Roughe as F*ck
June 13, 2008
Roughe came down last month to Cargo and created two pieces which are completely unlike anything that I’ve seen in the yard, not your normal street art from not your normal street artist. In his words ‘in no way part of the street art movement’ which is a refreshing change from all the scuffed shoed people hanging running along behind the bandwagon.
I chatted to him while he painted and asked him a few questions and told him that ‘he’d missed a bit’…
Your art on our walls is pretty much unlike anything we’ve had up there before, can you tell us a bit about you, a bit of background?
Firstly I should say that I am by both trade and history; a graffiti artist. I am in no way part of the “street art movement”. What I do is pretty much a natural progression from where I came from, letter shapes have reformed into abstract shapes, architecture also plays a big part in what I paint, as a Londoner, I find it hard to ignore the concrete that surrounds me. I love the aesthetics of graffiti… Tags, throw-ups, handstyles, wildstyles… It’s everything that’s shaped me as an artist, although it’s nonetheless a far cry from what I produce now.
The key most important factor in my wall paintings, which so few artists seem to either understand or care about, is composition… form and function is fine, but if you don’t have a grasp of negative and positive space, then you’re wasting the space you have in my humble opinion. Being a designer also aids you’re understanding of colour work, line, typography and application. I constantly look through mags and books and get ideas simply from reading paragraphs that are nicely laid out. Again it all harks back to architecture.
Who’s art at the moment, if any, inspires you?
Stormie’s paintings are beautiful, he has a fantastic hold on sadness and despair. Zaha Hadid’s designs and buildings are amazing to look at. I also still study the masters like Klimt and Schiele. Mare 139‘s sculptures are also astounding.
What’s your favourite city in the world?
London! I love London, I’ve lived here for 36 years and I’ve never tired of it… It’s also creatively a constantly changing landscape and there’s always something cool to do… but a close follow up on London would have to be New York! But London always first.
Is street art in rude health or riddled with cancer?
the only street artists I rate are those clever guys who paint horses on the pavement with chalk… or the people who make sculptures in the sand. the rest of it is tired and in dire need of an upgrade.
The old north / south divide, fight your corner, why south London?
because the best and most stylish writers always came from the South, the North were always great at bombing and trains, but the South rocked the freshest walls.
The best thing is seeing someone else take pleasure in what you do. The worst thing is having to let go.
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Roughe and System’s exhibition in Strasbourg in ongoing. More info here
Look out for Roughe’s book and exhibition in 2009.
Check out more of his stuff:
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