Cracked Ink - Street Artist Interview

April 2009

Interview with street artist Cracked Ink who originates from the North of England but now lives in New Zealand.

How old are you?

I'm 29, 30 in a few days.

Where are you based?

I'm based in New Zealand about 1 hour north of Auckland in the sticks.

I believe you are originally from the UK? How come you relocated to New Zealand?

Yeah, I lived in the north of England most of my life, in and around Manchester. I met a kiwi girl whilst travelling in Thailand, we later came over to NZ for a holiday and just stayed. That was 3 and half years ago. It's an awesome place

How did you get into graffiti and what made you start painting?

I got into graff when I was an Art student, my best buddy Dean (a.k.a. ODN TAO) was hard into sketchin, mainly writing, his obsession quickly transferred to me and before I knew it I was up all hours getting wasted and listening to tunes doodling little characters. That's how it all began, as simple as that.

When did you begin painting graffiti?

I started painting about 9 years ago, time fly's!

Where did you paint your first piece?

My first piece was at Bamber Bridge in Preston, "Brig" to the locals. It was in a train Tunnel, 3 o'clock in the morning and freezing. The piece was pretty lame ass, but you gota start somewhere and definitely helped me to be the person I am today.

How would you describe your style?

Ooh, hard question, I always struggle with this. Fucked up, crazy, monsterish characters, pretty much everyday observations but twisted ever so slightly. I think my style also has humor, it's easy to understand my characters whether it be there personality, expression or plain and simple face value. My style is translated differently by everyone who see's it, whether your age 10 or 60 and people seem to relate to the characters, which is cool.

How did you choose the name Cracked Ink?

The name came about after a series of characters I did when I first came over to NZ, they were a little disturbed, both visually and expression wise and so it kinda came through that. I thought the word cracked was quite relevant for the style that I worked in too, old objects that are pretty ruined, demolished, and the ink… well that's were it all starts.

Do you write under any other names?

Siro.

Do you write with any crews and if so which ones?

Well not specifically, I went to Amsterdam at the end of last year and had the chance to do some awesome pieces with EBA Crew (ODN TAO, Skate, Karma 83). Whilst living in NZ I've worked with some cool people like Drypnz, Seekayem and Aka Random. I love workin by myself too but definitely in the future I'd like to work with more crews like TMD Crew and RTR Crew, they are awesome writers and so if you're reading!

I believe you have worked with Drypnz, another New Zealand based artist we have interviewed before? How did the two of you meet up and decide to paint together?

I met Drypnz through Flickr.com, we both have our work up there and we both became mates through liking each others work. After being in contact over e-mail Drypnz invited me to show in Wellington, so without meeting the dude or even speaking to him we planned a show via e-mails and texts! I loaded up a hire car full of work and rocked down about 800kms down to the city, ever since we done three joint shows and just meet up to go painting… pretty classic really.

Have you done many collaborations with artists overseas or travelled abroad for your art and if so then where is the most exciting or interesting place you have painted?

Na, not really, bits and bobs in England, NZ and Holland but I'm keen as to get involved, especially France, Spain, Germany and South America… so hands up who's keen?

I think wherever you go, whether its NZ or the UK, there's always people willing to get involved and have a good paint and that's what it's about.

Cracked Ink

What are you feelings on the graffiti and street art scenes in New Zealand at present and how do they compare to that of the UK?

The graff scene in NZ is pretty cool and there's a lot of dope artists, but it's quite hard to compare to the UK, being such a monster of a country. I think wherever you go, whether its NZ or the UK, there's always people willing to get involved and have a good paint and that's what it's about.

Have you ever done any commercial work and if so what would you say was your most well known piece?

Na, no commercial work under my belt, but I'd be keen if the right thing came along.

You have recently started your own "Cracked Ink Clothing" brand, how is that going so far?

It's going good… a little too good! Aside from a few freebees to my mates I sold all my stock from my first 3 designs and I have orders for my next prints which hopefully I can fund soon as. I've always wanted to do my own hoods and T's and so I'm stoked that I've been able to do it, but if you want one, watch this space!

Has graffiti become a full-time career for you now and if so was it a long journey to get to this stage?

It's not a full time career, as much as I would enjoy that, but my art is definitely a full-time affair because it's my life! No matter whether it's something simple or complex I'm always thinking about or doing my work, it's an addiction!

Is there any one point in your career you would class as 'your big break'?

Nah, it's a journey. I'm just enjoying the ride and I'll see where it takes me.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

I think my biggest achievement is my dedication, pushing myself and being at a stage where I'm really stoked with the finish of my work. It has taken me a long time to get to that stage but I keep on keeping on.

What are your thoughts on graffiti being just a likely to be found in a gallery as on the streets these days?

Mmm, well I think if you strive to achieve something that makes you happy, whether that is through street, mainstream or both, then good on ya! There are too many haters out there!

You have had your work displayed in a few different galleries, is there any one exhibition that stands out from all the rest?

Well not 1 particular show, probably more like three that stand out! My first show in NZ was pretty rad! I made the gallery space like an old scrappy industrial setting and cladded the walls with old derelict corrugated iron using paste ups and spray to age the tin even more, then I mounted the show onto the iron. The second was with Drypnz in Wellington, just because I didn't know the dude and it was quite random, we also got the chance to paint a mural in the gallery. Thirdly "The Ted Dutch Tribute" show which was paying homage to New Zealand's most famous screen printer, that was cool.

There seems to have been a sudden surge of interest in graffiti and street art recently, why do you think this is?

Well, it's definitely more prominent in our culture, through advertising, music, etc… and because people see it in thier everyday lives so they don't see it as such a negative thing which allows it to be more sociably accepted and I think that's cool and positive to a certain extent, just as long as street artists keep thier identity and keep on doing thier thing the way they've always done it!

If you take the time to look around then you soon see the vast majority of real street/graff artists are pretty damn talented, just because the street is our canvas it's portrayed that we are disrespectful.

Cracked Ink

There is a very fine line between those who see graffiti as art and those who see it as vandalism, what are your views on this?

There's only a fine line because of the media, I mean tagging isn't that creative but that's how street artists are perceived in the media. If you take the time to look around then you soon see the vast majority of real street/graff artists are pretty damn talented, just because the street is our canvas it's portrayed that we are disrespectful. I say embrace the goodness and it will be one crazy ass world!

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

I like doing both… if its legal then you get a lot more time to perfect your craft, which is cool, but also there's nothing like the buzz of going out and just throwing up a piece.

Have you ever 'felt the long arm of the law' because of your art and if so can you tell us about it?

Ermm, ha ha, yeah… I felt the arm ever so slightly, not that long ago. I was down in Wellington for a paint with Drypnz and some local busy body spotted us doing our thing, dobbed us in and the police turned up. In fact they were pretty good, they loved our work and gave us a warning… but unfortunately the government owned the property and decided to prosecute. I got off with diversion and $200 fine, we lost a lot of paint that day but it was worth every penny.

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

Kind of, but I'm not obsessed with it.

Do you see yourself as an artist or a graffiti writer?

Bit of both, more street style though.

Which other artists work do you admire?

Okay, there's too may to mention, but I love:

• Alexone
• The London Police
• Drypnz
• Bo130
• Mode 2
• ODN TAO
• Budafist
• Seekayem
• Flying Fortress
• Adam Neate
• Phil Frost
• Will Barras
• Ted Dutch
• Buff Monster
• Misery

…and many more, these guys are pure inspiration.

Which other graffiti or street artists would you most like to work with if given the chance?

I would love to work with Alexone, his characters, colours and styles are amazing… the best paste ups you will ever feast your eyes on.

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Posca Pens and heaps of layered drips.

What is your colour of choice?

Turquoise (Blue Ranges).

What is your favourite surface to paint on?

Anything that my paint will stick too, I love the demolished and down trodden look at the moment.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

Tricky, too many. I love that Banksy piece with the guards from the palace taking a piss on the wall, that's awesome!

What kind of music are you into?

I love old skool hip hop:

• Digable Planets
• A Tribe Called Quest
• De La soul
• Mos Def

I also love New Zealand dub music.

What is the last album you bought?

"Solid Ground" - The Blackseeds… it's awesome.

What are you working on currently and what plans do you have for the future?

Currently painting car hoods for a car hood show hopefully at the end of the year, I plan to keep on working hard at my shit and work with as many good people as I can.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks heaps to Canned goods… it ain't been emotional, more like a religious experience. Check out www.crackedink.com… peace!

For further information about Cracked Ink please visit:

Cracked Ink Profile

Cracked Ink Website

Cracked Ink Flickr Photostream

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