Sign of the Times – Marty Routledge

Posted by Bob | Posted on May 16, 2013 by Bob

As part of The Hours involvement in the soon to be opened The 4217 in Surfers Paradise, Marty Routledge was commissioned to paint two large font murals on the exterior of the building, establishing The 4217 as a strong supporter of hand painted signage and helping to grow the local art scene on the Gold Coast. Once again the local guys from Digital Cinematix were there to capture it all on video, and also convinced Marty to talk on camera about his artistic background and his passion for sign painting.

For more information on The 4217 please visit their website – www.the4217.com

Video: The Opening Hours at Carbon Festival 2013

Posted by Bob | Posted on April 28, 2013 by Bob

Continuing on with our gradual coverage of Carbon Festival, we are happy to present a video of our time down in Melbourne. We interviewed some of the key speakers, got a few tags, did a few tags, checked out some parties and enjoyed everything else Melbourne had for us that weekend. Big thanks to Acclaim, Diamond Dozen and the whole Carbon team. Bring on next year!!!

Barry McGee

Interview: Dabs & Myla

Posted by Bob | Posted on April 25, 2013 by Bob

Next up in our series of interviews that took place at Carbon Festival, is with Dabs & Myla. We sat down with the couple and talked all things graffiti, LA, and what it’s like being a couple that work so closely together.

Dabs & Myla are former Melbourne residents, so it was a pleasure to interview this superstar duo in their original hometown. Find out more about Dabs & Myla here. Click below for the full interview.

Dabs and Myla

The Opening Hours: So tell us how you met each other, high school sweethearts?

Dabs: Noooo we don’t go as far back as highschool, more like art school sweethearts, so I guess we met maybe 10 years ago? Studying illustration, and then we just got to know each other, at the time we were both in different relationships but we just discarded them and we got together. Right from that moment we started painting together

Dabs and Myla

Myla: And he started teaching me how to paint graffiti.

D: Yeah me and Dvate used to take Em (Myla) out, cus she was really interested, so we were like you should come painting. She started maybe just painting characters, then she started learning how to paint letters, and I would be in her ear all the time, helping her along. She was sketching a lot and then Myla started painted pieces more often and getting more into it and we started painting together more.

Continue reading →

Interview: Barry McGee

Posted by Bob | Posted on April 19, 2013 by Bob

Second in our series of interviews that took place at Carbon Festival, is with Barry Mcgee. We were lucky enough to catch a bit of his time while he was in Melbourne and chatted about tags, art, his favourite Sydney writers and the effect graffiti has on cities.

Barry Mcgee would have to be one of the world’s most famous graffiti writers/artists. His career in both galleries and outside with graffiti are equally as prolific. Find out more about him here (it’s a google link, because he has no website).

Photos of Barry McGee by Michael Danischewski

THE OPENING HOURS: Since you’ve been here have you seen anyone up?

BARRY MCGEE: Just Sinch, I’m obsessed with Sinch, completely obsessed. You know when that happens? You just become completely obsessed?

TOH: Yeah totally. And you were saying you liked Zack as well right? Great throwups.

BMG: Yeah I like how loose it is, it seems like they go over whoever they want too which I find interesting. I know it’s controversial but i just like no rules. Is that bad?

TOH: I think there’s so much graffiti here that you kind of have to make your own space.

BMG: Yeah I like when its chaotic.

TOH: What’s your bag with graff?

BMG: I like throw-ups and tagging, all the bad stuff.

TOH: That’s all the good stuff!

BMG: Is that bad?

TOH: That’s great! I saw that you liked the insides in the mag (referring to Freak KGB’s section in Artillery magazine).

BMG: I like people focusing like that on something.

TOH: The tag wall you did in Sydney last time was quite controversial…

BMG: Oh yeah, they should have painted over that thing, i wish kids from Sydney hacked the whole thing, that would’ve been cool.

TOH: I was going to say, someone did actually.

BMG: Is there someone who writes Space there? I was into him. He was up all on the freeway.

TOH: He’s still really up.

BMG: Like I wish he went over the whole thing. You know it’s a weird thing, I don’t like legal walls, I just feel like there’s so many kids in Sydney that deserve it more. I don’t like the people coming into town, its just an awkward thing. I like when other kids come to town and smash stuff, but when you come to town and do legal walls its just lame. I think its better for sydney writers to just take over. Don’t you think?

TOH: Totally.

BMG: Don’t you think someone should have just fire extinguished that whole thing? That would have been the proper thing to do.

TOH: Well, Rich did cap it.

BMG: He didn’t go big enough, he should have filled the fire extinguisher and gone over the whole thing. I’m really glad someone did it but I wanted more. Fucking wreck the thing.

TOH: When you did it did you know you weren’t you supposed to do that part of the wall?

BMG: Yeah we knew. It’s always the best to do a bit more.

TOH: The reactions were pretty amazing because it’s quite a conservative area there, theres nothing cultural around there. I went the next day to have a look and there was business people yelling at me going ‘That’s disgusting did you do that?’ and I said ‘It’s a pretty infamous guy that’s done it, you’re pretty lucky to have this in your day to day’. Some of the businessman thought it was amazing that you could possibly get that high.

BMG: Did someone lose their job because of that?

TOH: No, you probably made a few because they did buff it in the end, which is a shame.

BMG: Its always better when it gets painted over, makes more space.

TOH: I really liked that massive wall in new york that you did with colossal media.

BMG: How weird is that!

TOH: Yeah how weird is it that someone else painted it for you!

BMG: I feel like someone should fire extinguish that (laughs). Im not into stuff like that it was just an opportunity that came up. Theres a dance company that had the space but i’m not really sure, they just wanted a sketch and I gave it to them. I wasn’t even involved in the sketch and someone put it together, its totally weird. Im really into chaos, like how things go together and I don’t have anything to do with it. You know how you set the table sometimes?

TOH: Put your knives on the left?

BMG: Yeah, it wasn’t as chaotic as i thought.

TOH: Did you watch it happen?

BMG: No I was in San Francisco! I didn’t know anything.

TOH: Those colossal media guys are pretty amazing though.

BMG: Yeah, they are good at what they do huh!

TOH: Yeah, some of the photorealistic stuff they do is crazy.

BMG: They do photorealistic stuff too?

TOH: Yeah hand painting all the ads on the sides of buildings.

BMG: They’re all graffiti kids aren’t they?

TOH: Yeah i’m sure, they’ve gotta be.

BMG: Tell me more about the Sydney graff scene.

TOH: Well it gets buffed quite often. We have these vans full of every colour paint, there’s a lot of money in buffing. But they don’t patch the colours, so you get all the patchy odd colour splurges on walls. I think people have these 15 minutes of fame when they pump everything and then its goes, and then a few people drop out, and the hardcore few keep going. Most of their stamina can only last for so long when its so defeating.

BMG: But you have youth on your side right, constant youth that gets excited. I think of the kid just focusing on insides (Freak KGB), if i was a kid just riding a train I’d freak out. Imagine if you were like 12 years old getting on a train, you’d be like how is this happening. He’s setting up a whole thing for young kids to get involved in. When you do something that well and with that focus, how can the kids not get involved.

TOH: Generally the whole train system in Sydney is getting smashed at the moment.

BMG: I love that, thats a good healthy city.

TOH: Tell us more about the graff where you’re from, Who’s up?

BMG: Theres a lot of kids like busriders who are up, they just focus on the buses. Very specific to San Francisco. There are tonnes of kids, most of its going on in oakland now, it kind of shifts back and forth with the cleaning up. Oakland’s out of money so all the kids go there. It looks really good.

TOH: Its funny in one way how it can feel like a healthy city culturally if its pumped, but then its not really a healthy city economically because they cant afford to clean it.

BMG: I think if they looked at the big picture its actually a better way to go as far as an interesting city. Just walking about melbourne and seeing all the graffiti, I don’t care if its just people painting murals or whatever, its a more interesting city. I know I always come down on street art but at least it’s something you know rather than nothing.

TOH: Its like thousands of voices screaming all the same time. Last question, whats your favourite hour of the day?

BMG: I think right around 2am is my optimum time, things are shut down, i can focus really well. That and like 6 in the morning is good too. When was your best hour?

TOH: Mine’s like 9am when I start working, when the madness starts.

BMG: Right out of the gate, you know what, can I change that? I think you’re right, morning’s better. I have a window when I’m good at 2am, but then I start fading, or I’ll do something I’m not supposed to be doing and then…you know what I mean?

TOH: Yeah for sure. Thanks heaps for that!

BMG: Thanks you guys!

the-opening-hours-barry-mcgee-9

Interview: Henry Chalfant

Posted by Bob | Posted on April 16, 2013 by Bob

Whilst down in Melbourne for Carbon, we took the opportunity to interview some of the speakers, which happened to be some of the world’s most recognized artists in their fields, inlcluding Barry McGee, Henry Chalfant and more. Over the next week or so, we’ll be publishing some of these interviews and some exclusive footage. Stay tuned…

To kick things off, we sat down with Henry Chalfant henrychalfant.com. One of the most celebrated graffiti photographers in the world. We spoke about his history, meeting some of the scene’s most famous artists and Henry remembers a few key stories from his journey. Click below for the full interview. (Photos thanks to Michael Danischewski)

the opening hours - henry chalfant

THE OPENING HOURS: being an outsider originally into the graffiti movement, what was your ‘in’ to the scene?

HENRY: Well I was totally an outsider since when I started taking pictures I was almost 40 years old

TOH: How old are you now?

HC: 73

TOH: 73! You’re looking good!

HC: Why thanks, but everyone else who was doing it, you know, the kids were 12 to 18 or something at the time, you never found anyone older than that, so there was this huge difference.

I didn’t actually meet any artists until I’d been taking pictures for about 3 years, not because there weren’t any around where I was. In fact my son’s best friend from kindergarten, his older brother was a famous graffiti artist at the time and I didn’t find out till years later, his name was MALTA part of RTW and part of Soul Artists. And I didn’t know in 1973 when we moved to New York and my son went to pre school and got to know Matt’s little brother Sean and he wasn’t letting on to me. I hadn’t even started taking pictures! I didn’t start till several years later.

Continue reading →

kind of — caught up with Takie to talk about her seond solo show ‘More Is Never Enough’.

Posted by kindofgallery | Posted on March 26, 2013 by kindofgallery

We caught up with Takie recently to talk about her up-coming show during the kind of — residency at He Made x She Made (70 Oxford St, Darlinghurst).
The show is called ‘More Is Never Enough’ and will open Wednesday 3rd of April 6pm, it will run till Sunday 14th April.

‘More Is Never Enough’ – Takie from Chris Loutfy on Vimeo.

We all want more, what separates us is those that are willing to give it all up to get there.

An inquisitive impulse propels the engine for this new collection of work by Takie. Intrigued by the notion that no matter how well you know someone, how much time you spend with them and how familiar they are – you can never accurately predict how they will behave. We are bound by chemistry and desire to delve deeply into and unwrap the psyche of those closest to us – to understand why they do what they do. The only way to build these layers of perception is to first let go of the energies we harbor from the past. Shedding the weight of ingrained burdens to lighten the load for what is to come.

All photos by Robin Hearfield.

Takie — YO!

kind of — Hey maaaaate. How was your date with Dad last night?

Takie — Haha it was good actually, thanks for asking – deliciousness
As in the food – not Dad ha ha.
Can we scrap the above? I sound like a CREEP.

kind of — Ha ha, it’s all good, it’s not creepy.
I just saw a few shots from our visit yesterday, they look great!

Takie — Oh sweet! Yay looking forward to seeing them.

kind of — We’re pretty excited to show your stuff too by the way.

Takie — I reckon I’m just as excited to show at kind of — maybe even more! Been following you guys for ages – dreaming of the day – that now is pretty fucking close.

kind of — That’s fucking cool man, I like when good people like us.
So this is your second solo??

Takie — Indeed. Second solo dolo.

kind of — Have you been in many group shows as well?

Takie — Yeah since boosting back up to Sydney in may last year I’ve been getting my stuff around – there’s been so much cool shit going on – the scene is really vibing at the moment.

kind of — Yeah I can feel that too hey. I think the city has a bit to do with that, especially around Oxford St.

Takie — Completely agree – pop up galleries – pop up design shops – all these semi permanent spots are keeping things fresh.

kind of — Fo real.
You mentioned you just got back to Sydney. Did you move up from Melbs?
Do I remember that right?

Takie — Not heaps recently – I’ve been back for about a year now. I spent 2 and a half years down in Burn city, miss that place hey.

kind of — Were you up in the scene down there as well?
You’re right in the thick of it in Sydney, solo show at The Tate, studio at The Tate, solo show at kind of —.

Takie — My interest in the scene was more prominent than my inclusion but Melbourne was where it all started for me. The streets were my playground for getting my Takie street based stuff up and that was the catalyst for exploring my stuff further for my show at The Tate.

kind of — Cool cool. Do you think there’s real differences in the Melbourne scene compared to Sydney?

Takie — Simply – yes. Everything is different – the people, the environment, the weather, the bars, the music, the food. But I think that’s a great thing – when you shift between the two you cover a lot of ground, your inspiration is doubled & varied.

kind of — That’s a good way to look at it. I was kind of — waiting for some hella conflict smack talk.

Takie — Ha ha ha you’re not gonna get it from me – I’m gonna sit on the fence and say I love them both equally for different reasons – peace & love man

kind of — Ha ha. How did you end up in cahoots with the Tate dudes?

Takie — Fuck they’re legends – they just got an email from an over excited chick one day and took a chance – I got really lucky in them having a space in the studios for me when I moved back up – and now I pretty much live here – annoying the hell out of them in my spare time.

kind of — I’m sure they’re happy to have you annoy them.
Guest question from Qwux, he’s standing right here so I thought I would ask him.
Qwux: hold up, he’s thinking.

Takie — Ha ha sweet! Say hi for me! Tell him I’m rocking a beanie today!

kind of — He said he likes beanies. He almost wore a beanie today but the sun came out.

Takie — I took one look at my bad hair day – then one look at the sun and thought eff you I’m doing it!

kind of —…………….delay……………………….
Sorry about that, I was chatting with Qwux. He said he couldn’t think of a question either!

Takie — Hopeless. How’s the show looking for Thursday?

kind of — I think we have pretty much all the works. We got the newspaper the other day which looks killer, I love Wings design stuff.
HEY! How good is the framer hook up!!!

Takie — Dude! I was just talking about it – telling the boys – everyone’s well jealous of your hook up!

kind of — Ha ha, she’s no secret! I probably won’t mention her here, but you can let the boys know fo sho!

Takie — Will do – cheers Faz!!

kind of — Anytime!
Back to your show, you want to give a little explanation of your concept?

Takie — Good timing – I was just writing the concept for Wing – not that I’ve articulated it very well yet. But the show’s called ‘More is Never Enough’ and basically it’s me trying to build an idea of the people behind my portraits through the colour palette associated with them & supporting paintings. The seemingly banal elements that make up someone’s identity – like where they live and their favoured mode of transport are used to add another dimension to their character for the viewer. I guess I’m intrigued by the idea that no matter how well you know someone, how much time you spend with them and how familiar they are – you can never truly predict how they’ll behave. I’m super inquisitive by nature, usually full of questions – but no matter how much I uncover – it’s never enough, I always want more.

Takie — Sorry that wasn’t really ‘little’.

kind of — Ha ha, that was great!
I’ll be back in a minute.

Takie — No worries.

………… sidetracked…………..

kind of — I’m back!
Can we expect some more of your trademark coloured awesomeness?

Takie — Yeah you can! – colour overload as always – its all about contrast this time – super bright and bold.

kind of — Great! Ummmmmmm, anything else you want to add?
What’s going on for Takie in the future?

Takie — Ahhh next – well I’m doing some more mural commissions, then I’ve got a fashion based project I’m doing with a mate that I’m stoked about then hopefully heading to the shiny states of America and Central America at the end of the year – we’ll see though – as always I’ll just go with the opportunities that present themselves – I’ll keep you posted.
Oh and thanks a bunch for having me at kind of — can’t wait to install the show!

kind of — Hell yeah they’re good plans and damn man, thanks for showing with us!

Takie — Cheers! Catch you Thursday for covert framing operations!

kind of — Yes! Don’t let me forget that, we need go there after 11am. I’m so hyped to see those pieces framed.
OK, yep I think we done hey?

Takie — We’re done! Now I gotta go finish that motorbike.

kind of — YEW! See you Thursday dude!

Takie — LATER!

Continue reading →

Qwux interview re: Altered States exhibition at kind of — gallery.

Posted by kindofgallery | Posted on March 25, 2013 by kindofgallery

‘Altered States’ opened at kind of — gallery, Thursday 21st of March at 6.00 pm.

It’s a group show co-curated by kind of — gallery, Hyper XX and Qwux. The kind of — crew chatted with Jono (Hyper XX) and Qwuxdiggity (Qwux) via Facebook to speak about the exhibition, the past, the present and the blah blah.

In today’s instalment, we meet QWUX. Read the (largely unedited) Facebook chat transcript below.

Qwux — Yo, Yo! Let’s sneak an interview. Obviously I’m at work, so if customers come in I need to sneak off, but I can do it.

kind of — Cool bro, let’s do this.
I’m not going to lie, you do resemble a Viking, I dig it. Is that what you’re going for?
Good opening question??

Qwux — Haha you know what? It’s not how I started out. I just grew a beard because I could, then I got too lazy to trim it. Recently I looked into my ancestory and it turns out that way back I actually have Viking in my blood, so it worked out kinda nice.
(Great question by the way, you gonna use a photo of me? Haha Jess just did new portraits!)

kind of — Hell yeah let’s put a portrait up to support the Viking-ness. Vikings are tight. So Mr Rah Collective, what’s that about? I think that’s what you are probably most famous for?

Qwux — Haha I need to get me one of those Viking horn helmets…

kind of — Like.

Qwux — Well, Rah Collective is a little art collective-come publishing company I established in 2009. Our initial interest was in hosting group shows for ourselves, then we wanted to get others involved and it kind of snowballed. When lots of artists were interested, we decided to start a yearly publication, focusing on emerging and student artists, giving them a platform to get their art out there that is professional and accessible. We are about to start the call out for our 3rd book, to be released later this year.

kind of — Cool man, I just had a flick through book 2 when I was on the loo at He Made x She Made. It’s super cool, I really like it. We are doing this interview because you’re one of the co-curators on this Altered States exhibition that we are involved with as well. How did you get involved with it?

Qwux — I snuck into the show, like a Viking Ninja haha. I have worked with the guys from Kind Of before, and have been trying to co-curate with Jonathon Verzosa for a long time, we have a bunch of things in the works, but this one evolved organically, and due to time constraints and the want/need to have a large group show we all merged some ideas together over a beer to create a supershow, with a rad theme and a sneaky publication.

kind of — Haha, I felt a bit stupid asking that question because I already knew the answer. Tell me a little bit about this ‘6 eyes’ tip that you’re on?

Qwux — The whole multi-eye craze that I single handidly started… *cough* came about through a few old paste ups I did. I found some rad old portraits of Victorian dudes, and they were so wrinkly around their eyes that i wanted enhance that. It started as photo collage, but that seemed too easy and obvious, so I transitioned to illustrating the figures, which allowed for more freedom in the forms. It also allowed me to develop the muted fluro™ colour treatment that I am so fond of now.

kind of — Ah hah. Hey, did you add the “TM” to the word fluro?

Qwux — Haha yeah I did. It’s not actually trademarked, but I like saying it

kind of — Haha, I thought Google might have put it there or something.
So, in my interviews I try to cover the topic of the interview (which we might have to come back to), a bit of information about your past and some info on your future. I think we’re up to future although I think we should come back to the topic….. now. How do you know Jono (Hyper XX)?

Qwux — I met Jono after his huge show at ambush gallery a year or so back, the one called Hyper XX, I knew a bunch of guys in the show, and the flyer killed it, so I popped over and met the dude. Since then we have talked a lot, been involved in a few shows and caught up at almost every show opening I have attended recently. I love his ideas and ethos, and his drive is admirable, so how could you not wanna hang around him?

kind of — Yeah for sure, he’s like this little quiet achiever I reckon. I can respect anybody in this game at this level because we’re all doing it for the love and it’s super hard work.

Qwux — Agreed

kind of — You’re actually in the Altered States show as well right? Can we expect some 6 eyed freak action? Actually, I’ve already seen it so I know the answer to this question. I’ll answer it for you.
Qwux — Why yes, you can expect more 6 eyed freaky action, it’s actually a self portrait.

kind of — Oh really? That’s rad I can’t wait to see it!
Was that weird?

Qwux — Hahaha answering it yourself. Can I add?

kind of — Please do!

Qwux — There will be more six eyed action in this show, all my current work revolves around that as an ongoing series. This time round it’s actually a self portrait, and I have added another dimension to the drawing, both to illustrate my the creative frustration I had in creating work with such a tight deadline, and also to push my abilities as an illustrator.

kind of — Woah, your answer is waaaaaay better than mine! Ha ha ha. Ask me a question, then you answer it!

Qwux — Haha my go-to question is the Viking one hahaha. Ok, Mr Faz, I heard you used to work as a tradesperson before making the transition into the creative world. Why did you make the change, and why was it the best thing that ever happened to you?

kind of — Now you answer it!

Qwux — Haha I had to say “hi” to a customer, gimme a break.

kind of — This is so stupid, but kind of — funny.

Qwux — Well, working as a tradey sucked a fat one, I had to get up way, super early and I was like ‘Oh my glob this is too much!’ So I went to creative school and got my juices flowing, then, I bailed on the early mornings, exchanging them for laaaaate nights of curating, hanging and all out being rad. This lead to the creation of kind of — which is 100% my hard work and no one else helped at all.

kind of — Ha ha ha ha, that was awesome; I couldn’t have answered better myself. OK, enough about me. What do you like more: being an artist or a curator?

Qwux — I couldn’t imagine trying to be anything else. Being an artist allows me freedom to create, often without having to justify it beyond calling it art. It might sound cliché but that’s really what I like. I also love being in shows, there is something so satisfying about seeing your work hung on walls, eiher in a solo or group show. Curating allows me to help other artists get their work into shows, as my main focus as a curator is on emerging and student artists who may have little or no exposure. I was there not too long ago, and to be honest I only started exhibiting in 2009, but I have pursued it fervently, and I think Altered States is my 51st show. (Holy shit that is weird to write that down!!!)

kind of — Woah, that’s a shit load of shows! Have you had any solo shows?

Qwux — I think I have only had 2 solo shows, in 2010 and 2011. I am working on having one later this year, but I have been so busy working on group shows and getting other people’s out there that mine has taken a back seat, and my plan is to change that this year.

kind of — Yeah rad man, sounds good. I think we’re good now, unless you want to add anything else?

Qwux — Nothing I can think to add. Can you link to my site though? www.qwux.net

kind of — Done deal! I’ll catch you soon bro! Thanks for this.

Qwux — Hoorah! No worries man, have a good night!

Continue reading →

Hyper XX interview re: Altered States Exhibition at kind of — gallery.

Posted by kindofgallery | Posted on March 25, 2013 by kindofgallery

‘Altered States’ opened at kind of — gallery, Thursday 21st of March at 6.00 pm.

In today’s instalment, we meet Jono, aka Hyper XX. Read the (largely unedited) Facebook chat transcript below.

kind of — So what’s this show that you/we are curating?

Hyper XX — I’m currently co-curating a show titled Altered States with QWUX and the boys at kind of — gallery. We’re bringing together artists to explore the notion of solidity as it is seen in the social, physical and psychological contexts. It’s an attempt to peel back what we see as being strong and stable to reveal what is really happening.

kind of — OK, cool man, now I know I can get to work on it – kidding. I know what we’re doing – pretty much. When did you start on this curating tip? What was your first show?

Hyper XX — Ha ha, the first ever show was Hyper Reality Dimension XX at AMBUSH gallery. It was a trial by fire/do or die moment for me! I had no clue as to how to put together a show but I needed it to happen to get my own work out there. I’ve only been curating for a year (Hyper Reality was in April last year) but it’s been an amazing ride.

kind of — How many artists did you have in there? I know the more artists it is, the more work it is.

Hyper XX — Yeah tell me about it… I had twenty! It was actually designed that way – XX.

kind of — Do you have a website? You should plug it now.

Hyper XX — http://www.jverzosa.com
It’s got my design, art and curation stuff in there. Come to think of it, I think all the shows I’ve curated have had 20+ artists in them (I don’t know what’s wrong with me). Definitely looking forward to doin smaller tighter shows this year.

kind of — Ha ha, whoops. We’re working towards thirty artists for this show, huh? So this is the biggest show you’ve worked on?

Hyper XX — Dirty Laundry at the Tate was the biggest… we had 40-50 artists in that one! Super fun sketch show that OX and I curated.

kind of — Oh! I didn’t realize that was you, I dug that concept. I didn’t see the show though.
Your work is pretty Rat Fink-esque are you into that hot rod steeze?

Hyper XX — I do like what Ed Roth does (Rat-Fink is such a rad icon), but to be honest I’m more influenced by people like James Jean, Mars-1, and Jim Woodring. I have a massive fan boy hard-on for those guys… Their styles and concepts are insane. I have no idea where my style just comes from… I just like ugly, pervy, melty things… It appeals to the 15 year old ratbag in me.
And yes hot rods are sexy.

kind of — Ha ha, dope man. I don’t know you that well and I haven’t done my research – so it will be a short interview unless you tell me something interesting about yourself?

Hyper XX — I’m pretty boring… a good night out for me would be smashing some Korean fried chicken (actually any fried chicken) and belting out some 80’s love ballads at karaoke (me and my best mate do a mean/awful rendition of “Islands In The Stream”). Also there is no such thing as a bad time for ice cream.

kind of — You mean this song -?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcsW9pdSKMs?or the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers version?

Hyper XX — Yes. I’m usually Dolly Parton.

kind of — OK, this version – ?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKtLN9yV-30

Hyper XX — Yeah, that’s the version. Man, Dolly Parton is all boobs.

kind of — That is embarrassing! But awesome! I’m more of an Electric Blue kind of guy –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUFOVu1CurM Me and the Pigeon Boy assassinate this track!

Hyper XX — Kenny Rogers is a silver fox, lol. Duets are the best. You guys should try this –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3BuITOx3Cs It’s on the to sing list.

kind of — Ha ha, oh dude, this is amazing! Next time it’s karaoke time, I’ll give you a call! I noticed at our meetings you’ve not had a drink though, do you drink? I find it hard to karaoke if I’m not loose.

Hyper XX — Yeah, I gave up the drink. I drink on occasion though, mostly because I suck at it. Two drinks and I’m done for the night. YEAH MAN!!! KARAOKE! CALL MEEEE

kind of — Ha ha, you know who I think is a good drinker – only because his face goes BRIGHT red as soon as the booze touches his lips? Guess?

Hyper XX — Yeah, I almost got done in for drink driving… that’s why I gave up. Oh man, no idea.

kind of — Chris Yee!

Hyper XX — LMAO YESSSSS. Oh man but that guy loves his booze. If there are free booze, Chris is on it.

kind of — For those who don’t know-?http://yeetheeast.com/ – now you know.?One of the dopest artists man, we’re hoping to work with him later in the year. Has he confirmed or denied for this show?

Hyper XX — Nah he’s out. Yeah man, I had Chris in Hyper and he’s best buds with Gerald and James Jirat. They all met through Hyper Reality. His twin brother Andrew is in though.

kind of — Yeah rad, Andrew is really good too, hey?

Hyper XX — Yeah he’s pretty insane… he did an A0 size black and white illustration for The Devil Made Me Do It… Napoleon as a skull zombie on a cyborg horse.

kind of — Epic. OK, one more question – a normal one – what’s your day job?

Hyper XX — I’m currently working as a freelance graphic designer.

kind of — How’s that going? You looking to become a fulltime curator?

Hyper XX — It’s going good but I’m looking to get into an established studio full time where I can grow as a designer… I just graduated from graphics so I still have plenty to learn. Ultimate goal is to be a full time artist/curator and freelance as designer on the side to keep it interesting.

kind of — Sounds good, bro. You want to add anything else? We covered past, present and future with lighthearted banter in between. It’s a pretty perfect interview! Last words?

Hyper XX — Hmmm… use the thing the thing about ice cream as last words. I seriously eat that shit at least 3-4 times a week.

Continue reading →

Interview: VHILS in Sydney for Skalitzers Contemporary

Posted by Bob | Posted on March 19, 2013 by Bob

It’s not everyday international artists make their way to ours shores, especially to Sydney. So when we heard VHILS was having his first ever Australian solo show in our home town, we got pretty excited. Skalitzers Contemporary is hosting his debut Sydney show down at The Rocks, from this Thursday 21st March…

In between setting up for the show and planning various wall installations around Sydney (which are now in progress!), we got the chance to have a few words with the man himself. Have a read below. See more about the show here, and more info VHILS here.

Hi Alexander, thanks for your time. We’re super excited that you’re bringing your work to Australia. Especially our home town of Sydney! For our readers, can you tell us how this show came about?
I was approached by Skalitzers who invited me to have a solo show here in Sydney and to bring the “Scratching the Surface” project I’ve been working on in several cities around the world which offers a reflection on the way we’re affected by this globalised model of development – how it brings us closer together but at the same time destroys cultural differences and is leading us towards an increasingly uniform world.

VHILS - The Opening Hours

You obviously spend a lot of your time working on large scale outdoor works on buildings and various surfaces. How do you transfer the same energy of the outdoor work inside to the gallery?
Different settings require different approaches, but I manage to establish a connection between them through the theme, the materials and colours, which are all provided by the city – walls, wooden doors, billboards, etc. – which is where the energy comes from, the chaos and waste the city gives us.

VHILS - The Opening Hours

It seems you use a variety of different techniques for your gallery pieces. Can you tell us about some of these techniques and how each one affects a different body of work?
The concept behind the body of work is essentially the same but applied to different media which creates different results. It consists on creating images on objects which are taken from the city, achieving contrast through the removal of layers. It’s mainly stencil-based but used in a reverse form though destructive or abrasive means: wood pieces are carved with a chisel or with a Dremel rotary tool; the billboards are done with a cutting knife; the metal plates are done with acid, which eats into them, and are then exposed to the city’s climate to blur the image, etc.

VHILS - The Opening Hours

Do you use the same techniques on your outside work, that are used in your gallery work?
Both the concept and the techniques are essentially the same, but the tools are different as they are applied to different media.

VHILS - The Opening Hours

What can we expect from this exhibition?
It’s an exhibition that draws inspiration from the city. I’ve been working, gathering impressions and information, and working on sketches since I arrived, so it essentially reflects the city within the framework of the concepts I’ve been working on, related with the impact of the global model of development and its increasingly uniform impact on the world and the way in which this shaped the city.

VHILS - The Opening Hours

Are there any plans to hack away at some of our buildings while you’re here?
Yes, we’re still working on the details, but the plan is to work on two walls in Sydney. I’ve also been invited to work on a wall in Fremantle, so will be heading there next.

“DISSOLVE” opens this Thursday night at 140 George St, The Rocks. More info here.