what you mean if your question is pertaining to my work or collage in general in general collage has much to do with surrealism and the aesthetics of surrealism. In my opinion an impressive collage is if these elements coexist on a surface, ( by controlled or random placement ). I find the beauty for example of a street wall; all flyered up with posters, propaganda, layers of graffiti reflecting the pulse of society. The wall is always changing, never static so many different contributors, so many storys. In my art I incorporate my passions- typography, graffiti, old photos, new photos, my photos. I am visually driven, an image-maker. For me that is a beautiful collage work for all to interact with.
What makes an unforgettable college work is the viewer. A piece of artwork usually grows on me, in terms of my art. It can be a negative because most of my work is complex, ambiguous, and rather hard to digest on the initial viewing consequently it often gets over looked.

Do you have any preferred theme or subject when you collage?

No, everything is relevant.
And for example, when you cut off one piece of paper or something, would you care the context of it, or just emphasize on the visual effect of it? Context helps tell the visual story. Yes its context that's a big part. And placement is accentual.
But it is also good to be random sometimes.

Generally, how do you get the inspiration? How do you collect your sources and materials? Please share with us your most interesting, precious collection.

The actual act of creating is where much of my drive and inspiration come from, but other sources of inspiration are when I see a real beautiful (graffiti) throw-up, outline, or tag on the streets that gets me pumped up. The inspiration comes from the work it self, the more I work on it the more I am inspired with it. If I think about a piece too much I will not finish it. The whole process is moment to moment, staying in the present. I have a big box of scraps, anytime I come across an image, text, photo, whatever stops me for more than one second I put it in the big box. My friends have said to me before, you view things so quickly as if you are not even taking in the image or context I am open but I also know what turns me on. Currently, I am collecting old photos from the late 1800's early 1900's I also collect rubber stamps, old flow master markers, old magazines & design/art books. The old photos to me are like little pieces of art the photos are usually cut with scalloped edges, the size and shape varies some are rectangular and the size of the palm of a hand others are tiny and square. To me the old photos are like a reality television shows. But your imagination is in charge of putting all the pieces together.

Your style is versatile. Some looks childlike, some are darken and cloudy; some are clean and pure, and others are crowded, heavy and bizarre. Would you like to talk about your state of creation philosophy? Does it reflect your own personality or something?

Yes, I guess it does. I am always exploring, experimenting, and seeking out my interests like most artist do. I try to follow my instincts. I don't know if I have consciously created a philosophy on how I create my art but I do try to stay open, not to think, and just let things flow. I try in my art to portray different states of being. Consequently different styles emerge.

In all your collage works, which one is your favorite? Why? Would you like to reveal your idea behind it for us?

I don't have a favorite piece of work. Most often the art piece I just completed is the one that is my favorite. It is my favorite because it is new; it is my newest creation. But I do have works I won't sell and are apart of my personal collection. I am not really into giving meaning to my works because it is up to the viewer; once I complete a work I too become a viewer. I believe the process an individual goes through to define the meaning of a work of art can be as creative and powerful as when a work of art is being created.

As an artist / designer, what reason motivated you to make the on-line magazine - BloodWars? (You know, being an editor, your role would be changed into an observer.) So far, what is the biggest input for you by managing / maintaining it?

Bloodwars free on-line magazine is a response to the lack of coverage of graffiti bombing. My definition of bombing is illegal quick two colored throw ups (bubble letters), outlines, quick and dirty tagging. The key is the act is illegal and the amount of times the bomber gets his/her name up is vital. If a bomber covers a city or multiple cities the mystic is created, but the mystic is ephemeral. For the past four years or so there has been an influx of graffiti related books out on the market. Of course I would check out each one and would be disappointed most times to find that the type of bombing I was interested in was looked over. Most books show piecing (wild style, elaborate murals) which is only one style of graffiti. I believe unfortunately bombing which is another style of graffiti gets over looked. There exists a hierarchy in terms of styles in the graffiti culture and bombing is viewed as inferior to piecing. Through Bloodwars it is my mission to expose and give credit to the graffiti bombers work that appeals to my taste. I have been documenting and active in the graffiti culture now for 10 years; I have flicks from all over the world. I thought why not develop and release a free online PDF and show my view of graffiti, what I find tantalizing about the art. I art direct, design, find the contributors, do the artwork and use most of my photos I am involved at every step. Bloodwars was released once a month for a year in 2003. Starting in 2004 Bloodwars now is released every three months due to time restrictions. I just released for sale Bloodwars Volume One a 150-page book that includes some of my favorite pages from Bloodwars PDF and new pages I designed specifically for the book.

What would you want to make further progress in the near future?

Have you made any big wishes as your next goal on creation? I want to have international art shows anywhere in Asia, Australia, Russia, Europe, Africa, Mexico City, the Middle East let me put it this way anywhere in the world where they want to show my work. I want to apply the philosophy of graffiti bombing to my artwork having a little piece of my work everywhere. Oh yeah I also want to make some soft toy dolls and children's books that would be fun. And to broaden my clientele.

Please introduce the interesting projects / ideas you are busy now?

I just independently released my first book Bloodwars Volume One. I am currently looking for a book publisher who will back my work so I can design a color print hard cover book. I am working on a magazine called MATA it is similar to Bloodwars but it is in print. I am also making lots of art for sell on eBay, fonts; I just finished a c.d. and album packaging design, and artwork for two music groups EL Buzzard & Pilot Balloon.

Funs File:

Hobbies:
Collecting old photographs, Design and Art books, burritos and thai food
Funs in life:
My baby boy
Motto:
WE ARE SAVAGE* Conformity equals crisis.
The most often way for seeking idea:
Going through my big box of scraps, all I have to do is stick my hand in pull an image out and it is on
The tool you use to do collage creation:
Pens, ink, glue sticks, tape, poop- pop, stamps, and photos and have fun
Favorite Magazine / book:
Old U&LC Magazines and Subway Art Book
Webs, designers, artists recommended:
Website www.misprintedtype.com and www.art-aoa.com Designers Max Bill, Milton Glaser, Vignelli, Muller- Brockmann, {ths}. Artists Barry McGee, Gauguin, HEART 101

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