«... I'm just a 33-year-old baby face bringing weird styles to the game,» — meet the Barcelona artist Marti SAWE, he can create anything from anything. Hot metal assembly racks, growth sculptures from downspouts throughout the garden, giant square rabbits made of fur and chip collages on the robopet themes just are examples of the «weirdies» that Marti created as part of the galleries. This format is one of his extremes. Another is graffiti that flooded all of Barcelona. Once, our friend was lucky to draw with SAWE: «My piece was between his somewhere else five others he painted earlier.» We talked with SAWE about Barcelona through the eyes of native artist, discussed a brief chronicle of the scene over the past decades, the path of an illegal artist to legal galleries, and got the answer to the main question: «Is it hard to make money only with art?». |
«... I'm just a 33-year-old baby face bringing weird styles to the game,» — meet the Barcelona artist Marti SAWE, he can create anything from anything. Hot metal assembly racks, growth sculptures from downspouts throughout the garden, giant square rabbits made of fur and chip collages on the robopet themes just are examples of the «weirdies» that Marti created as part of the galleries. This format is one of his extremes.
Another is graffiti that flooded all of Barcelona. Once, our friend was lucky to draw with SAWE: «My piece was between his somewhere else five others he painted earlier.»
We talked with SAWE about Barcelona through the eyes of native artist, discussed a brief chronicle of the scene over the past decades, the path of an illegal artist to legal galleries, and got the answer to the main question: «Is it hard to make money only with art?».
Another is graffiti that flooded all of Barcelona. Once, our friend was lucky to draw with SAWE: «My piece was between his somewhere else five others he painted earlier.»
We talked with SAWE about Barcelona through the eyes of native artist, discussed a brief chronicle of the scene over the past decades, the path of an illegal artist to legal galleries, and got the answer to the main question: «Is it hard to make money only with art?».
What did you think when you saw the very first graffiti in your life? How it was?
Without being aware of what graffiti was, I used to draw letters with weird styles on school books. I later realized that there were people doing the same thing but with their nicknames on the walls. I don't remember the first graffiti I saw in my life but I remember the first times I went to «Poblenou» neighborhood of Barcelona, full of murals. It exploded in my face. Poblenou still being one of the neighberhoods more playfull.
You are born and raised in Barcelona, right? What its like to live whole life in such place? What do you like about BCN? What do you hate about BCN?
Yes, all my life here. I really like my city but I regret not having done any Erasmus. In Barcelona is normally sunny, we have mountains and sea, if you have free time it is great to enjoy. There are better years and worse years for graffiti as in all cities, right now it is a paradise. The problem of Barcelona is the overwellming tourism. There are to many businesses and efforts on tourism and that makes the city lose a lot of personality.
You are one of the oldest and still active graffiti writers in Barcelona and Spain, what can you tell about local graffiti scene? How was it changing since you started?
NO! No way! I was born in 1986 and at that time there was already graffiti in Spain. I must be a fourth or fifth generation. There are pioneer and active people, idols for me like BIZ, MUSA, FASIM, POCHO, SIXE... many, many more. I'm just a 33-year-old baby face bringing weird styles to the game.
We guess that BCN scene originally was full of «NY» style rules. But now your scene are really mad and break all rules in graffiti. Why and when part of BCN scene started going on ugly/ignorant way?
I speak without having lived that time, but I think that before the movie «Style Wars» was broadcast on Spanish television, there were stencils, tags, pieces... totally natives in Spain. «Style Wars» made hip hop explode throughout Spain, graffiti, breakdance, rap, DJ. I guess people wanted to paint as similar to Case2, Dondi, Seen...
There was a fairly key writer from Barcelona called INUPIE. He painted a lot on the streets and with a very free style, no rules, revolutionizing the game completely. Later he was part of a group called VOL quite key in terms of ignorant style with PONE, KEIS, MODS ... with 70's american graffiti as a reference.
Also the writer VINO broke many rules of style but only focus on trains. But I would not place him in the so-called ignorant style, mine neither. I like many proposals from any source, I mix a lot and try to do new things all the time with open mind.
There was a fairly key writer from Barcelona called INUPIE. He painted a lot on the streets and with a very free style, no rules, revolutionizing the game completely. Later he was part of a group called VOL quite key in terms of ignorant style with PONE, KEIS, MODS ... with 70's american graffiti as a reference.
Also the writer VINO broke many rules of style but only focus on trains. But I would not place him in the so-called ignorant style, mine neither. I like many proposals from any source, I mix a lot and try to do new things all the time with open mind.
Who are your partners in crime and why? Who is your crew mostly often?
I have painted a lot by myself, but I tell you some names of friends with whom I have painted a lot: Rate, Guano, Baren, Kibas. I have several crews but the oldest and closest GFM.
What is important in graffiti for you now?
Now! Just now is a strange time for me to be honest. Graffiti brings me instant happiness, freedom, easy to obtain and always want more, like a drug. I am having important changes in my life right now and I want to be very focused and do it very well. I know my self very well and I know Graffiti can mislead me a lot. So right now I have greatly reduced the amount. When everything stabilized I will paint more again. I also paint more than many people who say they paint a lot, surely hahaha.
So you are an artist now with shows at galleries. Did you have a full time job before? Is it hard to be just an artist now?
I worked as an illustrator in Montana Colors. Then I did an audiovisual studio called MANSON with some friends. I worked mostly in animation during 5 years and I quit it one year and a half ago to focus with my art. It's hard to be an artist yes, but funny.
How did you decide to start make something as a gallery artist? Could you describe this experience: what means first gallery show for you? Especially, for you as an illegal graffiti writer in a legal art place.
In the animation porjects I learn a lot and I have a great time but it's always advertising spots because it is expensive to produce and only brands want to pay it. And I thought... why spend so many hours in front of the computer, sitting, nervous, working for big brands? I decided to invest that energy for myself.
I have always been doing art shows but nothing serious, I was not prepared. Now I feel ready to play. I don't feel like the most ilegal graffiti writer. I did and I do all kind of legal and ilegal stuff. Anyway graffiti is not the vertebral column of my art, it's just a part like other obsesions in my life. Of course sometimes the «street art» or «urban art» hastag bring me awkward situations. Maybe because 70% of art under these hastags is a little bit... you know :/ But there are great artists with graffiti background too: Todd James, Eddie Martinez, Frédéric Plateaus, Delta, Paul Lloubet, Antwan Horfée, Tomek, Mike Swaney... So I don't know. I just want to keep doing my stuff freedomly.
I have always been doing art shows but nothing serious, I was not prepared. Now I feel ready to play. I don't feel like the most ilegal graffiti writer. I did and I do all kind of legal and ilegal stuff. Anyway graffiti is not the vertebral column of my art, it's just a part like other obsesions in my life. Of course sometimes the «street art» or «urban art» hastag bring me awkward situations. Maybe because 70% of art under these hastags is a little bit... you know :/ But there are great artists with graffiti background too: Todd James, Eddie Martinez, Frédéric Plateaus, Delta, Paul Lloubet, Antwan Horfée, Tomek, Mike Swaney... So I don't know. I just want to keep doing my stuff freedomly.
Why you prefer to do art pieces that can move or rotate? Tell us about your mad sculptures and furniture: with fur and chips, drainpipes and some garden things... What motivate and inspire you to create each of that?
I like to move around areas outside my comfort, it`s when I listen better to my intuition and very interesting proposals come out.
I made sculptures with jerry cans and drainpipes because I was in an artistic residence with 0 budget for materials but an abandoned factory next door. I can do painting canvases in my studio but walking through that giant factory and breathing its history while collecting materials ... that was magical.
In the fur and chips sculptures, 70% of the material was recycled too. In a group show with some friends (Paul Lloubet, Adrien Fregosi, La Cuisine Sauvage) we decided to work on a fauna and flora in a dystopian context. While doing the sculptures I felt like a madman in a scrap yard in Mad Max picking up junk and creating sculptures of animals that existed in the past.
I made sculptures with jerry cans and drainpipes because I was in an artistic residence with 0 budget for materials but an abandoned factory next door. I can do painting canvases in my studio but walking through that giant factory and breathing its history while collecting materials ... that was magical.
In the fur and chips sculptures, 70% of the material was recycled too. In a group show with some friends (Paul Lloubet, Adrien Fregosi, La Cuisine Sauvage) we decided to work on a fauna and flora in a dystopian context. While doing the sculptures I felt like a madman in a scrap yard in Mad Max picking up junk and creating sculptures of animals that existed in the past.
How you learned to do their mechanisms/details? What things and steps was the most difficult to do?
I have no idea. I dismembered a Santa Claus robot, I stuck fur in a vacuum cleaner, I opened stuff with screwdriver until I saw a possibility to do something and followed my intuition. The most difficult step is to use the contact glue to stick the fur. You end up really high.
What things you like and don't like in modern graffiti? What rules that still live you want to break?
Fuck what I don't like and the unwritten graffiti rules. Let's enjoy the freedom that graffiti gives you!
Grade Moscow
9 Apr, 2020