Kelp - Graffiti Artist Interview

March 2009

Interview with Kelp, a graffiti artist from Chile who currently resides in Germany. Kelp has a rather slick style he describes as "graffiti meets design", he also runs a successful Latinamerican graffiti website and is currently sponsored by Puma!

Graffiti piece by Kelp

How old are you?

26 years old.

Where are you based?

I'm from Santiago, Chile but currently living in München, Germany.

How long have you been creating street art and graffiti?

It all started for me back in 1997 and has been an increasing activity since then.

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

I got into it by seeing some great pieces and a beatifull Bob Marley painting downtown of Santiago City in 1997, done by Cekis, with whom years later I had the honor to paint a couple of walls with.

Where did you paint your first piece?

At the backyard of my High School and it was, as I remember, something not worth a picture. ;)

My first real piece was in La Reina, Santiago de Chile.

How would you describe your style?

Graffiti meets design.

Graffiti piece by Kelp

KELP in Spanish means "C(k)ultura en la pared", it is an abbreviation of doing culture at walls…
Kelp

How did you choose the name Kelp?

KELP in Spanish means "C(k)ultura en la pared", it is an abbreviation of doing culture at walls… doing something special on walls… something attractive for the citizens.

At the time the main issue for a graffiti writer was to have his OWN style and not to be compared with X or Y writer but to be an artist with his own style. That was very important and I think it still is today.

Do you write under any other names?

Nope, KELP only.

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

No, only with friends such as Rio and Stik sometimes.

I am more of an independent painter and entrepreneur. I like to paint most of the time with people, because we can share experiencies, knowledge and just because it is more fun but to be on a crew is not a goal for me.

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, painting walls and being on KELP.cl brought me to many places. The most amazing one was recently here in Germany when I was painting with Loomit, a graffiti legend and very cool person to say the least.

What are you feelings on the graffiti and street art scenes in Germany and Chile at present?

I love Chile street art and the people. It's very natural, very social and it's just fun. Germany is awesome for me because of painters such as Daim, Loomit, Tasek, Daddy Cool, Viagrafik and MaClaim. I really appreciate their work and how they made it their lifestyle. It's graffiti in a very clean, design focused way which is what I love.

In Chile the German graffiti is known because of it's high technique and vice-versa Chilean graffiti is known here in Germany because of it's artistic and different style.

Graffiti piece by Kelp

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

Commercial work is great and it is also a challenge. The best wall was done for Puma, my sponsor, in Maipú, Santiago de Chile.

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

A full-time career in a way when, for example, comparing to what Os Gemeos or others have done that have made it into a full-time career. I still keep it as my main work and because of that I can take the time to paint what and when I want. Most important is my webportal, www.kelp.cl, which takes a lot of effort and energy. I really want to promote the "graffiti meets design" mindset to the citizens and of course relate it to my artwork while at the same time being present in trends and markets such as the urban culture one.

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

Many! 2004 was a break when I painted a lot of very great stuff in many cities, that was really great and something new specially because I made very good friends and got to know a lot of new lifestyles and cultures. The second was in 2008 when I moved to Germany.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

Founding www.kelp.cl, which became known as the most visited webportal for urban culture in Latinamerica while gaining some dope awards because of being a design and trendsetter.
Getting Puma as a Sponsor of KELP.
Being Latinamericas representative in Japan for the World Aichi Exposition.
Travelling for the fun of painting… that is trully great!

Graffiti piece by Kelp

Good work = good understanding = success.
Kelp

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

Awesome! What can I say? I love graffiti that much that I must enter every gallery where it is displayed. If someone has a graffiti painting at home it is great.

Streets show a lot of stuff but I make a little distinction and only really like the good work… something where dedication, love and quality is at hand. It is this kind of graffiti which is easier for society to understand.

Good work = good understanding = success.

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

Sure, galleries are great because at some point they give you the opportunity to showcase your work to people outside the graffiti scene who pay for your work.

One exhibition that stands out was a very small one in Santiago, Chile. It was at a school and really made the students (around 10 years old kids) very happy. They enjoyed colors and just painting on walls, canvas or whatever surface they had. That was just amazing and really eye opening.

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

True, especially in literature. I visited the Tate in London recently and WOW… there were like 30 different graffiti books and stencil books. It's gone nuts! At the beginning I used to buy all these types of books, but in recent years the material and quality of the graffiti literature has gotten worse… I mean it's not quality anymore, it's all about quantity and that's a problem. Still from time to time really good books appear and I can breath again.

Magazines are now sort of out now too because it's easier to search the web, for example www.kelp.cl, to get the best images and videos. That's cool and cheaper.

Graffiti piece by Kelp & Rio

Graffiti piece by Kelp

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?

It's 50/50! What can I say? In 2006 I made a one-year study for my Diploma about this issue, it was when I started my "graffiti meets design" style and I got into this whole showcase thing of only great "well done" graffiti. However graffiti is also tagging, flops and illegal actions… it's not only about great pieces and gallery stuff. As a matter of fact graffiti is kept alive by the people who paint trains and who KEEP ON painting trains and tagging every surface. Respect to them as well.

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

Legal. I prefer to be painting and socializing while painting, it's part of the magic of being on the street painting.

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

Of course! In Chile graffiti is not the crime that it is here in Europe, though this depends on where you paint! However, generally speaking it's not such an issue.

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

No. The name "KELP" will be on every thing I do in the graffiti scene.

I see myself as an entrepreneur who wants to showcase the beauty of graffiti, starting from Chile to the rest of the world.
Kelp

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

Neither of them. I see myself as an entrepreneur who wants to showcase the beauty of graffiti, starting from Chile to the rest of the world.

Which other artists work do you admire?

Only graffiti artists and most of them friends:

Rio
Loomit
Grin
Cekis
Os Gemeos
Daim
Saile
Maclaim
Viagrafik

Check out www.kelp.cl for works from each of them.

Graffiti piece by Kelp

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

Os Gemeos. I really appreciate the twins work, their mindset on graffiti and their humble attitude… that is so important!

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

I suppose it is the spray paint or a pen.

What is your colour of choice?

Red… such as the red on the National flag of Chile, we call it "Rojo Vivo", to be used with rollers or brushes. It lasts years and is a very intense color. Most of my pieces use this color.

What is your favourite surface to paint on?

The ones that have great visual effect and lots of traffic as well as an acceptale height and width with cool surroundings… Santiago is full of them!

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

Not really. There are the ones you love and the ones you really love but generally I just try to have a good time while painting. I surround myself with painters that are cool, respectful, humble, great persons who just want to have fun painting seriously and it makes it all more special providing a much greater memory after the pictures.

What kind of music are you into?

Any… no restrictions.

What is the last album you bought?

I truly don't remember, it must have been in 2002 or so… really!

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

I want to organise stuff here in Europe and hope to participate in as many graffiti events (big or small) as possible.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for this space, see you later in www.kelp.cl or at some wall…