DasOne - Graffiti Artist Interview

October 2008

Interview with well respected graffiti artist DasOne, owner of the RareKind Gallery in Brighton who paints with many crews including DDS Crew, YBS Crew and PBS Crew to name but a few.

How old are you?

28.

Where are you based?

At the min in Brighton.

How long have you been painting / writing?

14 Years.

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

I grew up in Kilburn, North West London, where there were pieces all over the place. I saw my first piece at 5, started tagging aged 9 and then writing Das from 14. I tried a few of the things that were about on my estate at that age to get noticed, writing was the best option.

Where did you paint your first piece?

I painted my first piece using CarPlan green, red and black on Lemington Estate, West Hampsted in December 1995 after tagging for a couple years with my friend Hack.

How would you describe your style?

My style comes from old school London and has been inspired by this and Parisian graffiti.

How did you choose the name DasOne?

DAS are my initials. There's only one of me.

Do you write under any other names?

• Nasty
• Family
• Jstar (for my son)

Apart from the infamous "RareKind Crew" do you paint with any other graffiti crews?

I've painted with loads of crews, I'm in…

• PBS Crew
• YBS Crew
• DDS Crew
• DTB Crew
• STD Crew

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

I've got hook ups with Sao Paulo and have painted with writers from there but in the UK. I've just come back from Bulgaria which was quite mad.

How often do you travel abroad to paint graffiti?

Being self employed I don't get to travel much, but do paint and tag when I get away… Paris, NY, Amsterdam, Sofia.

In 2002 you opened the "RareKind Gallery" in Brighton which stocks mainly British graffiti art as well as hip-hop music, what made you decide to open the shop and was it hard work getting established in the early years?

I was selling paint and canvas form my house in Brighton but then I got a loan from the Princess Trust to open my shop. It's been hard but I've hustled cash from an early age.

Which artists work would someone be able to find on sale on a typical day in RareKind?

• Vibes
• Das
• Zomby
• 2Kold
• Sonic (Bulgaria)
• ATG

…and more.

Brighton seems to have a very active graffiti community, why do you think this is?

The scene has been strong here from the mid eighties and in the last couple years we have worked with the council to get city walls painted. Also being in a university city brings writers down all the time and being close to London is an advantage too.

The Brighton Hip-Hop Festival is quite an important event for graffiti and over the years has seen the likes of Mare 137 and Duro The Third taking part and creating art, how do you feel about the festival and do you have any involvement in it?

The first couple were cool, Aroe organised the jams and I put loads of writers up in my shop… but nothing lasts for ever… I didn't take part in the last two.

What are your thoughts about the current graffiti scene in the UK and Brighton?

It's going well for a culture that has been around for the last 25-30 years, I do feel that the illegal side has slipped a bit but it will come back.

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

As the shop struggles to sustain itself and I have to do commissions, I've done loads in the last 5 years but I don't know which ones are most known.

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

I'm a determined person so it kinda just happened. I'm very stubborn and proud too… I can't stop. It's been long and it's not been easy, I dream of a wage but I love it… hustle… hustle.

You were involved in the Channel 4 show "Faking It" where you turned a history of art student into a convincing graffiti artist, how did you find that experience and how did you come to be involved in the show?

It was a weird experience, I was not used to that type of person so it opened my mind. I was recommended by friends in London and it saved my business. Graffiti is hard to make a living from.

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

I suppose doing "Faking It"… the shop was in a bad state up until then.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

Looking after my son and being there for him, he was born when I was 20 and I'm proud that I found the strength to be there becasue I didn't grow up with a father figure.

I don't like the people that put up a couple posters or stencils and think they have contributed to the graffiti scene.

DasOne

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

I don't like the people that put up a couple posters or stencils and think they have contributed to the graffiti scene. Graffiti is a way of life and it takes years of dedication, my gallery only deals with serious writers who didn't think they would end up selling work.

Have you had your work displayed in many galleries and if so is there any one exhibition that stands out from all the rest?

I've done a couple of shows but not really in other galleries. I painted a suit for a tailors in Brighton… Tracy Emin, The Chapman Bros, Banksy and others took part too… that was good.

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

Fashion and Banksy, people have to look deeper to find the real stuff though which is hard to do.

Even though graffiti seems to have been more widely accepted there still appears to be a very fine line between those who view graffiti as art and those who see it as vandalism, what are your views on this?

It's just paint and the people who waste time hating it are idiots, there is so much more worse stuff going on in this country and the rest of the round the world. Go watch something else.

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

I love every part. The feeling of painting a tube or a station platform is amazing though. Getting up!

Have you ever 'felt the long arm of the law' because of your art?

On many occasions but never convicted… touch wood!

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

It's kinda hard now, I just gotta be clever.

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

Firstly a writer, still trying to be an artist.

Which other artists work do you admire?

Can't really pick one, I'm a geeky fan of graffiti. Old school DDS probably inspires me most.

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

Any, I just love painting.

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Any Belton with a stock cap.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

Elksville trackside on the Jubilee Line, West Hampsted.

What kind of music are you into?

Anything, but Taskforce are the soundtrack to my graffiti life.

What is the last album you bought?

"Slime and Reason" - Roots Manuva

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

I'm currently working on a alphabet painting and a London graffiti history tube map.

Future plans are in motion to get a shop open in London and get back home.

Anything else you would like to add?

BELIVE IN THE SPRAYCAN! REPRESENT KULTURE! RAISING KIDS!

For more information about DasOne please visit:

www.rarekind.co.uk