1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:29
Page 1
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:30
Page 2
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
14-01-07
19:42
Page 3
m o c . i it
4GRAFFITI MAGAZINE www.magazine.4graffiti.com
All articles and photographs are published purely as a cultural and artistic record. 4graffiti does not encourage or support any illegal activities whatsoever. The views expressed in this publication are not always those of the publisher. Most photographs that are published are sent to us anonymously with no way of tracing the photographer. Any material submitted is the property of 4graffiti and is accepted on the basis of a worldwide right to publish in electronic, audio-visual or printed form. No part of this publication may be produced in any form, copied or stored electronically without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
All rights reserved. Š2007
OWNER:
Neoklis Stylianides - 24 Dem. Severi Avenue, 1080 Nicosia, Cyprus
f f a
EDITOR/PUBLISHER:
Neoklis Stylianides neoklis@4graffiti.com
FOUNDERS:
Paola Pieridou - Neoklis Stylianides
r g 4 . w
MARKETING:
Paola Pieridou - paola@4graffiti.com
ADVERTISING SALES:
advertise@4graffiti.com
DISTRIBUTION AND SALES:
subscription@4graffiti.com sales@4graffiti.com
M A G A Z I N E L AY O U T A N D D ES I G N :
w w
Nicholas A. Ladommatos www.ladommatos.com
4graffiti magazine is printed in the EU- (Cyprus) by: Kailas Printers & Lithographers Ltd
COVER CREDIT: Yesb, UK
LOGO DESIGN:
Don Dante, CY
Important information on submitting photographic images: All content contributions must be sent to: submit@4graffiti.com Send only current and preferably unpublished things.Train photos look far better when the roof and wheels are visible. When scanning pictures make sure that your scanner is set on the RGB mode and at a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Save your picture as a .JPG or even better as a .TIF file. Make sure that the images are between 1 and 3 Mbytes in size. Name your picture as you want to appear in the magazine. Tag/Name(Town-Country-Date) i.e. Baron(Coventry-UK-2006) Finally compress your files to a ZIP folder (WinZIP etc...) Your images must be 300dpi at 100% of the size they are to be printed. Please do not send us emails above 5Mb - they will not reach us. e.g. An image to be printed as a full page in our publications will need to be 210mm x 297mm at 300dpi. Before saving as a jpeg this image will be 25Mb. When saved as a jpeg the size of this image will be approximately 300k. Please do not forget to label your images: artist, location, date. We cannot use photos that are not labelled correctly. Images other than photos: Please send page layouts etc. As high resolution pdf files.
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:30
Page 4
Akiro -
featured artist
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:30
Page 5
A K I R O
w w
r g 4 . w
f f a
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:30
Page 6
o w t seth
tist r a d e r featu
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:30
Page 7
s e t h
w w
r g 4 . w
f f a
t w o
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:30
Page 8
m o c . i it Cobas -UK
Datz1-UK
f f a
Datz1-UK
WALLS
r g 4 . w
w w
WALLS
WALLS WALLS
Datz -UK
Passion -UK
Ekto -UK
Samy -UK
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:39
Page 9
Datz -UK
r g 4 . w
f f a
w w
Ekto -Sleeeping Giants UK
m o c . i it Dose -UK
Webb -UK
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:39
Page 10
f f a
r g 4 . w
w w Ekto -UK
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:39
Page 11
m o c . i it Reds -UK
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
Ekto -UK
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:40
Page 12
r g 4 . w
f f a
Ekto -UK
w w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:40
Page 13
. . s l l wa
. . s l l wa
f f a
r g 4 . w
Acur -UK
w w Cube -UK
m o c . i it Ser
Acts, Chicago - USA
Cube -UK
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:40
Page 14
Faze & Kerser -UK
f f a
r g 4 . w
w w Ekto -UK
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:40
Page 15
m o c . i it Era & Web
f f a
r g 4 . w Nizmo -UK
North side roller
w w
Fesk
Yesb -UK
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:40
Page 16
f f a Fazer
Fesk -UK
r g 4 . w
w w
Ekto -UK
m o c . i it s l l a w
Fesk -UK
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 17
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
Hanal - Rochdale
Fazer
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 18
m o c . i it
SE T I S PARA
f f a
tist r a d e r featu
PARASITES [prs] - graffiti squad
w w
r g 4 . w
Inva & Shargo
Location: Thessaloniki, Greece Formed: 2001 Members: Inva [characters,graphics] Onare [styles] Rino [characters] Shargo [characters,graphics] Exhibitions: The Gallery [2004] The Gallery [2005] Arthouse [2005]
Festivals: Several festivals and events around Greece (e.g. Thessaloniki, Athens, Crete, Corfu, Xanthi) Meeting Of Styles (Thessaloniki) 2004, 2005 and 2006 Meeting Of Styles (Zagreb) 2006
International:
Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia.
Website: www.parasites.gr
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 19
m o c . i it
Why have you chosen ‘Parasites’ as your crew name? Do you feel like parasites of the society?
Inva: The name ‘Parasites’ can tell by itself the way we see graffiti or other kinds of street art as a mark on society. We really feel like parasites of this urban community, like a group of excluded people, artists, thinkers, whatever. You know, the more we try to enter into the artistic community -or the community generally- to be acceptable by the people, the more we feel strangers and alone. Only writers can understand other writers, a sad think to say. After all, we realised that no gallery exhibition, no big graffiti jam, no magazine cover or interviews or anything has to do with publicity, will blend us Inva & Shargo with the shinny art system. We are and we will remain writers, street artists or if you like ‘Parasites’.
f f a
How did you gathered all together into ‘Parasites’ crew?
r g 4 . w
Onare: It’s like a fairytale you know. We like to remember and discuss sometimes how we met all together when we are at someone’s place, drinking beer. Basically we are not the four of us but there is one more, ‘Ionas’, who moved to Germany 2 years ago and lost the contact with graffiti. He only paints when he comes back to Greece twice a year but he is still a Parasite. So, in 2001, Ionas, Inva and I were together in school, with Inva into the same classroom. With some others from school and neighbourhood we made the SHP crew. We all lived in the suburbs of Thessalonica. Step by step, we started painting into the city too, we met other writers of our age (about 15 years old), and some of the legends like 114 and SGB crews. Most of the kids quitted very soon. It was just teen-enthusiasm for them, but us three continued. In 2003, Rino met Inva and afterwards he introduced him to the others and he joined the crew. Only a few months later, Shargo, who painted alone that time, also stuck with us. A new name for the crew was necessary than ever because of the big changes to the squad and the art we did all together. So ‘Parasites’ came up!
w w
How did you come up with your individual names, was it just nice lettering?
Inva: Wanna hear the true story or the known story? So, INVA is more than nice lettering. Actually it’s ‘IN.VA.’ that means Interactive Vandalism. It’s a sarcastic phrase that means a lot to me. As crazy the point of this phrase is, that loony my characters are, except only a few.
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 20
m o c . i it
Onare: Such a big story… After some toy tags in the beginning, I came up with ‘Onar’ which means dream in ancient Greek language. But when I saw a flix in a German mag with the same letters I add an ‘e’ at the end which gives a French flavour to my tag, as I give lots of big ups to the French scene! Rino: The way I came up with this tag is a long-long story, but I can tell you that it’s a combination of some previous tags, letters I liked for their form or their sound.
Shargo: I came up with my nickname when I was a kid because of a situation I lived in the past, so my nickname is something like a personal story to me.
f f a
Inva & Shargo
When did you first start writing then, was it a case of evolving from scratching on school tables or just being a straight up childhood tare-away?
r g 4 . w
Inva: You can say I had private teacher! I have two older brothers. The younger of the two was into the group of the first graffiti writers in Greece. Lopez was his tag, from 114 crew. After that, I think it was quite predictable that the apple will fall under the apple tree. I started doing graffiti at the age of 13 in 1999 taking as first influence my brother’s steps. He quitted in 2002 so we didn’t have the opportunity to do much things together, but I kept working. Nowadays we paint together only in some graffiti jams, once or twice a year.
Rino: I am from a small city in Northern Greece, Grevena. I did some first pieces since 1998 but very amateur. My basic way to graffiti opened in 2003 when I moved to Thessalonica City for studies and I met Inva in a Hip-Hop Live. He introduced me to the other guys and I joined the SHP crew, this was the name that time.
w w
Shargo: I painted my first piece when I was thirteen years old, but two years before that I saw a live wall production and it was love at first sight! Since that day I never stopped loving graffiti. Onare: Winter 2000. It doesn’t matter. I believe it’s not important when or how you started, but how you walked further. What did your first illegal piece feel like, was it just mad fun, and have you ever got the same buzz as you did the first time? Shargo: My first street bomb was a very good experience and it was like “yeah! I did it! ”Every time I go out and do some bombing I think about my first illegal. But the feeling is not the same.
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 21
m o c . i it Inva & Shargo
Onare: In the very beginning I was doing mostly illegal pieces with some other guys, bridges, highway and downtown. The first train came after 1 year of street damage.
Inva: I really can not describe you the feeling when the first gummy drops of spray paint touches the erotic metallic surface of the train into the deep dark! As we say in Greece: Kavla! Rino: The first time was just amazing. I remember myself very anxious. Every single time when we go out for some street thing I feel the same as the first time, but much cooler and not stressed.
f f a
What about being a graffiti artist in Greece, does the whole scene differ from that of UK?
Onare: The Greek Scene has 15 years life. Thessalonica and Athens leading and then countryside came into the game. You can find a lot of flavours mixed up into a Greek mixture. Old school, wild, semi wild, idiot, French… you can find everything walking the Greek streets. We live in the second wave of writers in Greece. As regards the British scene, all been said. London and Paris after New York. You have 30 years of graffiti history and this speaks for it self! TCA, one of the first European crews! I don’t forget that Mode2 is a TCA member. As regards the TPG crew. These guys are pure burners. Shok1 is a great artist also. To compare now the two scenes, Greece is almost a new battlefield and has still lots of virgin and untouched places, and a train system which is still easy to paint apart from the subway in Athens. We try to make history now by the time the British scene made history in 80s. You can talk about genuine old school. We talk about imitation of old school, but we can give as a new scene a fresh air to the European graffiti.
w w
r g 4 . w
Right, what do you feel about the fact that Art establishments seem to overlook graff as an art form? Does it make you mad when you see all that money being spent on other forms of art (diced cows and shit) and totally overlooking something that does take much more time and effort?
Inva: I believe I answered the question when I told you about our name. Graffiti is a parasite over art. It will not blend with art, and if it does, it will not be graffiti any more, it will be a mixture that we will name it different: Artfitti for example! Graffiti writers are artists, but their way of acting and thinking and creating is totally different with the fine art way. It’s the beliefs that divide us from the fine artists, not the painting.
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 22
m o c . i it
Onare: For me graffiti is a form of art but not the ‘art’. It’s different and it consists of a whole lifestyle and culture. Art is art and graffiti is graffiti. Shargo: Art establishments do their job and from the other hand writers do their shit. In no way graffiti is a part of mainstream art; it is like the impressionist movement in the early days of the 20th century. Graffiti rises from the street and it should remain there, but as a matter of value, graffiti is priceless. Rino
f f a
What about the trend of taking graffiti skills onto a computer or setting up design companies? Do you see this as graffiti evolving or selling out? Onare: Internet and computers changed graff. Now you do something to give is to a mag or to a website. Back in the days someone did a piece that you could see it only from the subway or in the streets live, it was more real.
r g 4 . w
Rino: Today everything has to do with computers and that fact helps a lot. The traditional way is usually better but I don’t think evolving the computers into graffiti productions will make damage. Computers are useful tools that help the graffiti development. Shargo: The fact that graffiti is applied everywhere nowadays is a good chance for writers to discover new things, but, if you abuse graffiti just to make a catchy commercial bullshit you are for sure a sellout! For me it is all about quality. Is graffiti a drug that just seems to make you want to come back to it again and again?
w w
Rino: You can say it’s a drug! I really can’t imagine my self without painting walls. It’s into your blood… natural dope. Shargo: For sure it is! And every time i go back to it i need a larger dose! Apset, Rino, Inva, Onare, Fabric, Shargo
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 23
Inva: If you leave it, it leaves you. But if you paint more and more, day after day you are getting obsessed. You can see that when we make a huge mural for about 3 to 4 days, every morning we wake up at 8 to go on the wall. Normally we can’t wake up before 11! It’s passion, the best chick. Onare: Graffiti is my life. I prefer someone to give me 5 hours free with 100 cans in front of a train than Monica Belucci for a night! I am gonna do graffiti until something serious will happen and change my mind.
f f a
What does the whole Graffiti scene mean to you?
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it Onare
Inva: It is a magical thing… what I care mostly is not how well or bad someone does graffiti, nor the level of skills, but the good characters and the will to help and host each other. Wherever I travel around the world I am sure that I will find a writer’s house open for me to stay, a local crew willing to show me the best spots. This is the wonderful thing with the graffiti scene: the perfect co-operation between people never met before, from different culture and ideas. Onare: The worldwide scene of graffiti is a huge crowd of thousands of writers, thousands mags and companies. Now I can say that history books will talk about the powerful movement of graffiti. Rino: Graffiti for me is a great huge family. Wherever I travel, I always find writers having the same madness and passion with me, and we can understand each other with no knowledge of a common language.
w w
Shargo: The graffiti scene is like a small society with all its subjects with a little bit more colour. What are your plans for the future?
Inva: After this fantastic year that passed for us, the plans for tomorrow are quite colourful. Of course our improvement is the No1 aim. We are arranging to go on summer 2007 an Interail tour. One month around Europe by train. For sure we want to include into this month 2 or 3, if we can, ‘Meeting Of Styles’ jams, probably in Germany (Wiesbaden), Netherlands or Italy or somewhere else
Inva
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:50
Page 24
m o c . i it
in central Europe. It depends from the MOS schedule. For sure we will be in our hometown’s MOS jam. Generally we wish to go in every single graffiti event we can go. An graffiti canvases exhibition is about to be arranged very soon in Thessalonica and anyone is very welcome to make a visit. As you can imagine 2007 will be such a burning year, more than 2006. Onare: I want to travel more and gain more experience, improve my skills and live long.
f f a
Rino: Lot of graff, lot of burner murals, lot of jams!
r g 4 . w
Shargo: The only plan i got for the future is to make myself better and my work better and of course work hard to achieve it! Any final words, shout outs, advice to the kiddies, that sort of thing?
Inva: I’d like to express my dear sympathy to my grandmother… just kidding. Actually thanks to 4GRAFFITI magazine that made us this offer to express ourselves and open our souls to the readers. Respect to SGB, WOF, SFN, 114, ASHES, OFK, for keeping it real. Thanks to Letty ‘View’ from the UK for the interesting conversations we had during May.
Inva & Onare
w w
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:58
Page 25
Onare: Big ups to my crew, my homie IONAS, Thessalonica City, APSET from AGB crew, and to all of you that do something with passion. Peace.
f f a
Rino: Respect to Grevena city!
r g 4 . w
Shargo: I just wanna say to all the guys out there to keep it real! Peace
w w
Rino
m o c . i it Inva
Shargo
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:58
Page 26
Suiko - Japan
o K I U s
m o c . i it
tist r a d e r featu
Tenga, Suiko, Emar
f f a
r g 4 . w
w w Suiko & Belx2
Suiko -UK
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:58
Page 27
When did you do your first graffiti? How did it feel like?
m o c . i it
I began to write when I was 19 to 20 years old. Before starting to write, I used to see GRAFFITI and I began to write like it. For example, change a Character to paint or solid. When I sprayed under bridges and walls, I understood that it was insufficient. But I felt the lines were alive and GRAFFITI's essence is the wall, it differs from what is drawn on paper only by the tip of the finger. What made you move to legal pieces of art?
Because I thought that I want to produce high quality wall paintings and I want to live while I am gripping the spray can until I die. It is true, there are some people who stick to bombing. And it is really worthy respect... But, I do not have such a strength or confident for continuous bombing, even if growing old. However, I would like to hold a spray can until I die.
f f a
Is there a big graffiti scene in Japan? Are there many active crews?
r g 4 . w
It is smaller than Europe, however there are wonderful writers in Japan and more are to appear in the fastest growing scene in the world. Do you travel overseas for performing?
It greatly develops my expression. Therefore, I want to travel as often as there is a chance. Is graffiti a drug that just seems to make you want to come back to it again and again? It is without doubt. When I am not physically facing the wall, I am mentally because of the extreme withdrawal symptoms. It doesn't settle down until I am being in front of the wall again.
w w
Do you see yourself still painting in 10 years then or will you eventually just give it up? What are your plans for the future? I want to face the wall as I said earlier indefinitely. I want to defend this that has begun to be done to the rhythm what it is importantly though cannot be concluded from .the lives how many... Anything you want to say to all the writers out there?
I always want to evolve, and am looking forward to that new air brought by writers from all over the world. SUIKOwww.suiko1.com
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:58
Page 28
Tenga, Suiko, Emar Japan
w w
r g 4 . w
Suiko - Japan
f f a
s U I K o
m o c . i it
Suiko - Japan
Suiko - Japan
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:58
Page 29
Sweit & Suiko - Japan
f f a Suiko - Japan
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it Suiko - Japan
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:58
Page 30
f f a
Suiko & Dayz
r g 4 . w Suiko & Net - Japan
w w Suiko & Superflllie - Japan
m o c . i it Suiko - Japan
Suiko & Net - Japan
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:59
Page 31
m o c . i it Suiko & Violate
f f a
Super, Asure, Suiko, Violate
w w
r g 4 . w Tenga, Suiko, Snug - UK
Tenga, Suiko, Dibo, Emar
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
01:59
Page 32
S E S A V CAN
Sach
f f a
r g 4 . w
Stix
w w Stix
Stix
m o c . i it Illotek
Stix
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:09
Page 33
Sach
r g 4 . w
CAN
w w Cobas
f f a
S E S VA
Sach
Stix
m o c . i it Cobas
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:09
Page 34
m o c . i it
Stix
f f a
Illotekk
r g 4 . w Sach
w w
Stix Sach
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:10
Page 35
S E S A V N CA
f f a
r g 4 . w Sach
Datz
w w
Stix
m o c . i it Sach
Stix
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:10
Page 36
k o o b k c bla Antie-UK
f f a
Antie-UK
r g 4 . w
Antie & Meso -UK
Antie-UK
w w
Basik, ZeKs, Caik
m o c . i it Acur
Cube
Dust
ust
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:10
Page 37
Antie-UK
Ash
esOne
f f a
r g 4 . w
w w
Cobas
Fazer
m o c . i it Cygnusmoth
Bones
Clif Bros
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:10
Page 38
Datz
Fazer NSR Cobas
w w Cobas
Dose
f f a
r g 4 . w
Cobas
JMTC
m o c . i it Cube
Mythical Dragon
Dose
Squarepusher
Cube
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:10
Page 39
Lust
Zotos
Zoid
k o o b k blac
Wird
f f a
Zotos
r g 4 . w Zotos
Webs-UK
w w
Terror
Wird
m o c . i it esOne
Webs-UK
Cube Terror
Terror
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:10
Page 40
E N O T N PA
rtist a d e r u t a fe
m o c . i it
I have done some canvas exhibition and I think it's a good way to open new I am Pantone, my crew is TRES crew. It's formed by Seal, Kraser, Poli124, routes and see the artistic face that some graffiti writers have. Anyway, grafFirebirth, and me. We are from Valencia, Torrevieja, Orihuela, and Cartagena, fiti is in the streets. Spain. What's the local prosecution for graffiti like? Why have you been arrested? When did you start doing graffiti? We have a lot of hall of fames and have no problems to make productions In 1998 there. Anyway, I had some problems when painting on trains. What really got you started writing?
f f a
What do you think about old-school styles?
A lot of facts, for example: seeing tags, or graffiti in my home town. I think I like it so much. I also use to paint wild-style, it's like having sex, you can do that all new-school writers have also seen it in television, or in any city... and it even being tired. I respect it but think that is good what is happening. It's of course I always had some artistic worries. important to have old-school and new styles and create a balance. If everybody stops in the classics there would be created a curl which would come What excites you and what frustrates you most about graffiti? nowhere. It's nice to know that you have hundreds of pals in any corner of the world. What frustrates me most is that you are never going to pull a girl because you Where do you think styles are going? paint graffiti. Maybe I should have been a breaker instead (Just joking). Where they have to. There are a lot of tendencies. I'm not Nostradamus...
r g 4 . w
Graffiti had given me...
How do you feel about "destructive" tagging and scribing glass? Well, I think that all my life spins around graffiti. A lot of friends, a lot of expeI don't do this in the humble shop of a family father but graffiti is everywhere riences, traveling, parties, money, being arrested, etc, etc. and they can't stop this. We have to receive from somewhere what they have taken from us. Which writers were your biggest influences, and who do you admire most now? Are you interested in doing other kinds of art? I have always looked people who developed innovative styles in their context. Yes, in fact I paint canvases and had some experience with sculpture. Initially I took as model spanish old-school magazines, and books like Also I work with graphic design, flyers, websites... Spraycan Art and Subway Art, what made me work in wild-style and illegal graffiti. Nowadays I admire the work of Kraser, Seal, Poli124, Firebirth, Deir, Do you have any advice to give younger writers? Graffilia, Extralargos, Webs, Hello Monsters.. a big etc. Just to do what they want. Don't listen to anybody. Even to me. Graffiti is free What do you think about the relationship of graffiti to the traditional art and for free. world?
w w
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:16
Page 41
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:16
Page 42
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:16
Page 43
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:16
Page 44
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:16
Page 45
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:16
Page 46
S T I C K E R S
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
13-01-07
02:16
Page 47
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w
m o c . i it
1-48 back up new one!
14-01-07
19:42
Page 48
m o c . i it
www.4graffiti.com
f f a
w w
r g 4 . w