Lunar - Graffiti Artist Interview

August 2008

Interview with Lunar, Croatian graffiti artist who was responsible for co-founding Croatia's first graffiti crew known as "Yo Clan Posse" or "Young Croatian Playboys".

How old are you?

I'm 32.

Where are you based?

I'm based in Zagreb, Croatia.

How long have you been painting / writing?

I've been drawing and painting since I was a small kid. I first used a spray can when I was 14.

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

Being a lively child, I found it exciting to discover large brick walls to paint. I instantly fell in love with the medium and the feeling of adventure.

Where did you paint your first piece?

It took time until I felt ready to do my solo piece. At first, I stuck to fill-ins while my best friend 2Fast sketched. It wasn't until early 1993 that I thought I was ready. I painted my first 'Lunar' piece on the wall next to the stairs up to the old town in Zagreb, a few minutes walk from the main square. It was dark, relatively silent, the wall was dirty and there were several good escape routes.

How did you choose the name Lunar?

I played 'Lunar Jetman' on my ZX Spectrum and loved the sound of 'Lunar'.

Do you write under any other names?

I used to write several other names, but not any more.

I believe you were responsible for co-founding Croatia's first graffiti crew, do you write with any other crews and if so which ones?

2Fast and I started YCP in 1992. I'm also down with:

• NWS Crew from Osijek
• MCA Crew (Croatians worldwide)
• Blackout (Zagreb)
• GBF Crew (Frankfurt)

What are your feelings on the graffiti scene in Croatia at the moment?

The term 'scene' doesn't exist if you ask me. There are several individuals who write, though the scene hasn't changed much since the 1990's. It's all too chaotic to be called a 'scene' because kids come and go.

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 travelled across most of Europe as well as the US and Asia. Travelling has allowed me to meet and collaborate with many interesting people, I guess this is what really counts in this whole graffiti game: personal enjoyment and the ability to share that feeling with friends. If you just force yourself, you'll become an egoistic asshole and keep all the good experience for yourself and nobody will listen.

Some of the most interesting places I have painted include The International Criminal Tribunal at Den Haag, Holland and an old traditional house in Hanoi, Vietnam.

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

Graffiti to me is like your first love. I used to accept even foolish jobs such as applying logos on walls, just to earn money to allow me to buy more cans and travel. Now that I have a full-time job which pays the bills, I'm free to chose what I want to do in my free time. Remaining active is like having two jobs. Saturdays, Sundays, summer holidays - it doesn't matter.

You have done work for clients such as Coca-Cola and Sony Playstation, what would you say was your most well known piece of commercial work?

People recognise my Beastz'n Bugz series of work and a house belonging to a school friend that I painted in a smart neighbourhood.

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

The moment I started working 9-5 I learned to seize free time and started enjoying what I do even more.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

Living a happy life with my wife, being surrounded by family and friends - the people that I love and being able to keep on doing what I enjoy.

Graffiti is a little abstract field: you spend years practicing and spending money on cans, sparing neither your time nor your health and leaving most of your works on the street. Isn't that strange?

Lunar

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

I wouldn't necessarily say that many graffiti artists end up exhibiting in galleries. There is a relatively small circle of successful artists.

Graffiti is a little abstract field: you spend years practicing and spending money on cans, sparing neither your time nor your health and leaving most of your works on the street. Isn't that strange? By placing a work on a canvas or some other mobile surface, you give someone a chance to posses it and keep it which I think is good for graffiti since people who love it are able to support their makers.

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

I have been exhibiting since the mid 90's. As you grow and develop, I guess you search for better places and become able to produce better work. It is therefore logical that some of my solo exhibitions that stand out more than others which include:

• 'Beastz'n Bugz' at Invisible NYC
• 'Zagreb Nightlife' at Urban Deluks in Zagreb
• A display at an 'Iki' party at the Shibuya Camp in Tokyo.

There seems 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?

These fields overlap, some people who do art are vandals as well and vice versa. You can't have children at home and expect silence. The same applies to writers, you can't invite them to a party and have no tags on toilet cubicles.

Graffiti in general is not art as far as I see it but the minority who invest so much energy and love in what they do could be seen as artists.

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

I prefer painting what I like with no people around, most passers-by have a idiotic need to ask or say something. Most often is "I like it, but can't understand what it says" or "I like it when you guys know how to a paint colourful piece, but I hate scribblings" and I don't understand why they cannot just mind their own business and keep walking? When you hear it once, it's cool… ten times, it's still cool… but after nearly 20 years of constantly hearing the same shit I guess lot of writers my age understand what I'm talking about. So legal or illegal I don't care until I have the right atmosphere to paint what I want, when I want.

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

I have been taken to a police station a couple of times and have had to surrender my cans, pay a fee and leave. I've been caught in situations where I didn't even think of running, where the space had been cleared in advance, but somebody called the police and they had to abide by the law.

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

I've never hid my identity and what I do - it would be ridiculous. Zagreb is relatively small city and if you're a writer, no matter how hard you try to hide yourself, it's impossible.

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

I design, paint, draw, take photos and write graffiti so it could all fit under the 'artist' umbrella, a 'graffiti writer' would be too small I guess.

Which other artists work do you admire?

Too many to name, but from the modern street art/graffiti field Os Gemeos, CMP and Coderock to name a few.

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

• Mode 2
• Futura 2000
• Seen

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

• Spraycan
• Acrylic paint
• Posca markers

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

It's hard to say, but perhaps it's a quickpiece done with few leftovers at abandoned oil factory in Zagreb ("Code Of The Streets" written above it).

What kind of music are you into?

Mostly 80's new wave, electro, rap, industrial, classical and more types of electronical music.

What is the last album you bought?

I just downloaded one of the last Pete Tong shows.

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

I just finished the design for a limited-edition pair of trainers, a T-shirt and a skateboard for Carrot Clothing (a small independent clothing company). I'm also working on a new series of paintings for a solo exhibition planned for the end of the year and working on several other projects, besides work at the agency.

Anything else you would like to add?

Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none.

For further information about Lunar please visit:

www.lunar75.com