5 questions with OX

As the 2095 became more confident in her exploration of the Inner West, yet maintaining the "if i can hear a train or a bus I know I'm not too far from safety" thought process as it were, she chose to walk through Camdenville Park to get a shot of a wall on the other side of a train track she had previously seen.

What she spied instead was a funny little pasteup that required IMMEDIATE investigation.  

Still not terribly familiar with the area and having already done the unthinkable (racing across the train track) she felt duty bound to take the long way around in order to get a closer view of the paste up in question.

Fast forward to (yep....here it comes again...) PM3 and  the first incredible image the 2095's eyes clamped on was not just hypnotic but made SUCH an impact, upon return to the confines of her abode, she simply stared at it admiring it in all its intricate political seductiveness for an indeterminate amount of time.

It was also due to this piece, that the impatience to return to said Outpost and discover more by this artist drove all around the 2095 up their own walls which in itself is an enormous achievement even by her standards!!

What was your initial entree to street art and can you give a rationale in regards to your tag name

I guess I started a few years ago when I was doing a bunch of live art shows around Sydney for free drinks. I enjoyed the speed of it all and wanted to start playing around with spray paint so I could start using more colour at speed.

I met Bafcat and Resan (a couple of painters) earlier that year and ended up going to some abandoned factories to hang out and have a paint.  I really enjoyed using cans, learnt a bunch of little tricks pretty and have been hooked on painting since then.

OX comes from the fact that I always had a hard time telling people my last name.  Not that's it particularly long or weird or anything; just having a semi-English/Australian accent people seemed to get it wrong in a variety of bizarre ways.

i wanted to go by something incredibly simple and something that was symbolic above just letters.  I like how both the symbols O and X are used in so many different contexts other the letter format.

I have always preferred images over the written word, so I think OX represents my work well.  There are a bunch of other reasons but I won't go in to them as they probably equally as boring.

What drives your creativity

Not sure really.  It's just something I do, something I enjoy working hard at and exploring new ways to create.

Art in whatever medium has always been attractive to me.  There are no rules, no wrong answers and on one who can stop you from doing it.  It can be incredibly difficult and especially financially unrewarding at the best of times, but no matter what I do, there is always an element that is predominantly positive.

It's important to me that I'm never going to be able to master what I do, I'm never going to reach 'that point' where I'm finished.  I'm always learning and there will always be something that I'm just going to suck at.

I think that probably what drives me most: just trying to do work that's better than my last piece.  I want to be a grizzled old man one day who still worries over his filthy painting.

Some of your work is incredibly complex with specific reference to the first shot I took at PM3 (as seen above).  

Is there a specific "story" for each creation, or is it almost a continual work in progress to the point that while you may personally never be 100% satisfied with the finished product ("it needs a tweek here"), others perceive it as a perfection 

Improving my techniques is definitely what drives my work, but in each piece I try to tell an ambiguous story I guess.

Most of my work is character based and I have a background in animation which is where the story-telling element of my work comes from.

I like to give people a character that they can imagine a story for: in that way the viewer has a role in the creation of the work as well.

Do you prefer the freedom of wall or the restrictions of design

I like elements of both.  I enjoy being able to take as long as I want in the studio trying to perfect whatever I am working on at the the time getting lost in illustration really chills me out, but after a few days I start to get some serious cabin fever.

So that's when I really like getting outside and painting with some mates for fun; it's really the only environment I can make art and be social at the same time.

It's fast and takes me to new places that can only be compliment endless hours in the studio.

In a perfect world where do you see yourself as the artist being within (say) the next 5 years

I would like to be illustrating and painting full time.  Having enough clients that I can life purely off selling my own art and doing illustration work that I really enjoy.

The freedom of that kind of work would allow me to travel around and do more mural work than I am capable of doing at the moment.  AND the opportunity to exhibit my work overseas more often

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My eternal thanks to OX for sharing a bit of his life with the 2095 and allowing reproductions of his work for this blog.  

Love the work, and hope to see it hit the international heights it deserves my friend!

5 Questions with Akisiew

The 2095'ers first encounter with Akisiew was very early on in the piece.  

Having elected to swallow the fear and in attempt to push the 'safety boundaries' in the quest for street-art, the 2095'er felt it was time to explore a suburb she hadn't been to since working there prior to a now famous stoush occurring at "The Block".

Lovely sunny day, no shadows to hinder a shot, no cars blocking walls, following a group whom the 2095 assumed were going to some tertiary institution to become future whatevers, a feeling of whimsy enveloped: "ahh yes yes, got a teeny bit bladdered at that pub. oh! that place....a great GREAT night to be had I think".

And then for an inexplicable reason the 2095 stopped. Swivelled left and found this extraordinary piece so beautiful, so spellbinding it was more of a revered moment than speedy shot and continue moment.

Confidence brimming with delight to have found such an incredible piece spilling over, the 2095 continued on her merry way, not realising at that stage, she would in fact find more pieces by this particular artist literally the following day (as there are times when if the conditions are perfect, the 2095 will make 3 or 4 trips in one week simply to take advantage of conditions and sate the desire to discover)

Wandering around the back streets of Newtown trying to find another piece (remembering that the 2095'ers internal GPS is constantly in need of repair), becoming completely frustrated both at herself and her inability to find a sign that gave any indication of the street name, it became a case of "I give up!".

Of course having reached that conclusion, what the 2095 then found was a paste up that was so beautifully done with an overwhelming sense of "peace" about it, any former emotional angst evaporated immediately.

Here are my 5 questions with Akisiew

Your work is truly breathtaking and always but always makes the heart skip a beat when found.  How long has art been a part of your life

Shucks!!! I guess art has always been a part of my life.  I've been drawing, writing and making things for as long as I can remember... not necessarily as how you see my art these days, but it has always featured predominantly in one form or another.

When did you make your "debut" to the streets

My first "debut" was about 3 years ago.  I had these seed pods that I had lovingly turned in to people by drawing and colouring over them in fine tip pen and pencils.

I wrote different love messages inside each of them representing the different loves I had experienced in my life.  I rode my bike out to Camperdown Park one Saturday night and tied them with twine to a tree...by morning they had mostly been decapitated. Not quite the reaction I was hoping for but a reaction none the less.

My much more successful attempt soon after was a visual representation of a poem I had written about the dead birds falling from the sky in Arkansas.

I painted it with HazzyBee in Enmore. 

Are your works mainly commission or have there been times when it's a "let's just do it"

There was a time I was doing a heap of paste ups around the Inner West which was definitely a a "let's just do it" kinda thing.

I was running around with a fellow artist (Baiada) and we were throwing up all kinds of colourful things too. But I have been lucky enough to get quite a few commissions too and that's always fun because I'm essentially a bit of a scaredy cat really....

Your collaborations are synonymous with HazzyBee.  do you prefer solo or collab and if so why/why not

I love painting with Hazzy!  Hazzy's my boy.  I think our styles are so dreamy, happy, sad that we don't have over-think anything working together. 

The past year or so I have been doing quite a bit of solo work, but my solo work is more precise and detailed and looks so different when it flows on paper rather than a giant wall.

There's fun in both I guess

What does the future hold for the artist known as Akisiew

Hopefully just a lot more drawing and painting!  I have a solo show coming up at Kinokuniya Book Store's Wedge Gallery at the beginning of August, so my future for the moment has been narrowed down to getting all my work ready for that....you should come!

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My thanks to Akisiew for spending some time with the 2095 and allowing her works to be reproduced for this blog and yes...reckon it just might be that the 2095'er gets to this exhibition

5 Questions with Konsumterra

When the 2095 started her street art hunting expeditions they were initially within the confines of "if i hear a train or a bus I know I can't get too lost!".  It was in one of these initial confines that the 2095'er spotted these somewhat bizarre cartoon'ish type characters.

As the trip progressed I found more and more of these little creatures and some placed in THE most obscure places (of course these were the days prior to street-art-photographer-necessary-whiplash syndrome!)

When the 2095 says "everywhere" it is just that.  It truly was a case of "I mean honestly!  How the hell do these things get put up on literally every street corner from Sydney to Perth!" (as the 2095'er is known to somewhat exaggerate, you will hopefully get the point!)

Fast track to 2011 and the Outpost.  It was where the 2095 was there on one of her numerous visits and as she walked around, she noticed a class on stencilling.  

Standing there, observing quietly, praying with all her might that the dreaded shy-bug didn't kick in, the 2095'er waited til said class was finished, took a deep breath and walked in.  "Hi! We are fb friends".  A somewhat bemused (or confused even) expression greeted me.  

Once my photography ID name was used there was an immediate relaxation between artist and photographer. After a bit of a chat about life the universe and everything, the 2095 continued on her way and the artist went on his.

Through the magic of social media  and the occasional bumping in to one another doing the rounds of the Inner West, a good relationship has been forged and I now introduce you to Konsumterra

From stencils to paste ups to paint.  Do you have a preference or does it simply present itself and you take it from there.

I have other interests too, but I do different styles: some nameless or different names to exaggerate variety.  I've worked with comics, pinup art, photography, collage, poster art, 6 magazines: so lots of methods.

the 2095'er was stoked to have this photo included in a publication 

involving  Konsumterra

Some little pasteups made from misprint zines.  Drawing is just fast and easy.  Every method has its own benefits.  I guess I'm from a culture where everyone did everything.

When did Konsumterra first emerge and are you able to share a little bit of background as to the genesis of you the artist vs you the individual

My brother and friends used to trash ads in the Adelaide Hills and paint them white back in the 1980's.  My friends were mostly 8 years older anarchists, punks, hakers, gamers, comic nerds and uni students as a kid.  I was in to Jenny Holzer, UK hoax art and punk poster.

In the late 1990's stickers went mad and around 2000'ish stencils were a way to make stickers.  I was in a studio of paste artists using collage: it was a good gender balance in this scene.

I started teaching, doing tours and lobbying government and councils, doing art gigs 2-3 times a week as well as DJ'ing.  Because I was starting to get ill, I decided to move to Sydney for something new as I felt Adelaide was in the doldrums with most of my generation gone.

I didn't intend to be an art pro but somehow it happened.  I worked at MAY's, Casula Powerhouse, on councils and more.

At the moment my health issues make it difficult to keep up my art but I don't feel the need to lobby or advise on government policy anymore.

I'm trying to build more non-art interests and friends at the moment because I have really missed hanging with scientists and carny folk.

Some of your works at time can be perceived as quite political (which for some may be slightly confrontational) and thought provoking.  What are the triggers behind some of your pieces.

My work is when at its best, even if not obviously so, the methodology and references often are.

It's better to be funny if you are preaching as it tends to work better.  

The world was already confrontational before I was here.  I think artists fight monsters and try to make monsters lives harder.

Looking pretty is ok too, but pretending it makes you clever and faking that you have "something to say" is a bit silly.  Faking it badly is more harmful than not bothering.

I have a degree in Philosophy so art is my chosen weapon.  I don't need to put names on all my work.  Different names I used have different subjects and styles and materials. Some are bigger sellouts, others only for street and I don't talk about.

I make nice things for kids too: only mildly subversive.

You also teach stencilry. Is there a particular age group you really get a buzz out of teaching and is there a stand out experience you are able to share

Age differences vary accordingly.  The younger are willing to try different stuff, where adult students tend to have a better understanding/idea of what they want and therefore plan bigger and more ambitious works.

I enjoy the challenges of all.  Unfortunately stencilry has been thrashed by schools and do-gooders so hard I think it has made lots of kids see it as an inauthentic art form.

I still teach stencilling because I think it is good to educate people about street-art and its increasing normalisation.

The more who learn about it, less fear it.  Probably acceptance of stencils over more secret society of tagging contributed also.

Sydney isn't a very stencilry kind of place.  Since "Cockortwo" Island fests, I've been teaching drawing and paper/cardboard craft far more.

I've had lots of students win art prizes, even in categories I would not put stencils in, which is pleasing.

I usually use HaHa as a benchmark for new stencillers.

In the contradictory world we live in, where there seems to be some inherent need to put  a label on either a person or lifestyle so that it fits in to a "socially acceptable" box, where do you see the future of streetart

I'm not going to philosophise or worry about street-art anymore: I'm just gonna do it and I don't care if anybody else cares.

My opinions don't matter.  It comes and goes as a popular interest and there are many younger relevant artists out there.

I'm happy if I can create the illusion of more variety on the streets.  Relief art has been around since the Stone Age unlike my opinions (which will never affect anything).

I'm not interested in the street-art star system. 

I like local artists who are driven by something other than career, fame or money

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With thanks as always to Konsumterra for sharing time and some photos with the 2095 and let's catch up sooner rather than later my friend

5 Questions with SWERFK

Where does the 2095 start....does she dare mention the PM3 or do we simply use that as the "given".  For the sake of this particular piece, let's use the "given" as there will be a full blog dedicated entirely to PM3 and it's impact upon the 2095's life later down the track.

What was confounding to the 2095 was "how the hell do I pronounce this".  Having no other point of reference other than the obvious, Swerfk it was, remained and thank god was correct!

It was during the 2095's trip to our nation's capital where after all but giving up hope, she spied that SWERFK moniker and just KNEW where there is one there will be more.

Granted, it took a teeny bit amount of time to find more given that it's not the 2095'ers "hood" and after a hell of a lot of patience and frustration she was richly rewarded (as an aside: had the 2095'er elected to simply turn her head right the self-imposed angst could have very well been avoided, but she didn't and it didn't...what do ya do)

Here are my 5 questions with SWERFK

SWERFK: only cause I can, what does SWERFK stand for (or would you have to kill me before answering)

Swerfk means "sweet with things" in lazy talk.  It kind of developed as a little saying between some friends, then one night the opportunity was there...the marker was in hand....and so it began

Can you give a bit of background as to the development of your style.  What is it about "positions, shapes, shades things and adjusts lines regularly...." that keeps you doing what you do

Every artist makes compositional choices "position shapes" and likes to add colour or tone "shade things" and we all know about adjusting lines...

It's hard to say why it is that I keep doing what I do and have always had and probably will.  I think it's for the same reason I am a cartoon addict: because it amuses me and sustains my brain.

I look at a lot of art all the time from fine art to Ren & Stimpy imagery and I suppose it subconsciously melts in to my thought process.  I take what I like and what I can picture in that moment and let it spontaneously flow onto paper, a wall etc

Do you prefer the freedom of street or are there times where working within boundaries/constraints (eg: commission works) that can be somewhat of a relief

I always prefer working on the street in my own style pretty much for myself.  Doing it for yourself and not taking in any advice or input is best.  

I absolutely HATE it when people ask you to do a commission cause they say they like your work and then ask you to paint a 7 foot single colour yellow tree inside their new building...WTF

The only reason I do commissions most of the time is I need to get paid and then pay to get stuff somehow!

How do you perceive yourself both as an artist and an individual, or are the two simply entwined and unable to be separated

I don't really give it too much thought really to be honest...but I am pretty much a slave to the paint.

While street-art is a "movement" of sorts, where do you see it heading and will there ever be an end point

I think 'street-art' is a stupid name really...characters were running on trains as far back as when graffiti started to gain momentum in the late 70's.  Street art is just a development of graffiti and I see it all just as a type of art marking.

I agree street-art almost seems like a popular fad the moment, but time will show who keeps it alive

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And with that my thanks to Swerfk for sharing time with the 2095'er and allowing images to be reproduced in this blog.  

Seems this chick needs to get herself back down nation's capital way sooner rather and capture the "live", although living vicariously through the artist's photos do have a sense of personal satisfaction if nothing else than to say "yep, been there, know that place!"

5 questions with FUKT

It was during one of the first "let's push the boundaries of the known zones" (which in retrospect was pretty pathetic given that it was but a left hand turn off King Street and down a block or two) that the 2095 spied the most amazing wall.

Having not yet mastered the "to hell with it, I don't care if it is trespassing, I need this shot" skill, and still owning a teeny tiny zoom lens camera, the 2095 chick was still impressed with how her first shot turned out.

During further trips afield and having mastered the art of the photographer-whiplash, the 2095 chick at times had trouble containing her excitement at discovering new pieces by this artist.   

It is important to note that the 2095'er (99% of the time) tries very hard NOT to see her fellow street photographer's photos; but there have been times  when the "I surrender" kicked-in necessitating a private message asking for exact locales, if nothing else other than to get a shot of a masterpiece before it got buffed.

The next piece to be found was rainy Saturday afternoon post-work wander around the back streets of Camperdown. Sound the bells, dance with delight!  No cars therefore the 2095 obtained THE perfect shot!

A short bus trip later the 2095 let out an audible "oooooh!", thus causing other passengers to swivel their heads in order to see the subject but to no avail it would appear, as the 2095 alighted and at record speed shot across Broadway to a wall totally covered in stencils.

with thanks to FUKT as the 2095 for once has had 

difficulty locating her photo of this particular wall

Awe, fascination, admiration of subject matter, locations, detail and tag name leads the 2095 sharing her 5 questions with FUKT

Love the tag!  Whether people admit it or not, there are those who are liberal with its use and those (although they may deny it) who will "think" it.  How, where and what was the inspiration behind your street-name.

I seem to use the word a lot when I speak.  The name itself also dissuades the art community from trying to recruit my services etc (parasites!)

Your work can scale the size of a building through to the tiniest stencil that would go almost unnoticed by the bulk of the non-street population.

What provides the stimuli : whether it be words or extraordinary pieces as with "Best We Forget"

Good question.  I sometimes wonder what motivates my work.  When I first started I thought I had to conform to a certain style or path: big stencils & vanilla art.

It's only in the last year I feel that my work is a truthful.  eg: I'm totally cynical, so my work is a reflection of this.

I've always had strong anti-social tendencies and a history of playing the role of Devil's Advocate so when I see a proliferation (at least in my own opinion) of cute and safe street art then I can't help but react and try to do the opposite.

When you see images being posted online by photographers like myself, how does that gel with you as an artists or is it merely a case of "job done...NEXT"

Not quite sure if I qualify as an artist.  I have a backlog of about 30 stencils and another 10 sites to hit, so yes 'NEXT' would be an apt description.

Do you find our two worlds collide (ie: personal family man vs street-artist)

Vary rarely, although it can be a pain when I've been out til late and my son decides to wake at 7:00am every morning, but I usually forgive him since he's so goddamn cute!

What would be one of the more profound reactions to a piece that you have had to date

The best reaction (although may be not so profound) was when some random girl showed me her tits and she found I was the person behind the CB paste up

In terms of profound reactions, I think my own are  the most important. It's a good feeling when you see your artwork being copied in various locations around the world.

It's also amusing to realise I am more renown internationally than within my own country.

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Couldn't ask for anything more than that.  My thanks to FUKT for sharing some time and allowing reproduction of his works in this blog but most of all for keep on keeping on and making us stop, look and think

5 Questions with TerHor (Terrible Horrible)

Little did the 2095 chick realise that her passion for photography & numerous visits to The Outpost (particularly loving the fact that PM3 was just like walking around the backstreets of the Inner West and beyond, only within a confined space) she would form relationships with artists albeit initially via social networking in form or another.

A piece that particularly caught my eye during one of my first trips, was this little number if nothing else but for the obvious reason of it being synonymous with a particular brand of matches.

It wasn't until I was invited to to preview shots for the Painting Grounds 2011, that not only did I get to see more amazing pieces from the artist in question but as luck would have it, I met the man behind the initials T.H.

The initial introductions were confusing to both myself and the introducer "This is ...Terrible...Horrible.  Nope Terr-oar.  TerHor".

So rather than rabbiting on let's get down to brass tacks and try to discover a little bit more of the person known as TerHor.

From Terrible Horrible to TerHor. When or how did this name come in to being

I am glad I can clear this up.  I've had a million different aliases attributed to me since the change.  Terrible Horrible was born in 2008.  They are just 2 words that are really similar and mean the same thing.

I've always been in to funny language and words.  it was catchy and self deprecating. Eventually it became a joke that wore thin on me so I removed the "rible" from each word and thus TerHor was reborn like a christian from a river. 

I don't use one alias for some things and one for others.  I just decided to change.

Recently there was some quite intense "international online name wars" going on regarding one of your paste-ups.  What was your reaction to this

I thought it was going to happen a lot sooner than it did.

I get a kick out of any reaction the work gets.  Mistaken identity is a fairly common occurrence.

Stickers/Slap ups vs paste ups vs paint.  Solo vs collaboration.  Do you have a preferred method or does each hold its "own" and why

Stickers are quick and plentiful.  Paste ups let me create work in a controlled environment.  Paint is a hassle to carry but makes for great spot work.  Each medium asks for a different type of work from me.

At the moment I prefer a pocket full of stickers, some oil sticks and white out marker. What's outside lately is heavily inspired by Bozo Texino, Jimjoe and Eternity.

These mediums naturally felt like the most appropriate for what I want to do.  Plus they are discrete.

For your larger pieces, can you describe from start to finish, the process and time frame it takes and which one for you personally, has been the most satisfying to date

I've never timed myself so I'm not sure.  But I'd say about a day or two for some of my bigger works would be where 99% of the works get done.  Then it's a matter of staring at it, noticing everything that bothers me and then reworking it.

I have to tell myself that works are "finished" otherwise I would be there forever until the piece is something entirely new or just over-worked.

I think my most satisfying works so far have been a mural I recently did at Tortuga Studios in St Peters, simply because it's the biggest piece I have worked on so far and I could really explore composition on a large scale.

nb: this is NOT the most recent mural as unfortunately the 2095 chick has been somewhat immobile, therefore unable to capture the ever changing wall

There is also a 1.5m squared painting I did, which I am yet to frame which was really kind of fun to work with.

As much as size plays a part, I get a bigger kick out of subject matter.

What does the future hold for Terhor

Research, study, sketch, paint, study, reassess 

AND

More group shows, some secret projects, a rise to fame, a descent from glory, a celebrity marriage followed by a quick succession of celebrity mistresses and finally a Christmas album!  Perhaps a cameo in "Neighbours" if I have the time.

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With thanks to Terhor and his not so Terrible Horrible world!