A month back Greek street artist The Krah hit up our 6th wall with a striking, multi-method piece. Wet Paint had a sit down with him to ask him a few questions about his style and his background.
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Wet Paint: Do you remember the first mural/wall you painted? What was it and what prompted you to paint it?
The Krah: Graffiti is like an imprinted instinct, with roots in our tribal ancestors’ territorial marking and freedom of speech. Everyone sees Greece as a paradise holiday destination, with beautiful beaches, nice food and hot weather. As a child brought up in one of the most over crowded built up Mediterranean cities, with high unemployment, corruption, police brutality, knowing that you will be trapped in a 12 month army duty after school, it felt like there was no future.
I started doing tags in the streets of Athens as a kid, pure vandalism – it was so much fun. Then I felt the need to use spray paint and to get more creative so I did my first paintings of characters back in 1997 on one of the walls at my school. But that just wasn’t enough I soon got addicted and started painting the streets in central Athens, met other graff writers and then fell in love with painting subway trains. As I got older my passion to create opened lots of doors, I got to travel, meet people and through experimenting with different ways of making art I developed the style I have now.
WP: Graffiti or ‘tagging’ has recently been becoming more prevalent in your home city of Athens. Has this been a long time coming or a gradual build up of tagging? Why is it “all over the city” (or is that media misrepresenting it?)
TK: In Greece like in most Mediterranean countries because of the hot weather, people tend to spend most of their time out doors, in parks or meandering around in the city. Graffiti is not only a way of marking your journeys but it’s a way of changing your surroundings. The graffiti boom didn’t happen in the 80s like in the States or Western Europe, it started later on in the early 90s. Before that you would see lots of political and football slogans but because of our passionate and fiery nature it just got out of control, the youth took over the streets. Now days Greece exports the Sabotage spray paint, feta and olives.
WP: What would you say separates Greek street art from the scene in the UK? How are both scenes different?
TK: I find that we are more influenced by the European and Brazilian scene where as the English have been more influenced by the American style. Seeing the Athenian street-art you see strong references to Greek mythology and a lot of references to the Sea for example mermaids and anchors. You can’t avoid seeing political meanings in the street paintings visualising the current government corruption and the effect it has in the modern Greek society.
Sharp Graphic elements inspired by graphic design, seem to concur the new generation of graffiti in Athens. An interesting element is the new style of roller tagging that has been influenced by the notorious Brazilian pixacao taggers. I showed my Brazilian mate Milo Tchas some photos of them and asked him to compare them. He told me that the Greek style of roller tagging was different because the letters in the Brazilian pixacao are separate to each other and tall but the Greek ones are stack together look more like graphic logos and some have 3d shadows like traditional graffiti.
Check out some Greek graffiti/street art here:
WP: Who are your current favourite artists and why?
TK: Since I stated doing graffiti I always loved the work of Stelios Faitakis other ways known as Bizar. One of the first Greek graffiti artists and one of the most known. His style is influenced by the Orthodox church wall paintings that has a strong visual presence In the Greek society mixed with themes based on ancient Greek mythology and elements of the far eastern culture, illustrating the struggle of the working class and the fight for freedom against the system depicting scenes of revolutions between angels and riot police.
WP: What role do you think digital photography and the internet have played in the street art boom (if any)?
TK: I remember before the internet and cheap fights we made and watched graffiti videos and graff magazines as it was the only way to find out more of what was going on in the graffiti sub-culture and find inspiration. Now days its easier to travel and you can check on the internet and see the new styles world wide, web-sites like graffiti.org, woostercollective.com and ekosystem.org have been as important to the evolution of graffiti as has the book spray-can art by Martha Cooper.
WP: There is something about Akira in your art, is that a fair comment? Has Japanese anime influenced your art?
TK: Akira is definitely one of the best animated films of all time. In 2002 my mate Eon from my crew (http://www.101crew.co.uk/) gave me a ticket for Tokyo. So, I went with him for a week of non stop graffiti and getting smashed. It was just life changing. They use cartoon mascots instead of logos and the streets of the centre all look like a futuristic Piccadilly circus full of neon signs and digital video adverts on screens, their rich alphabet adds to the visual stimulation… Japanese people of all ages read Manga comics on the tube on their way to work.
I love the Asian Temple roof tops that curl, and the way the Buddhist religion reflects on the population and you can see it in their mannerisms. Everything is different from the food to the smells, I could go on forever. It was a very inspiring trip and has effected they way I think and draw.
WP: You work on a lot of media, which is your favourite to work in and why?
TK: There is nothing like painting in the streets…. Finding spots that fit with the surroundings, so the art-work becomes one with the city. The idea that it belongs to everyone and it won’t last for ever, it is alive and it will deteriorate with the wall or might change by other people scribbling over it or cleaning it off.
WP: Have you ever been in trouble with the law?
TK: Lots of times….
WP: Who or what do you find influencing the work you create?
TK: Hypnotic rivers of sound, the vibrations of bass, spectrums of light, feelings, tastes and aromas of every day experiences.
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The Krah is currently working on a deck series for a British Skateboard Company and has three shows running at the moment in Birmingham, London and Brighton.
He will be appearing in some group shows in Athens, Berlin and New York.
Keep an eye on his travels and his trade-mark pieces appearing all over the world here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-krah/
You can also buy some The Krah limited edition prints from here:
http://thekrah.yokaboo.com/
We are very excited to host the UK debut of Meneo, and to mark this momentous occasion (and if you come down and see them live you’ll realise just how momentous this occasion is) we have been given some tracks and exclusive remixes for you to listen and download!
