ASKEW

NEW ZELAND

Website : www.askew1.com
Facebook : Facebook.com/askewonetmd
Twitter : askewone
Instagram : askewone

STORY BEHIND YOUR PSEUDO:

Mostly I was drawn to the name aesthetically, the balance of letters and symmetry worked.

FIRST AND RECENT GRAFFITI EXPERIENCES:

I grew up in Inner-city Auckland during a time that graffiti was virtually inseparable from teenage life and so just fell into doing it. My heroes at the time are all names most people outside of Auckland wouldn’t know about with the exception of Smooth Crew who did feature in Spray Can Art. I was mostly into gang influenced graffiti of the time though more than NY inspired lettering.

INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATION:

Literally too numerous to name. Everyone I have met, connected with have inspired, informed & guided me in some way. Even if it’s deciding what I don’t want to do – it’s still vital. Art is an evolving dialogue.

OTHER EXPERIENCES THAT HAVE HELPED SHAPING YOUR STYLE:

Health, food, reading, traveling. Everything – I’m an open book. I love Geopolitics, physics, anthropology – I’m especially fascinated with Pacific cultures and history. I’m not an expert in any of those subjects but just love them.

WHAT IS GRAFFITI ALL ABOUT TO YOU?

Expression, adventure, pushing your own limitations.

3 WORDS THAT WOULD BEST DEFINE YOUR STYLE:

Dynamic, painterly, rendered.

CHARACTERISTICS THAT SETS YOU APART IN THE GRAFFITI SCENE:

I’ve always tried to keep moving, innovate somehow but still love traditional graffiti as well. I want my paintings to be rooted in the spray/graffiti aesthetics but not be limited to a nostalgic paradigm.

PERCEPTION OF THE CURRENT GRAFFITI SCENE IN YOUR COUNTRY:

I can’t really speak on that, I’m too immersed in it.

FAVORITE SPOTS TO PAINT GRAFFITI:

It’s all conditional on […]

DABS & MYLA

AUSTRALIA

Website : www.dabsmyla.com
Facebook : facebook.com/dabs.myla
Instagram : @dabsmyla

STORY BEHIND YOU PSEUDO:

We go by the name DABS MYLA.

FIRST AND RECENT GRAFFITI EXPERIENCES:

DABS: I started writing graffiti in 1992. I had older friends who were all bombing a lot and started going out with them to do loops on trains etc…As I got more into it I started noticing pieces on the train line and took a lot of interest in that part of graffiti. After a few years of bombing I started working on sketches for pieces and eventually went out and started painting them. I had always been interested in cartoons and drawing since I was very young so the artistic part of painting a piece or character really drew me a lot deeper into graffiti writing.

MYLA: I had always been interested in art and had been drawing and painting my whole life. When I met DABS at Art School he started taking me out to paint walls and teaching me how to paint a piece. I had always loved graffiti and paid a lot of attention to it riding the train to school every day, but had never met anyone who did it before. As soon as DABS started teaching me about the culture and history and taking me painting I fell in love with it really quickly!

INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATION:

DABS: I think everyone that we meet and become friends with influences us a lot! That’s one of the great things about painting graffiti and traveling is you get to meet so many talented people and work with them in creating something together a lot of the time. You […]

SOFLES

AUSTRALIA

Website : www.sofles.com
Facebook : www.facebook.com/Sofles
Instagram : @sofles

STORY BEHIND YOUR PSEUDO:

Sofles DTS TMD

FIRST AND RECENT GRAFFITI EXPERIENCES:

I was first introduced to graffiti at local skate parks in Brisbane, Australia, and by friends in high school. I was just a bored teenager and wanted to fit in. I’d always been into art, but when I first saw graffiti something clicked.

INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATION:

I’m inspired and motivated by a lot of my friends, local Australian artists and international, I get a lot of inspiration from the tattoo scene, fine arts, digital art as well as current and past graffiti. I’m into universal energy and spirituality ideals, learning about life and the endless mysteries it holds.

WHAT IS GRAFFITI ALL ABOUT TO YOU?

Graffiti is about adventure, travel, meeting amazing people, and seeing parts of the world I’d never see with a normal job.

CHARACTERISTICS THAT SET YOU APART IN THE GRAFFITI SCENE:

I’ve always tried as many different styles, techniques and media as possible, as every different practice influences your overall style. I try to paint as often as possible to keep things evolving.

FAVORITE SPOTS TO PAINT GRAFFITI:

Studio, train yards, abandoned buildings.

WHAT DOES TAHITI REPRESENT TO YOU?

The jewel of the pacific!