Ket - Graffiti Artist Interview

August 2009

Hot on the heels of the release of "Graffiti Planet 2" we catch up with Ket, a well respected graffiti writer, historian and documentor of the graffiti scene.

Graffiti piece by Ket

Where are you based?

New York City.

When did you begin painting graffiti?

I began in 1987.

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

I became involved with writing when I was in high school and met guys that were writing on trains at the time. Their stories and the art that I saw in my neighborhood and on the trains fascinated me and shortly thereafter I started drawing and painting myself.

Where did you paint your first piece?

My first piece was painted on a wall at some train tracks by my high school in Brooklyn.

How did you choose the name Ket?

Ket was a name that my friends and I came up with in the lunch room in high school. At the time it seemed like every name was taken and since two of the kings of the train insides in Brooklyn were Net and Bet I thought Ket would be a good name to join the club with.

Do you write under any other names?

I started with other names but once I found they were taken I stuck with Ket. Over the years I wrote other names whenever I got the urge and wanted to switch it up. Often times I would do pieces with words that had the letters 'k', 'e', and 't' in them like Pocket, Socket, Rocket, etc. Other times I would write my fellow crew member's names instead of my own. My favorite tags are the political ones that I have written like "Fuck Guiliani", "Stop The Wars", etc.

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

I wrote with crews over the years such as:

RIS Crew
AOK Crew
DTK Crew
MTK Crew
COD Crew
TFP Crew

How would you describe your style?

My style is classic Brooklyn, New York. I enjoy painting simple styles, softie style and occasionally some semi-wild mechanical styles.

Graffiti piece by Cope2, Ket and Terrible T-Kid 170th - Bronx (2004)

Once the train scene dwindled due to new transit policies and writers moved to the walls the scene changed drastically.
Ket

You started ou wrting on the subway trains in New York, how was that whole experience and how have you seen the scene in New York change since you started out?

Train writing was and is a movement that involved skill, stealth and heart. Once the train scene dwindled due to new transit policies and writers moved to the walls the scene changed drastically. Now people paint legal walls all day long or bomb with wack tags and think they are good when they are not. The spirit and the funk just isn't there anymore.

Do you still keep in touch with any of the people you used to write with back in the day?

I keep in touch with many of my old friends and crew members and we still paint from time to time. Some of us like GHOST, WANE, SENTO, STAK and WOLF still paint as much as some of the newer writers of today.

You are widely travelled because of your work, do you ever do collaborations with artists overseas or paint when you are abroad?

I always paint when I travel. I believe that you always have to bomb, hook up with people and drop pieces wherever and whenever you can.

Where is the most exciting or interesting place you have painted?

Trains are my favorite and I paint them when I can. I love Paris and the system there as well as the people. I also love Germany, Denmark, and Sweden for the transit.

Graffiti piece by Ket - Copenhagen (2009)

Cities should be painted and I am down to contribute in that way.
Ket

How importaint to you is it to still get out and paint on the streets?

It is not that it is important, it's that it is a part of who I am and what I believe should be happening in our cities. Cities should be painted and I am down to contribute in that way.

You have lectured a number of times on the subject of graffiti at universites such as Priceton and Berkeley, how did you find that experience?

I enjoy talking to people and explaining to them our history and my perspective, I believe that this is an important movement that should be documented and celebrated. Recently I spoke at a festival in Sweden and at a community center in Copenhagen as well as a gathering of architects and preservationists in Copenhagen.

Everyone should understand this movement so that there could be less prosecution and criminalization and more support and love for it.

Not only are you heavily involved in the graffiti scene but you are also very politically active, could you tell us a little about which movements you support and are most involved in?

Lately I have been feeling jaded about political movements in America. I do believe and support the rights of indigenous people everywhere.

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?

Some of it is art and some vandalism. There is not one type of graffiti as the media or politicians would like people to believe. This argument is a too simple and not sophisticated, it shows people are not paying attention to what is happening around them.

Graffiti piece by Cope2, Ket (2008)

Graffiti piece by Ket - Paris (2009)

In 2007 you turned yourself into the police after what could only be described as an 'infamous' case within the graffiti scene, are the charges which were brought against you still standing and can the public still help you in any way?

The case is done. I copped out to three of the fourteen charges in order to stop the financial destruction the case was causing me. I had to pay fines, do community service, probation and I now have felonies on my record. It's bullshit.

You must have some very strong views on how the law deals with graffiti writers, do you think the laws should be eased a little or maybe governments and local authorities should provide artists with more legal spaces to paint?

Both of the things you state should happen. Certainly there are more humane ways to deal with artists and vandals than prison. Also, some people do just want to piece and there should be places in all neighborhoods where kids and old timers alike can go and burn without having to deal with the cops.

It is important to preserve and for writers to document our own history, otherwise if we leave the task to others they will always get it wrong and fabricate lies about us.
Ket

I believe at the time of your arrest you were working on a number of different books which suffered major setbacks because photos and compters were confiscated. How important do you feel it is to preserve graffiti in some form or another… be it on film, via printed matter, on canvas, etc and what do you think future generations will think when they look back at the graffiti scene?

It is important to preserve and for writers to document our own history, otherwise if we leave the task to others they will always get it wrong and fabricate lies about us. If we document our own stories and lives future generations will understand this rebel art movement for what it is.

Speaking of books, you have just had "Graffiti Planet 2" published which you compiled and produced, how did you go about putting the book together? Do you personally go and photograph all the work inside the book, meet the artists, etc?

The book contains photos that I took on my travels and photos by respected artists that I have reached out to for contributions. I basically go through my network of artists and get contributions and connections to other artists.

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

I think its positive if real writers can infiltrate the galleries, museums, schools, etc. It is another way to get up and get known.

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

The rich are hungry for new meat.

Graffiti piece by Ket - Berlin (2009)

Do you see yourself as an artist, a graffiti writer or something all together different?

I am an artist and a writer as well as many other things: parent, historian, etc.

Which other artists work do you admire?

There are too many out there but a few include:

Ghost
Jose Parla
Futura 2000
Jon One
Revok
Egs
Kara Walker
Kandinsky
Os Gemeos

Thoughout the years you must have had the opportunity to 'get up' with some real graffiti legends, would you care to share a few names of any of the artists who really stood out for you?

Fuzz One and Part One stand out above anyone else, they are incredibly gifted and have original style.

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

I am working on more books and helping people sell art always. Look for the "PART ONE: TDS" book this fall, it's a great piece of history from an important pioneer.