Inkfetish - Graffiti Artist Interview

January 2008

Interview with Inkfetish, a man of many talents… graffiti artist, illustrator and fine artist, who created the 2004 limited editon comic "No Strings" and has also exhibitied work at the Pixar Studios in San Francisco.

How old are you?

27.

Where are you based?

Treasure Town, London.

How long have you been painting / writing?

Never been much of a writer in the graffiti sense of the word apart from the odd tag here and there… been drawing my whole life and painting on walls and canvas for the past 5/6 years or so.

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

I was a rebellious kid with a love for underground art and I guess found a good way of expressing things that I had trouble communicating to people verbally.

Where did you paint your first piece?

In an alleyway in North London, I wish I had a picture… it was horse shit.

How would you describe your style?

I'm never sure how to answer that one. Surreal Japanese pop culture with a European twist?

How did you choose the name Inkfetish?

I'm still quite traditional with my work methods when it comes to drawing. I'm still happiest with a fine line pen and paper so I guess that's the route of it. I came up with the name whilst spending a year of my life working in nothing but black ink on a comic project.

Do you write under any other names?

I've flirted with a couple but the name has stuck and despite using my real name a lot now to promote my illustration and fine art, the name still seems to resonate with people. I like it though and feel it's a little different.

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

I have a handful of friends that I try and paint with as much as possible but I'm in no crew as such and am quite happy that way. I like the freedom to paint with whoever I like, crew's always bring politics into the game and I hate politics!

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?

Yeah, this year has been cool. Travelled to Barcelona and painted with Nada from Sweden and Tumki from Holland, who became a really good friend for the short time we stayed together.

As far as interesting places to paint, I dropped a piece at Venice Beach in LA this year which got the blood pumping. The graffiti in LA is AMAZING.

What are you feelings on the graffiti scene in London and the UK at present?

I feel that a lot of people this year have really pushed boundaries, but London I feel still has a very close minded scene compared to other cities in Europe. As a legal artist predominantly painting characters, I find it a difficult place to blend in.

You have done commercial work for clients such as Marvel, MTV, Nike, EA Games and Carhaart what would you say was your most well known commercial piece?

I have no idea! When I do that kind of work I don't really get much of an 'audience reaction'. It's very different to graffiti in that respect.

In 2005 you created a limited edition comic called "No Strings", how did that project come about?

"No Strings" was a comic I self published back in 2005. It was my surreal take on the story of Pinocchio that acted as a prequel to the Disney version. It was always a goal of mine to create a comic and I really threw myself into the deep end with no real knowledge of how I was eventually going to get it to see the light of day. The whole thing took me over a year to complete and was without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever done but at the same time something I had to get out of my head. Most comics are created by 3 people at the least - one person doing the pencilling, one inking and one taking care of the lettering but in this case there was me doing the whole lot! Looking back, I'm not sure how I pulled it off. The comic ended up weighing in at 64 pages, 48 of which consisting of my story which bases itself on Geppetto's initial journey into creating the puppet following the death of his wife and unborn child.

Pinocchio's a story familiar to a large spectrum of people, so the characters and story were already there to fuck around with. After watching the movie again for inspiration, I was reminded of how dark it already was and wanted to push that aspect of it further. I've always liked subversive modern day twists on old stories and thought Pinocchio was ripe for the picking. I was spurred on by finding an image from illustrator and animator Oscar Grillo in my inbox documenting the puppet crucified with a flying Jiminy cricket stabbing him through the heart with a pitch fork. Genius! That image became one of 13 contributions from artists depicting their own twisted vision of Pinocchio which included exclusive artwork from UK graffiti artists Shucks, Tizer, Solo One, Agent, Insa, Hefs, Odisy and Awkyd. I also somehow managed to convince Craola and Axis from LA to contribute which was amazing. I loved the idea of bringing graffiti artists in to mess around with Pinocchio, to bring an ancient fairy tale and bring it right up to date, featuring work from the only youth created art movement in history.

The back of the "No Strings" comic featured artwork by the likes of Tizer, Solo One, Insa, Odisy and Craola to name but a few. How did you go about getting all the artists to submit their work to add to your project?

Simply by asking them, no one knew who I was when putting the comic together. Shucks, who's now a good mate, helped with bringing certain people on board. I was just a fan of these guy's work and wanted to do something interesting.

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

No, no, no! I've only maybe done about 3 commercial projects including my graffiti work, and only for companies whose message or product I can relate to. Painting a couple of walls for Manga Entertainment for instance was great as I grew up on that stuff and it inspired me a lot, so it was cool to give something back in my own way. I'm not adverse to painting murals for money but turn a lot down as I like to keep graffiti purely for me whilst I try and make a living from the illustration work. Fine art is an avenue where I feel I can do both - retain my artistic integrity and maybe sell a piece or two if I'm lucky.

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

Not really, lot's of small breaks have got me to where I am now.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

I was invited as one of 200 artists from around the world to exhibit a piece of work at the Pixar animation studios in San Francisco over the summer for a show based of the Hayao Miyazaki movie "My Neighbour Totoro". That was amazing… hands down the best art-related experience yet.

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

Depends on your outlook… I find every one's got there own opinion on this matter. I think if you're a graffiti artist putting a show together then the work should be more conceptual rather than a scaled down replica of what you put out on the street, but that's just another subjective opinion. It's an argument I get tired of. Everyone's chasing their own rainbow.

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

Pixar! I'm not much of a celeb-geek but John fuckin' Lasseter was there and complimented me on my piece!

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

In one word, Banksy… well I believe he caused the wave and we're now all feeling the ripples, his social commentaries meant the public for the first time could relate to the art form so now people are looking a little deeper and maybe becoming a little more open minded. At the same time graffiti is being eradicated nationwide (possibly due to the 2012 Olympics) and artists are going to prison for years because of it. It's a strange juxtaposition.

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

If you're out there messing around with paint, creating shapes and forms with colours then you're creating art but whether you or others regard you as an artist or not is another question!

Inkfetish

If you're out there messing around with paint, creating shapes and forms with colours then you're creating art but whether you or others regard you as an artist or not is another question! I have my own views on what I consider to be art but won't bore you with them…

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

Yeah… not cool.

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

I like to take my time… I'm all about the aesthetic result and pleasing myself so I work legally. I've been arrested a few times now so getting caught painting somewhere dodgy isn't an option.

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

Not at all, I'm pretty open and honest to people as to who I am and what I do. I paint legally so it's not an issue.

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

All and none. I'm an artist… it's all the same to me.

Which other artists work do you admire?

So many. Craola's always a huge inspiration.

• Dan Quintana
• Audrey Kawasaki
• Usugrow

I'm really feeling an artist called Ekundayo right now.

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

I'd love to paint with Os Gemeos, if only just to see how they work.

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Spray paint for it's speed, acrylic for it's precision.

What is your colour of choice?

Depends on my mood.

What is your favourite surface to paint on?

Canvas.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

I liked the piece in created at the Bread & Butter fashion festival in Barcelona with Nada, Sticka and Tumki because we had two whole days to create the wall and were able to take our time and therefore go the extra mile with planning and details. The sun, booze and passing supermodels didn't hurt either.

What kind of music are you into?

Electronic mostly, break-beat, ambient, a little hip-hop now and again. I'm really into orchestrated film soundtracks when I'm working.

What is the last album you bought?

Thanks to the Internet I don't really buy music anymore. Last album I downloaded was "Symphony Of Bubbles" by Apparet and Ellen Allien.

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

Just finishing some paintings for a show and doing some logo's for a mates website" plenty in the pipeline.

For further information about Inkfetish please visit:

www.inkfetish.co.uk