MONTANA-CANS LOOKBOOK 2020

EDITION # 05 MONTANA-CANS LOOKBOOK WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM

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#MontanaCans #GermanSpraypaint WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM

MONTANA-CANS ULTRAWIDE #GAMECHANGER

photography by edward nightingale

photography by edward nightingale

MONTANA-CANS ULTRAWIDE #GAMECHANGER

MONTANA-CANS #Germanspraypaint

MONTANA-CANS #Germanspraypaint

MONTANA CANS LOOKBOOK 2020 Self-reflection is a healthy habit for anyone, but for creators to grow and develop, it is essential. Montana-Cans as a commercial entity that is intertwined in the culture of creation knows that it is also an obligation to reflect. The principals of passion, commitment, and integrity that we hold paramount are these days also shared by the graffiti writers, artists, creators, commercial and cultural partners, that we love to work with.

The 2020 Montana-Cans LOOKBOOK, which is the fifth of its kind, gives thanks and pays tribute to yet another eventful and productive year. We continued the ma­gical path we created through the Montana BLACK Artist Edition cans which celebrate our love for international Graffiti Writing.

This year we featured the work of the com­plex Hamburg artist, RAGE. A true inno­ vator at the top of his game who re-invented the facade of the can that is also at the top of its game. In an interview with RAGE, we learn a little more about what makes him tick and how he got to where he is. Moving a little further south, the next in line was Spanish artist, DEMSKY. Montana-Cans Lookbook 2020 Editorial

Nothing pleased us more than seeing the success and prosperity of our partners and supported artists. A tip of the hat goes to the continuing strengthening of our favorite Austrian partners, The Montana Store Vienna. With a full range of Montana products in store, day in- day out, the inhouse gallery space served as a showcase for many of the internationally renowned artists we partner with, while also functioning as a meeting place and national platform for the creative culture of Vienna and Austria as a whole.

Just over the water in the UK, the world had its eyes on the BREXIT. We chose to look a little deeper and pay homage to the thriving UK Graffiti scene. In 2019 we managed to shed a little extra light on 45RPM, VOYDER, and PREF ID. The design strong and humor heavy work of 45RPM made us smile while a little further down the road in Bristol, VOYDER was executing his elusive mastery. Meanwhile back in old London town, PREF ID was busy camouflaging typography in a way that only he knows how. And if it wasn’t the individual artists making things happen, then it was the amazing run of UK mural festivals such as Bring The Paint, showing the rest of the world what‘s up in the UK.

We were fortunate enough to speak in-depth with the dynamic duo and creative twins, HOW & NOSM. The New Yorkbased artists worked on a project in Paris where we managed to get an insight into both their creative and private lives.

But among many other countries, the U.S.A beeped on the creative radar thanks to an all-star team of international graffiti heavyweights creating one of the big­gest MONTANA-CANS tribute walls ever, during the L.A. Spray day.

With all this and more, with the Montana-Cans LOOKBOOK 2020, we say a »thank you«, to all those that helped make it happen. Let‘s see what we can create together for the next edition.

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Editorial

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Stadt.Wand.Kunst

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Montana BLACK Artist Edition: Rage

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Contemporary Graffiti in the UK

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Montana BLACK Artist Edition: Dems

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Bring The Paint 2019

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Introducing spanish graffiti writer Laia

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OSMAN – no breaks on this machine

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TCI – Making it last on the lines

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The Montana-Cans Logo goes Massive

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The Sobekcis – Twins of Belgrade

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HOWNOSM in Paris

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Montana Store Vienna 2019

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Low Bros at Metropolink

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POW! WOW! Japan 2019

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POW! WOW! Rotterdam 2019

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Greetings Tour

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Montana-Cans Production

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Step Out of the Arena

Montana-Cans Factory as seen

by Snooby92

Boulevard Paris 13

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Acrylic Series: Dmote

Imprint

Odeith VS. the real world

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Acrylic Series: Amber Vittoria

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Lookbook 2020 Content

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Montana BLACK Limited Artist Edition with Spanish neofuturist, DEMSKY

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Serbian stop over. Exploring Belgrade with the SOBEKCIS twins

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66 Movers and shakers of the UK graffiti movement. Behind the scenes with 45RPM, PREF ID and VOYDER

80 98 Acrylic Series with DMOTE. Exploring multi-mediums the graffiti way

Lookbook 2020 Content

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#18 RAGE PhotogrAphy Rage

Hamburg, Germany is renowned for extremely innovative and high quality graffiti.

Both on and off the trains. But in a city so creatively prolific, where security is so tight and competition is even tighter, there is still room for one name to shine.

A name that is synonymous with quality, innovation and dedication when it comes to art and graffiti on trains. And that name is »RAGE «.

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Location Hamburg, Germany

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ince apx. 1998 the name RAGE or RACHE has found it’s way into traffic in many forms, on many moving surfaces. For the 18th edition of the Montana BLACK Artist Edition cans, this name has found it’s way onto another major moving surface, the Montana BLACK color, Black 9001.

With the boundaries of graffiti, typography and fine art blurring in nearly every artwork RAGE creates, it seemed only logical that he would be featured as a Montana BLACK Artist Edition artist. It was thus unsurprising that the color black, with all it’s impact, precision and clarity, was RAGE’s color of choice. Also bearing in mind, that black is one of the highest covering colors in a can and therefore heavily features in countless RAGE artworks.

It got us wondering, what makes RAGE tick?

What drives him to create artwork as impressive as it is? Here is what he had to say.

Montana BLACK Artist Edition RAGE

MONTANA-CANS The word Rage or Rache are very strong, loaded words.

When you started writing it you were 20 years+ younger.

Do you still feel any »rage« as an ingredient to your artwork or it’s context? Or has it become just letters you re-invent to develop as an artist?

RAGE I have a distinct problem with someone or anyone trying to set me limits or telling me what I should or shouldn’t do and my stance on this has not changed in 20 years!

Unfortunately, I always feel that I am being subjected to societal constraints and norms on a daily basis.

This occurs at all levels, the system aims to keep you both small and quiet. Graffiti means more to me than any old fad or some ridiculous teenage dick measuring com­petition. In my eyes graffiti represents a form of protest against the system. Therefore, I lay more importance in the name or moniker than I do with insignificant combination of letters.

I have a distinct problem with someone or anyone trying to set me limits or telling me what I should or shouldn’t do MC Not many artists have managed consistency, quality and output on trains like you do. How did you do it?

Have you just gotten faster, have you always found new spots to push time barriers or have you had to become a graffiti »MacGyver« to use gadgets and technology to keep you one step ahead?

MC The book »The Art of Rage« featuring your artwork may of opened the eyes of the last few graffiti enthusiasts on the globe that didn’t know about you before. Have you noticed any changes in peoples awareness of you or your art since then? Has staying stealth become harder?

RAGE I have no idea to be honest. As I prefer to keep my circle small and personal I decided not have a social media presence making it relatively easy to remain anonymous.

Montana BLACK Artist Edition RAGE

RAGE I always try to work as professionally as possible.

But most of the time, I’m just the guy that requires the most time to finish what I’m doing, I always manage to exhaust the comparatively short time span available to execute my painting.

MC The most, if not all of your artwork is based on trains.

Obviously there is a lot of preparation and strategy to be good at that. Has this taken it’s toll on you psychologically? To keep your ideas moving in one medium while staying ahead of the law at the same time.

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RAGE Of course it is often very grueling and stressful but if it were too easy everybody could do this.

MC If you could have done anything different in your graffiti / artistic path until now, what would it be?

MC Is it hard for you to come up with new ideas or do they flow from action to action?

RAGE If there were, it would be of little significance.

RAGE I often have a lot of ideas swilling around in my head and definitely do not lack a creative output. But I often feel like I lack both the time and quiet to either implement or work everything out. So technically it is too little for me sometimes. But it certainly is not the case that I have to bend over backwards to produce my current work.

MONTANA-CANS For your Montana BLACK Artist Edition can, was it an obvious choice to pick the color black, or did you contemplate other possibilities first?

RAGE: No, BLACK was always going to be my first choice. I pre­fer to work with a relative combination of colors.

Black and white is my favourite color combination of all.

The combination creates the greatest contrast and therefore projects a lot of power visually. I don’t require an abundance of colors to achieve my desired goal.

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MC Is there any where, any train model or any context you still really want to paint? Or is holding it down in your home town more important?

RAGE Since I feel arbitrary in a system where I do not face legal action, I remain loyal to the investigative authorities in my city. In addition, it is far more important to me what I do on the train and not the other way, so I move mainly in this area.

I prefer to keep my circle small and personal I decided not have a social media presence making it relatively easy to remain anonymous Montana BLACK Artist Edition RAGE

↓ A symbol of harmony and unity, RAGE’s Montana BLACK ARTIST EDITION can captures all the elements of his work in one resolved design on the surface of the can.

↑ Always managing to complete the idea in the time allowed, RAGE’s wholecar advances forward in a picturesque Hamburg backdrop.

← Before the reward, there is always the work. Progress shots of the RAGE wholecar being created in another picturesque Hamburg surrounding.

Montana BLACK Artist Edition RAGE

BLACK was always going to be my first choice. I prefer to work with a relative combination of colors. Black and white is my favourite color combination of all.

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#19 Demsky Artist Profile IG @demsky

Location Lost in Space

In 1979, was the town of Elche Spain ready for the birth of DEMSKY J? The question remains to be seen. The artist also known as DEMS333 aka DEMS of the »Ultra Boyz«, aka DEMSKY, aka DEMSKY J., was the boy who became a young man engrossed in graffiti. For more than 30 years this didn’t change and the young man became the talented world-renowned artist know for having one foot firmly planted in the present while the other proceeds forward into the future. All in search of the truth, or at least the visual truth anyway.

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ith the description, ›NEOFUTURISM‹ de­­ cribing DEMSKY’s current work, his s pursuit to form a merge between early 90’s visual nostalgia with notions of space that exist only in the very near future, DEMSKY is at the forefront of optically illusive fine art. With a list of 50 countries worldwide, DEMSKY’s work spans from graffiti, muralism, fine art, commercial and creative object development. His open mind and current passport always in hot pursuit of artistic conceptual development.

With a long period of focus on writing his name in as many different ways as humanly possible, the introduction of fluorescent color, ultramarine and white plains as background could make the viewer believe he is currently searching beyond the human. Like a glitch in the matrix, DEMSKY tries to find his place look­ ing from the recent past to the present and beyond.

Montana BLACK Artist Edition Demsky

Like a glitch in the matrix, DEMSKY tries to find his place looking from the recent past to the present and beyond.

As a featured artist for the Montana-Cans Limited Artist Edition cans, DEMSKY managed to put his stamp not only using his art but also on the tools of his choice that he uses to create art. In an ironic twist of fate, his futurist design will promptly take the step from future obtainable to valued past collectible, as the cans make their way into the collections of savvy fans all over the globe.

Montana BLACK Artist Edition Demsky

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The Montana Cans logo goes

Photography Donny Doquisa Location Los Angeles, U.S.A.

→ Mike Giant proving that he has still got it.

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Production Montana-Cans Goes Massive

aroun es

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d What g

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↓ The foundations laid. The letter »N« of mo»N«tana cans coming to life

by GRAB.

The amazing world of graf- most importantly its own style being fiti and urban art has many pushed by its most active artists. In the USA, this notion is even more complicated facets to it’s existence.

On one hand, there is a glo­ as it boasts being at the origins of the world graffiti movement. Not forgetting it bal presence. The internet is so big, that even its individual states has made it possible that functioned like independent graffiti counsomeone in Rome can see tries under one star-spangled banner. what a person in Jakarta has just painted. But before One of these states where the sun never stops shining is California. And in 2019, the internet each place it’s capital city Los Angeles played host to had it’s own version of our one of the biggest MONTANA-CANS culture, possibly with its own slang, its own rules and murals ever made.

Production Montana-Cans Goes Massive

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he all-star line up included U.S heavyweights WANE, KAER, GRAB, TWIGS, TRISTAN EATON, AMUSE, GIANT, OTHER, AWE 2 and PERSUE. All representing their country with style and flair, while Austrian guest artist NYCHOS, joined the team adding European flavor. The mural focusing on the words MONTANA-CANS was an epic project that spanned over the rear walls of an entire industrial complex.

For us the team at Montana-Cans, daily business often distracts us from checking if the energy we in­vest in our work bears fruit. In the instance of the MONTANA-CANS wall in L.A., it is positively overwhel­ ming and exceptionally inspiring to see »the fruits« in the form of the artwork by these talent world-class artists. Artists that we are lucky enough to call family.

Not forgetting the 150% commitment required by our partners at Montana-Cans USA to make something this amazing come to life.

We are truly humbled. Maybe this is just the start? Either way, we can’t wait to see what 2020 has installed.

Great People, Great energy and very productive. Peace!

WANE ONE

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Production Montana-Cans Goes Massive

↑ WANE COD with a Montana BLACK can in hand beating the heat while taking a short painting break. → TRISTAN EATON putting the Montana GOLD grey tones to the test. Unrivaled Low pressure precision. ← KAER at the business end of his piece as he works on the »C« of MontanaCans.

All of you guys rocked it!

Epic weekend. A ton of fun and lots of inspiration was had. What a group!

Thankful for the relationship with the company and looking forward already to outdoing this wall with the next one!

AMUSE

Production Montana-Cans Goes Massive

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KNOWS NYCHOS GRAB TRISTAN EATON AMUSE PERSUE GIANT KAER AWE 2 TWIGS OTHER

As the dust settled and the sun went down, it occured to all the artists involved that this action had been planned to perfection. Eleven mega letters positioned harmoniously over the complete span of the rear side of the entire complex. Able to be seen from far and wide, this mural is sure to find its place in graf­fiti history.

Production Montana-Cans Goes Massive

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Production Montana-Cans Goes Massive

Production Montana-Cans Goes Massive

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The SOBEKCIS twins of Belgrade

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Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

A city can make or break you. Its atmosphere, its smells, the sounds it emits and even the weather can largely define the people who live in it. Conversely, the same people who live in each city are exactly those entities that contribute to all of these characteristics. All be it using the cities own natural traits as a stepping stone.

artist IG @sobekcis Photography Carlo Kohal Location Belgrade, Serbia

Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

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hen you grow up in a city like Belgrade Serbia, it is a given that the city will help or hinder the shaping of your personality. In some cities around the world, an excess of aggression, a lack of services and the absence of funds can make life for a child about as fun as doing homework on a Saturday. However, ingredients like these can also be the exact required components with the right amount of friction and the perfect amount of determination to fuel good art.

However, ingredients like these can also be the exact required components with the right amount of friction and the perfect amount of determination to fuel good art.

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Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

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Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

The SOBEKCIS brothers are proof that you can let your city turn you into a victim or you can choose to shape it. The twins from Belgrade have the correct ingredients to actively shape the cityscape of Belgrade, taking only what they need from it to create in positivity. If creating an atmosphere in a city was a profession, SOBEKCIS would be the CEO’s of their town. With relentless vigor, they re-invent the surfaces of their surrounds over and over again in all the disciplines of this game we call graffiti.

The SOBEKCIS brothers are proof that you can let your city turn you into a victim or you can choose to shape it.

Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

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In a recent visit to the crossroads of Central and SouthEastern Europe where Belgrade finds itself, we saw with our own eyes how the brothers had refined the routine down to a simple ritual. With the quick calculation of context, space and time, SOBEKCIS has a handle on it. Whether Ultrawide tags where no elaborate pieces are possible, throw up’s in front of unconcerned passing cars or a style excursion along the railway corridors of the concrete jungles and abandoned waste­lands of the inner city. In Serbia and beyond, the brothers know exactly what to do and when to do it. With quality, harmony, and precision.

Without requiring a re-boot, SOBEKCIS is equally as comfortable in the studio creating world standard fine art in the form of paintings, prints, and drawings, etc. as they are touring the globe realizing larger than life murals that radiate with color and vibrancy.

Their abstract worlds indoors have found no boundaries outdoors. And the same is in reverse. The scale is no issue and the most intricate details are able to be blown up to massive proportions just as they can be refined into minuscule beauty. When it comes to the artwork of SOBEKCIS, it is not possible to look away.

The brothers know exactly what to do and when to do it. With quality, harmony, and precision.

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Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

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Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

Artists in Focus The Sobekcis

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Interview with the New YorK based Artist Duo

Location Paris, France

Artist Profile IG @ hownosm

Photography HOWNOSM / Galerie itinerrance

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Born in Spain, German in heritage, residing in New York, painted in over 70 countries (thats right 70! it’s not a typo), Graffiti artists, Fine artists, Commercial artists and brothers (identical twins in fact). Sounds complicated right?

Well it’s not if your HOW and NOSM. Or as their mum calls them, Raoul and Davide Perré. The twins don’t just make art, they live it. And with the drive and motivation to do it better, they also now live from it. Since the 90’s HOW and NOSM started their ascent up the artistic life path. Starting with the classic tagging and train writing graffiti artist path, trans­ forming to commercial art and ever morph­ ing into fine art and everything in between.

Nothing the brothers have ever done was done in halves. How can they, there is two of them.

→ HOW & NOSM »Last Departure«, 60“ × 84“, 2014

Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

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MONTANA-CANS Your backgrounds are of the most well rounded a graffiti artist or fine artist could ask for. Your involvement in graffiti alone has led you to tick just about every box a writer(s) could want to tick. But how do you view yourselves? Is there words or a preference of descriptive words that you would use to describe yourselves to those not in the know?

HOWNOSM (Laugh), I don’t know, we don’t see ourselves better than other graffiti artists or artists, we just have done maybe a little bit more than others, and we have been painting for almost thirty years now, so it speaks for itself that we have a large body of work but, I mean, that’s just what we do, that’s just one part of who we are, it doesn’t make us just writers you know, I don’t know it’s… I know what you are talking about, back in the days we painted the trains and then we started to do walls and legal walls and big productions and then we started to do our art and the transition of what we were doing from the streets into canvas so… But we’re not the only ones, there is a lot of people who do that, I don’t know. Maybe we stand out because our style is very original and unique and, you know, and we are twins. But I don’t know how I would to describe myself (laugh) in that case, I never thought about it you know what I mean? I like what I do, I’m glad that I can live of what I’m doing and what I love and I never take it for granted you know.

we don’t see ourselves better than other graffiti artists or artists, we just have done maybe a little bit more than others MC We as keen observers have followed the development of your work for many years. Your achievements aboveground and underground have been prolific and inspiring. Do you still get to dabble in all disciplines of your graffiti heritage? Or has your international exposure meant your anonymity has become difficult? Do you even still have the itch to do something under the radar or is it »been there done that« for you?

HN No, not really, I mean we’ve done our first year of illegal graffiti all over the world and we’ve been in many places like maybe like seventy countries, before many other people we were doing graffiti there, before there was Montana spray cans there so we got our itch out of the system really. I mean yeah, it’s always nice when we came over here, we were riding in the subway and we see graffiti on the Paris subway, of course, we love that and we look at it, we take some pictures of it but we almost forty four years old now and have kids and we’re focusing on our work.

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↑ There is no scale too big or small. It‘s all just another day out of the office for HOW and NOSM.

MC We understand the move to use only Black, White and Red (and tones thereof), was born out of necessity while travelling through South American countries. But what was the catalyst to stay within this color spectrum and was it a conscious decision? For example, was there a day when you said »OK, let’s now only use these three colors and any we create from mixing them«? Or was it a gradual process?

HN I guess we were doing it for so long in south America and specially these three that at some point people recognized so fast our style and the kind of palette that we decided to stick with it so people can still keep recognizing the work we paint, and after a while we just added like different shades of paint and greys to it and now a little bit more like purple ich into it. It’s still Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

the same type of colors, it’s developing slowly but it’s still the same.

MC For anyone that looks closely, there are a lot of individual symbols, icons and re-occurring images in your artworks. Are these design decisions, or is there a dialogue happening within each painting, or with the works as a series?

you have to paint not only like four, five hours a day, because then it takes forever and then, you get more tired of it. So, we usually knock of ten hours a day you know.

Plus you have to also look at the weather condition you know, if it’s windy or if it’s gonna rain a lot, you can’t be out there it’s too dangerous, it’s too slippery, so on this particular wall we saw that it was gonna start raining Wednesday, so we tried to finished by Tuesday (laugh).

HN I mean our work always as certain messages and we use different imageries to bring their messages over to the public. And obviously there is some imagery that would be used just out of decorative purposes. I mean, we use the bottle for example as, you know, as a reference to message in the bottle so it’s a scenery, let’s say like a couple arguing each other that we could put it in the bottle as a message in the bottle, and hearts or for example re-occurring arrows, and keys, all kinds of different images that not always have to have a specific purpose you know.

MC Do you prefer to create one-off work like walls, canvases that can be reproduced like prints, or digitally created works?

HN Most of the work we do is drawn out on paper first so the fine art line work is sketch on paper and usually transferred onto the canvas or a template for working on a building for example, so we know how to size the mural. But usually everything is handmade you know, some computer work when it comes to laying out big buildings so we know where the colors go and where looking for to save time. Yeah the most of it is free hand and we take a picture of it and layered out of photoshop if we wanna use a certain canvas or sketch on a mural, it’s mainly how we do stuff, by drawing it by hand (laugh).

↑ Red, black and white. Re-occurring in every possible tone and shape.

↓ Well defined shapes are outlined in black as soft and hard work hand in hand.

because then it takes forever and then, you get more tired of it. So, we usually knock of ten hours a day, you know MC Your ability to move from large to small and all scales in between is astonishing. While standing here looking at this massive project in Paris, did you get nervous or was it just another day in the office for you both?

HN It’s just another day out of the office! Yeah, we don’t get nervous, we just make sure that we are well rested the days before, because it’s very physical you know, it’s not like it’s a small wall, you have to crank it out, Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

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MC What has been the most challenging artwork to make to-date both physically or psychologically?

↓ HOW and NOSM on the olympic stadium in Berlin

HN Physically it’s always the large buildings, like the really big buildings obviously, because it takes a bunch of days and the sun hits you and you have to wear the mask and the life line around you, it’s a lot of physical work. Mentally, I don’t know (laugh) it is what we do, we draw and stuff, it’s a mentally… it’s not a psychological issue or a burden, it’s not challenging, not really.

No it’s not challenging, it’s not like we’ve never done it, we have been doing it for so long so we have our routine and we stick to the routine and just get the job done you know. I mean, it might be sometimes stressful but I don’t know if it’s psychologically challenging or something (laugh).

MC By the looks of your gallery work, it appears as if you are as comfortable with indoor artmaking as outdoor art making. Do your ideas for studio / gallery work stem from the same origins as your outdoor work? Do you try or want to separate them in any way or is it all the same visual conversation?

If you look too much at other artists your work will change and starts looking like other people stuff HN We can use stuff from the studio to do outdoors and stuff we do outdoors we bring back to the studio. You pick up ideas and learn from certain mistakes like doing a wall or doing something in the studio you know.

You applied it on both so.

MC Is there any artist or art makers that inspire you guys a lot? Does art from the streets inspire you or is gallery work more engaging for you as viewers?

HN There are great artists out there in general, regardless of backgrounds you know, artist graffiti or street art or fine art or anything you know. We have tons of books in the studio from all kind of genres of art you know. I guess that people’s achievements and work effects inspire us you know, when somebody does a lot of great projects you know, it’s like something to you know, just try for, do that too you know. There are too many artists out there to just pick one by now you know. If you look too much at other artists your work will change and starts looking like other people stuff so you don’t want that. It’s not inspiring anymore, it’s gonna influence you.

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MC We assume your move to NYC in 1999 and your work with the TATS crew must have been a massive step for your careers. But was it a big change for your life quality? Your origins from Spain, Germany and all the countries you have travelled to must have given you a sense of what it means to live somewhere else. What makes living in New York enjoyable for you?

HN TATS crew definitely helped us a lot when we moved to New York, one, they gave us work so we could actually support ourselves. We have done tons of tons of projects with them hundreds of videos, I don’t know how many videos, but like ten fifteen videos for like superstar, musicians, we’ve done nationwide campaigns.

So as far as the job was, it was very multifaceted and we’ve done quite a lot of that, but at some point it was just too much of the same work and it became less about what our art was looking like but it was more about what the agencies or the people that hired us wanted us to do you know. And at some point, it was

Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

just pretty much paint by numbers, paint this and copy that and it just really started to neglect our own art you know. Like we didn’t develop you know or didn’t work on our development as individual artists. But never the less, it was a great experience and we’re still with the TATS crew and they’re still our family and we’re still bullshit (laugh). Even without painting New York is a great city you know, there is a lot of culture. I mean there is great art you know, and many people. I mean New York is still… We still like it, it has changed a lot, it has lost a lot of its greediness and maybe grime.

That most people probably don’t like, but I kinda like it, it kinda gave New York it’s unique touch. Now it’s all become in a little bit too uniform you know, all the neighborhoods are starting to look the same and ugly building arises and stuff like that but I mean you can see that in any country really, like I’m sure here in Paris they do the same thing you know. But never the less, we like the attitude there, we like the food, our families are there, we’re still happy there. Are we planning to stay there forever? I can’t really answer that question.

For now, we’re happy there.

Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

MC What has been your favourite place to paint? Which has been the worst?

HN The worst? (Laugh) There’s no favorite, there is too many favorites. The worst is when we don’t get to paint, or when people who invite you just don’t have the stuff together and are totally unprofessional and of course I can’t do my job and that’s looks bad on me so… It’s not only a waste of time but also a waste of my money and their money you know. But a favorite place, I don’t know. We like coming to Paris, we like doing projects here, we have lots of friends… I don’t know, it’s hard to say really, we’ve been to a lot of places and have met a lot of great people you know. It’s hard to really pick one place.

at some point, it was just pretty much paint by numbers, paint this and copy that

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MC Which artwork that you have made are you the most content with?

HN We did a cool project in Berlin, we had our artwork in an entire subway station, like inside/outside, including some trains, with all our artwork, and that was pretty cool. We’ve done a big DC3 plane in Arizona, it’s in a museum there, it’s a very big plane that we’ve made.

It’s kinda cool because you see your artwork projected differently than just on a flat surface you know, like on a canvas or on a wall, and I had to paint the bottom of the plane, the wings, and different angles. But those are just some examples really (laugh).

I mean our work always as certain messages and we use different imageries to bring their messages over to the public.

someone to do it all for you. Maybe that also made it easy for us to say yeah let’s get into this.

MC Which cars do it for you the most?

HN My own fucking cars (laugh). Yeah, my car is the best and the faster, what kind of question is that? That’s the all point of buying a muscle car no? They have the most muscles in it. I do like a nice-looking Lamborghini but it’s not my dream to have that like I don’t think it’s as sexy as a cool American muscle car you know, it has a proper soft to it, it’s just totally different.

you see your artwork projected differently than just on a flat surface, like on a canvas or on a wall, and I had to paint the bottom of the plane, the wings, and different angles

our work always has certain messages and we use different imageries to bring their messages over to the public.

MC Most people would be aware that you guys are identical twins and you have probably had every question about this thrown at you already. But outside of working together, do you pursue solo work? Do you still do any pieces separately? If yes, how does this feel not working as a unit together?

Montana Cans

SPOTLIGHT get to know:

HOW & NOSM

HN We don’t ever do pieces alone (laugh).

MC Is it true that you have a love of muscle cars? If this is the case, did this passion arise while living in the USA or was it already in your blood? Are both of you passionate about this or one more than the other?

HN We both have a classic car and at the same time we have met this guy who owns a garage and works on old cars and restores classic cars so he told us how to change motors and fix interiors, everything so… Now we have nice looking classic cars. We don’t get to drive them too often anymore because we’re always busy, but. I mean we did a job for him and he had a few cars for sale and we got into talking about classic cars and became very close friends, we’re still friends and it just was natural that we got into it, I don’t think we had it in our blood but I mean who doesn’t like classic cars? We just had the opportunity to work on them and learn about them and fix them for, well saving a lot of money because our friend has a garage and he has all the tools that we can use. Otherwise you have to pay

How and Nosm, or Raoul and Davide Perré, are identical twin brothers who have become prevalent figures in today's art world with their red, black and white based murals and paintings. Their largescale murals are riddled with intricate detail while staying true to their graffiti roots.

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Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

↘ »Sun-Daze« mural for Street Art 13 curated by Galerie Itinerrance

Interview HowNOSM IN PARIS

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MontAnA Store Vienna 2019 Location Vienna, Austria

Photography Akos Vincze, Leon Colerus

The Montana Store Vienna has played a substantial role in European graffiti history. All-be-it recent history. Since the store’s inception, creation and then opening in 2018, there has been more events, exhibitions, and reasons to create happening with their involvement in Vienna, than happen in most capital cities.

What started as an idea to supply the worlds greatest graffiti products has become so much more.

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↑ The Limited Edition Montana Store Vienna first anniversary birthday can.

A symbol of dedication and passion.

Recap Montana Store Vienna

→ »Felt cute, might delete later«.

Anna T Iron’s playful choice of words kept them guessing.

Recap Montana Store Vienna

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t the core of this successful formula is a strong working relationship between »CONCRETE – The Graffiti Agency«, which has its office on lo­cation at the store. And the team from the Montana Store Vienna itself, that are the suppliers of the full Montana Cans assortment to the CONCRETE crew and beyond. It made sense to work off this synergy. What was probably underestimated in this concept was that with their passion and connection to Austrian and international artists, they were actually going to make ripples in the local art world that would end up as waves in Europe and abroad.

↑ Don‘t bite the hand that feeds you.

Case Maclaim with a confronting mural of massive proportions.

← 1UP crew re-enforcing their position as a international united graffiti power.

With every product line on hand in-store, the MSV earned the reputation of being the most reliable graffiti store in the country.

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Recap Montana Store Vienna

Let’s start at the Limited Collabo Edition of the Montana Store Vienna birthday can. A true symbol of bold­ness and direction, the can made its way into few collections only being available at the MSV first birthday party. With an impact like this, it has already become a sought after collectors can for the spray can collecting die-hards.

The exhibition space excelled with some world-renowned feature artists that brought inter­ national quality graffiti, fine art and street art straight into the doors of the MSV. With subliminal artists like Ed Nightingale, 82Eliote, Interjail and Uptown Danny, Nomad and Ruin, Most and international heavyweight, Felipe Pantone, the quality was outstanding and a barrage of merchandise and limited products went ex­ clu­sively to the MSV’s walls and shelves.

Shelves being the keyword, the MSV’s shelves and racks delivered available Montana Cans product day in, day out. With every product line on hand instore, the MSV earned the reputation of being the most reliable graffiti store in the country.

With all this happening under one roof, it seemed only fitting that the store’s first-year birthday celebration be one of the most major parties Vienna has ever seen featuring worldwide legends like 1 UP, Nychos, JBCB, Lugosis, Strato, Case MaClaim, Anna T-Iron, Walze, and the Spraycity Rotating Wall.

In actual fact, it was too big too put under the MSV roof. »Spray all day, party all night« was the motto as art, music, food, and diversity were celebrated in abundance. Congratulations Montana Store Vienna.

The exhibition space excelled with some worldrenowned feature artists that brought international quality graffiti, fine art and street art straight into the doors of the Montana Store Vienna

↑ A collectors item even before the party came to an end. The striking Montana Store Vienna limited edition 1st anniversary can was only available at the party and MSV.

→ The graffiti community and beyond came from everywhere in Europe to help the MSV team celebrate. ↓ Local and international acts adorned the stage of the MSV 1st anniversary party, rocking crowds of all orientations.

»Spray all day, party all night« was the motto as art, music, food, and diversity were celebrated in abundance Recap Montana Store Vienna

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Edward Nightingale

at Montana Store Vienna

↑ A new classic, Edward Nightingale captures the prize and the imagination of the Viennese train writing scene head-on.

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dward Nightingale has been impressing audiences with his ›in the moment‹ photography for many years now. Nightingale is not just a documentor of graffiti. He is one of the most prolific train writing documentors in the world. Edward Nightingale does not just document finished works. Although this is an integral part of graffiti on trains, Nightingale’s ability to capture a mood and a moment without being outside of it, is second to none. For many writers he is as equally important as the person standing next to them painting the train.

↑ »Von U bis V«, the catalogue for the Edward Nightingale exhibition has become a Viennese art catalogue for eternity.

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For many writers he is as equally important as the person standing next to them painting the train.

»Von U bis V« (From U till V)

With so many actions and moments now framed in eternity, Nightingale was invited to have a solo exhibition at the Montana Store Vienna’s, in house gallery.

The show called »Von U bis V«, opened on October 18th to an inspired audience. With his first visit to Vienna occurring in 2009, Edward Nightingale is somewhat familiar with the local terrain, including the subway system.

The exhibition also featuring a wall sized print of the front of a Vienna Subway car, was also com­ plimented with an exhibition catalogue also titled, »Von U bis V«. With the surrounds of racks full of Montana BLACK, Montana GOLD and Montana WHITE cans, the show seemed right where it needed to be. Each guest leaving with the feeling of having had an insight to a very well documented secret world.

Recap Montana Store Vienna

82Eliote

at Montana Store Vienna

Recap Montana Store Vienna

↑ In action while preparing his show at MSV. 82Eliote showing where graffiti meets abstraction.

↓ No unnecessary color needed. With black and white 82Eliote creates a worldly palette without baggage.

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Boule Paris 13 48

ArtistsReport Street in Focus BOULEVARD The Sobekcis PARIS 13

evard Galerie Itinerrance taking Parisian street art to new heights Profiles www.boulevardparis13.com www.itinerrance.fr @galerie_itinerrance Location Paris, France Photography Montana-Cans / Alexander Krziwanie

Street Report BOULEVARD PARIS 13

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ow often have you read an article where something is claimed to be »taken to new heights«? More often than not it is not meant literally. In the case of the »Boulevard Paris 13« project, it is not only meant symbolically but also literally.

This year Montana-Cans began its support of the project initiated and coordinated by the now-famous Galerie Itinerrance is essentially taking the world-class street and graffiti rooted contemporary artworks that they show and sell, and bringing them to the outside of the white cube (their gallery) onto the streets of the 13th Arrondissement in Paris. For what is now a focal point for Paris‘s street art audience, the region is now known as Paris‘s open-air urban art museum. While in Paris for the event, we were shown around this creative new art precinct by project co­ordinator and Galerie Itinerrance curator, Mehdi.

1 David de la Mano 2 Faile 3 D*Face

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For what is now a focal point for Paris‘s street art audience, the region is now known as Paris‘s open-air urban art museum.

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Street Report BOULEVARD PARIS 13

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Street Report BOULEVARD PARIS 13

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Street Report BOULEVARD PARIS 13

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The scale and gravity of the artworks are immense. Whole apartment building facades spanning over uncountable meterage of wall space are reinvented far beyond its functional role as housing. With international artists such as Shepard Fairey, Invader, D*Face, Seth Globepainter , Conor Harrington, Hush, Daleast, Add Fuel, C215, BTOY, Cryptik, Tristan Eaton, Ethos, Faile, How and Nosm, Inti, Jana&JS, David De La Mano, Maye, M-City, Pantonio, Roa, Sainer, ST4, Stew, and Vhils, this year we had no choice but to visit and see it for ourselves.

Standing aside and watching as participating artist SETH GLOBEPAINTER set to work, his artwork unfolded as we enjoyed the surrounding painted spaces in the classic elegant ambiance that Paris is famous for.

4 Shepard Fairey 5 Inti 6 Invader 7 Shepard Fairey 8 Seth Globepainter

Street Report BOULEVARD PARIS 13

The scale and gravity of the artworks are immense.

Whole apartment building facades spanning over uncountable meterage of wall space are re-invented far beyond its functional role as housing.

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ODEITH VS

the real world 54

Artists in Focus ODEITH

artist Profile IG @odeith

Making the unreal come to life

Regardless of the language a person spoke when growing up, practically everyone has a memory of playing the game »Eye spy with my little eye«. For the portuguese artists ODEITH, this concept was pro­bably not rewarding enough as the selftaught artists matured to create murals of animals that he saw in his mind, that only he could bring to life.

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orn in 1976, at the tender age of 15 he dropped out of school as an untrained self-taught graffiti writer. ODEITH’s path was most likely similar to that of many graffiti artists of his generation. The following years creatively would see him explore classic graffiti lettering until a crucial tur­ ning point in his career came in 2005. Using a tecnique called anamorphosis, ODEITH’s graffiti roots took a drastic swing from letter-based art to the realist portrayal of animals of all forms. This style he pushed, molded and perfected to what he later coined as »Somber 3D«.

Using a technique called anamorphosis, ODEITH’s graffiti roots took a drastic swing from letter-based art to the realist portrayal of animals of all forms.

Artists in Focus ODEITH

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Artists in Focus ODEITH

Artists in Focus ODEITH

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It didn’t take long till his newfound passion of utilizing some of the most difficult and challenging surfaces, angles and perspectives possible made him one of Europe’s most unique public artists. In 2008 his decision to close his tattoo shop and move to London was possibly the moment that ODEITH’s artist profile went global.

Now based in Lisboa, Portugal is not the sole lo­cation of his art. A globe trotter, to say the least, his artworks can be seen on walls all over the planet just as prolifically as in group and solo exhibitions in the same manner. So when you next look at the strange dilapi­ dated corners of abandoned buildings and think to your­self »Eye spy with my little eye« ask yourself what ODEITH may be seeing?

When you next look at the strange dilapidated corners of abandoned buildings and think to yourself »Eye spy with my little eye« ask yourself what ODEITH may be seeing?

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Artists in Focus ODEITH

Montana Cans

ODEITH

SPOTLIGHT get to know:

Sérgio »Odeith« was born in 1976 in Damaia (Portugal).

It was in the mid-1980s when he used a spray can for the first time. He painted some signatures and doo­dles on his neighborhood walls. But only in the mid1990s, Sérgio had his first contact with graffiti, while some graffiti writers painted outside their neighborhood (Carcavelos), where graffiti had a strong movement.

His first experiments were to paint illegally on the street walls and mostly on the railway lines of the Sintra line. The passion he had always shown for drawing found a new purpose. The evolution was impressive due to the dedication to painting large-scale murals in Damaia, Carcavelos, and in many poor neighborhoods of Amadora city.

Artists in Focus ODEITH

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Stadt.

Wand.

Kunst

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Festival Profile IG @stadtwandkunst www.stadt-wand-kunst.de Artist Profiles IG @okudart @czolk @zoonchez @case_maclaim @peeta_ead @quinte55enz @jensrichter.art Photography Montana-Cans / Alexander Krziwanie Location Mannheim, Germany

There are many street art festivals that have popped up in the last 10 years. The time for street artists, muralists, and artists creating public art to shine and prosper has never been better than now.

But what about the locations where these festivals are taking place? Are the residents benefitting from the newly decorated streetscape?

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1 A fear of heights is not an option. OKUDA reaches to the upper areas of his monumental sized mural.

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he Stadt.Wand.Kunst (SWK) festival in Mannheim Germany can clearly say it is the case that the locals are benefitting from the renaissance of their city. Why? Because the locals themselves are identifying with the art­works that are now at home in their urban space. This sense of identity may be good curation, or maybe by chance as the artists themselves come from exceptionally diverse backgrounds.

In 2019 again the mural bar was raised and the city became a better place to be. Or at the very least to look at. Some of the works created in 2019 were by local residents CZOLK and JENS RICHTER, Spanish colorist OKUDA, fellow Spanish artist flying the intercultural flag RUBEN SANCHEZ, Italian 3D illusionist PEETA, the German duo QUINTESSENZ and Frankfurt’s own cultural observer and realist painter CASE MA’CLAIM.

With a growing awareness of street art and mu­ralism increasing in what was once a blue-collar city, the many residents of Mannheim including immigrants can now relate to the images they see on their walls.

Many identify with the messages, motifs or even the colors used by the artist of which some come from the same part of the world that they too originate from.

Recap Stadt.Wand.Kunst

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2 The completed work. »Girlslove«

by Oscar San Miguel a.k.a. OKUDA

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3 The vibrancy of the Montana GOLD color range was the optimum ingredient for OKUDA to exercise his Spanish flair.

4 The artist in front of his work upon completion. Adding a little sunshine to the Mannheim sub­urban environment and to the homes and lives of many residents that inhabit the area.

Recap Stadt.Wand.Kunst

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Recap Stadt.Wand.Kunst

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5 Another completed mural. This time »Intercultural Balance« by Spanish artist Ruben Sanchez aka ZOONCHEZ.

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6 »Fenster zum Hof« by local Mannheim artist and resident, CZOLK. Not only a homage to his city but also to it's music.

7 CZOLK at work, concentrating on some important details of the female figure in his mural.

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8 Relieved and content for a job well done. Ruben Sanchez takes a moment to smile and reflect in front of his completed artwork.

Recap Stadt.Wand.Kunst

With a growing awareness of street art and muralism increasing in what was once a blue-collar city, the many residents of Mannheim including immigrants can now relate to the images they see on their walls.

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9 CASE MACLAIM, depicting societies youth as slaves to technology in his mural »The Pied Piper«.

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10 CASE's use of positive and negative space creates a deception in how big the work really is!

11 Residing in Venice, Italy, PEETA 's work finds itself on some suburban Mannheim architecture that is not at all similar to that of his own neighborhood back home.

12 Something to be proud of, PEETA stands in the Mannheim sun as it bathes on his finished artwork.

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the locals themselves are identifying with the artworks that are now at home in their urban space. This sense of identity may be good curation, or maybe by chance as the artists themselves come from exceptionally diverse backgrounds.

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Recap Stadt.Wand.Kunst

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Recap Stadt.Wand.Kunst

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ContemporAry GrAffiti in the UK More than just the hub of London

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Artist Profiles IG @pref_id @voyder @45rpmwhat

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Location London, UK

PhotogrAphy Jordan Katz / Montana-Cans Voyder 45RPM PREF ID

Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

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Graffiti and its peripheral disciplines happen everywhere, every day, constantly. Some cities are famous for their train scene, others for the mural seen. But in an area as diverse and populated as the UK, there is always a little (or a lot) of everything happening all at once.

With most of its terrain being connected by land, travel is easy and a UK artist can be just as active in the south as they can be in the north at any given time if they can transport themselves from place to place. But there is one epicenter that all gravitate to at some point.

No other city on earth ticks quite like London. And as such, no other creative scene nurtures graffiti, urban art, street art and fine art quite like London does.

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1 Permanent or not, in cities like London where legality is fluid, there are always Halls Of Fame that come and go like this one in Shoreditch.

2 Not dissimilar to any other design or fine art studio, PREF’s workspace does not give away his graffiti heritage.

3 In this homage to the Montana MARBLE EFFECT red color, VOYDER brings illusion to epic proportions.

Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

4 Some of the best places to paint are those that are off the beaten track, as PREF shows here while walking through the inner suburban jungles of London.

7 Using bomb imagery while dropping street bombs.

45RPM can connect the visual dots on the street just as well as in the studio.

5 Inspiration comes in all forms.

You just need to have your eyes open to realize it.

6 Striking, clever and funny. 45RPM’s walking hand design proves that the pink and black color way are always in fashion.

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ut it is not all blue skies and happy days. The many spots surrounding the city’s South and East are cloaked in a blanket of uncertainty. Although there are clear legal open halls of fame, what is one day a legal wall can the following day be a place for on the spot fines and being escorted away. Even this, however, adds to the city’s charm and gives more kudos to those artists that manage to rise above the norm and take their artwork to more openly celebrated spots and later the world.

One of those spots is Shoreditch in East London.

A known meeting point for street art, graffiti, and fine art lovers, if it isn’t the great food and cool bars that get you hooked, then maybe it’s the wall you’ve got to paint that is frequented by the many street art tours with international visitors. All recording your work for instant multiplication online in cities and countries far and wide.

The list of talented writers from the UK could go on for miles and miles. But in a creative hub like London, not everyone stands out. In 2019 we had the chance to get a little closer to three extremely talented writers who are holding the torch up high for UK graffiti.

Those artists were 45RPM, VOYDER and PREF ID.

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Although there are clear legal open halls of fame, what is one day a legal wall can the following day be a place for on the spot fines and being escorted away.

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8 Big Brother watching, or a graffiti artist in disguise getting a photo of their illegal painting?

In his design work, consciously or not 45RPM triggers feelings and emotions from the graffiti game.

9 45RPM extending on the timeless graffiti notion that »everybody’s got their own arrows«

Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

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Take yourself back to 1999. Not quite London but not that far from it either, 45RPM started his quest to merge humor, graffiti and illustration into the unique style that he boasts today. His self confessed, »Goofy Nonsense« not only brightens any surface he graces, but it also brings a smile to your dial as characters interact with the letters he has perfected.

10 Outline, Montana GOLD cans and beverages. The classic combination for a day at the wall. Umbrella's not included.

Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

His self confessed, »Goofy Nonsense« not only brightens any surface he graces, but it also brings a smile to your dial as characters interact with the letters he has perfected 69

The space some writers use to package one word into is for PREF the op­portunity to encapsulate a complete phrase.

11 PREF exhibits confidence and comfort in the materials and tools he uses.

The result, a precision that shines through in triumph on his final artworks.

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12 Although it may say »THE END«, visually it is a beginning. The right phrases and word combinations become the keys to new forms and artworks.

13 With a »less is more« approach, PREF often uses less colors and more tonal variation within the color, or colors used.

With an air of seriousness and a very definite commitment to typography, we also had the privilege to delve into the world of London artist PREF. With twenty plus years of experimentation under his belt, PREF of the ID crew continued amazing onlookers in 2019 with his re-invention of phrases that are cleverly camouflaged within words. The space some writers use to package one word into is for PREF the opportunity to encapsulate a complete phrase. It is not only visually satisfying but also sports a built-in message.

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Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

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With twenty plus years of experimentation under his belt, PREF of the ID crew continued amazing onlookers in 2019 with his reinvention of phrases that are cleverly camouflaged within words.

Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

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14 Graffiti artists spent decades run­ning away from poor quality watery paint. However with the aid of premium quality Montana GOLD TRANSPARENT colors, the contemporary VOYDER knows exactly how to make transparency a winning aesthetic.

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15 Mask, gloves, Montana GOLD and a ladder. The basic must-haves in the VOYDER tool kit.

Originating from the English city of Bristol our next impressive artist VOYDER, took us back to visual mastery of days gone by. Similar to that of renaissance times, in a quiet moment alone he informed us that a 2–3 year hiatus from graffiti was exactly the time he chose to hone his skills with a brush. The result when back on the cans was a transformation from overworked graffiti paintings to precision-based strippedback style. A re-birth of such for him which took him on the path he is on today.

in a quiet moment alone he informed us that a 2–3 year hiatus from graffiti was exactly the time he chose to hone his skills with a brush.

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Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

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Apart from the streets of London themselves, with top-end locations to see art like The Tate Britain, the Tate Modern, BSMT Gallery, and Stolenspace, it is no wonder the city creates such diverse and eclectic talent. Whatever your need for inspiration or the creative period that you are influenced by, London has it all. And for artists like VOYDER, PREF, and 45RPM, the proof is in the pudding.

16 With a keen eye and a solid understanding of composition and scale, VOYDER ex­hibits skills simi­lar to that of a renaissance painter.

Street Report GRAFFITI IN THE UK

Whatever your need for inspiration or the creative period that you are influenced by, London has it all.

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Bring The PAint Profile IG @bring_the_paint

Photography Bring the Paint

Location Leicester, U.K.

Slap bang in the middle of England is the beautiful town of Leicester, which also happens to be the home of the heavy-hitting biannual graffiti and street art event called BRING THE PAINT. 2019 saw the second installment of BTP which was celebrated with an international line up of world classed artists that would make any camera go, »click«. ↑ Innovations stati­ ons as DOES from NL trail blazes through uncharted visual territories. ← The best of both worlds. VOYDER and ACHES push illusion to its limits. → It’s all worth it in the end as the VOYDER and ACHES collaboration starts to take form.

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Recap Bring the Paint

↖ PHILTH exploring the space beyond the letters. → In a return to Bring The Paint, SMUG takes his previous achievements and blows them off the scales. ← Don’t take your self too serious when making art. Or at least not all of the time.

Recap Bring the Paint

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Whether up on ladders, on scissor lifts or at arms length at ground level, Bring The Paint had every type of urban art covered. Classic graffiti letter science rubbed shoulders with paste up’s, street art and muralism. Some of the worlds best have made the journey to Leicester, England, to »Bring The Paint« and their style.

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↑ With ease, Flying Förtress makes the play between illu­ stration, good de­sign and great graffiti look fun. ↓ 45RPM, making a quick get away with his iconic robber character.

Gra ffiti JAm 2019

Recap Bring the Paint

← WON taking over a whole building facade with his fa­ mous Asiatic themed dragon styles. ↙ At Bring The Paint all scales are cove­ red. Whether stan­ ding on terra firma or up a scissor lift at 10 meters. ↓ »Making one for the team«. 1UP sho­ wing it’s not always about the individual.

Recap Bring the Paint

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↖ Cult cinema classic »The Warriors«, gets a Yard Warriors makeover. ↑↑ GENT rises to the occasion making use of some difficult vertical space. ← One of Italy’s favorite train writers BRUS proves he can rock the bricks just as good as he does steel.

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Recap Bring the Paint

↗ HOMBRE brings German efficiency to the game doing a massive one man piece carrying his beloved Montana BLACK cans. → Old meets new.

Classic graffiti and good design a plenty at Bring The Paint.

1UP / 2KOLD (DDS) / ABUZ / ACHES / ALEX RUBES / BOOGIE (TAD SML) / BRUS (SDT) / CORE246 (RM GW NHS) / DEYS (YWS) / DINER (FYS) / DOES / DOWTA (DNF) / DRAX (WD PFB) / FLYING FORTRESS (JBCB) / GENT (48) / HOMBRE (SUK TRS TA) / HOW & NOSM (TATS CRU) / INKIE (KTF ASK KOST (YWS) / LEWSE (ADNS) / N4T4 (NEVER READY) / MONO (FYS) / NOMAD CLAN / OUST (TSP DFN WGS GW) / PHILTH (NEVER READY) RUELO (NFA) / SAM GRUBB / SKANK (NFA) SOKER (ASK) / STOE (SMT) / SMUG / STRAID (FYS YWS) / TASSO (MACLAIM) / VOYDER / WON (ABC) / ZINER (NFA) / ZOMBY (DDS) Recap Bring the Paint

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Introducing Spanish graffiti writer

LAIA Doing it alone in Barcelona artist Profile Artist IG @iamlaia

↑ From markers to spray paint and back.

It’s all one big creative melting pot for Laia. → When you’re Laia and you have got a wall and some spray paint, then you have what you need to create. ↓ Laia’s graffiti roots are the foundation of her ideas. Cartoon characters merge with clever design and raw street edge.

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There are many stereotypes in the world. Graffiti is not exempt from this with lots of unspoken rules and regulations. This is why any contemporary adult writer cringes at the thought of defining an artist by their gender.

Gender doesn’t predict or define good style.

Artists in Focus LAiA

Location Barcelona

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hat stands out from the crowd with Spanish born writer and artist LAIA, is not just that she is a talen­ ted artist with style and concepts that are engaging and aesthetic.

And most of all not that she is fe­male. What is noteworthy and inspi­ ring is that she started this whole graffiti journey alone. Not moving in the security of a crew and not paying attention to any limits or constraints that graffiti culture may carry with it. Apart from graffiti, ignoring negative stereotypes is what LAIA does best.

This free-spirited writer was born in Barcelona in 1984. Still residing in the city, her interest in graffiti was awakened in 1999. The natural progression from bombing to piecing occurred and before long in 2000, the markers in her tool kit were accompanied by spray cans. The then 14-year-old took to the streets alone as she decided she wanted to »get up«.

Artists in Focus LAiA

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Artists in Focus LAiA

In total ignorance and com­plete absence of influences or guidance, LAIA started to master her craft which 20 years on is still part of her daily routine. Although not outgrowing the streets, LAIA also became active in galleries, on­ line and in the studio. What was a city-based thing became an inter­ national affair with participation in Graffiti events and jams taking her through her country and abroad.

As with all dedicated writers, connections become friends and actions strengthen friendships. For this talented Spanish writer, even with 20 years of hard work behind her, the world is her oyster and we are bound to see a whole more.

The then 14-year-old took to the streets alone as she decided she wanted to »get up«.

← As comfortable with a brush and a bottle of Montana ACRYLIC paint as she is with a can and a wall. ↓ Her hand finished printed works take her creative edge onto paper as well.

Artists in Focus LAiA

She started this whole graffiti journey alone. Not moving in the security of a crew and not pay­ing attention to any limits or constraints that graffiti culture may carry with it.

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Artists in Focus OSMAN

No brAkes on this mAchine

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The word OSMAN has nothing in common with a fully loaded train trundling down the line with no brakes. But maybe the Ger­ man graffiti artist »OSMAN« does. This style machine knows no boundaries. In an ever forward moving quest for graffiti innovation, there is almost nothing he hasn't mastered or tried. On this machine, there are no brakes!

riginating out of the German-style mill Stut­tgart, since 1999 OSMAN has been mix­ ing and shaking up letters and words with any tool that comes into his hands. No­thing creatively is taboo except for the sin of not trying.

With just as many countries under his belt as styles, OSMAN’s name is on the honor roles of many crews in­cluding HCCB, DTS, and W2D.

Regardless of whether a painting is a new style, or old, there is always a little something special in the ingredients that are uniquely OSMAN. Whether it be the placement of the tags, some bubbles in the 3D or his creative use of the unique Montana MARBLE Effect cans. His is a style unto its own. Having the op­portunity to see a little snippet of otherwise seldom seen steelworks was one we couldn't pass up. As this machine keeps plowing forward through the fodder of »been there done that« graffiti, we take a moment to analyze this innovator and appreciate what is already buffed.

Artists in Focus OSMAN

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Photography Osman

Location Worldwide

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Artists in Focus OSMAN

Artists in Focus OSMAN

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Artists in Focus OSMAN

Artists in Focus OSMAN

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Making it last on the lines Taking freight train writing seriously with the TCI crew

Location U.S.A.

Photography TCI CREW

Many graffiti movements across the world spawned and multiplied thanks to heavily populated cities with commuter train systems that kept the people moving. For a long time, the freight train system was in the periphery as for those in these cities, their goals and expectations on the metro systems were often not complete­ly achieved before their careers as writers came to an end.

90 Artists in Focus TCI Crew

For many writers in cities without their own city train coverage, the freights were where East met West with everything in between.

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n a country like the U.S.A, the freight train system has even more weight than one would think. It is one of the only ways that all the microcosms of train writing graffiti connect on this massive con­ tinent. For many writers in cities without their own city train coverage, the freights were where East met West with everything in between. The TCI crew originating from Madison WI, are amongst these entities that take the freight train game to the highest level. We were lucky enough to get some words from the horse’s mouth directly to help understand what TCI crew is all about.

↑ At mincto conet ut ommolecte imiligni­ mus. Edit, ulparit as ullesed

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As the freight train graffiti movement got rolling in the early 90’s, styles from both coasts began to arrive in small towns throughout the states. Towns like Madison Wisconsin, where TCI’s Hybrid, Heat, Sever, and Intel were exposed to styles from the likes of Sinister Sein5 out of the Bronx, and Charlie Porno from LA.

The connection freight trains provided was essential in the development of styles, friendships, and networks across the country.

The TCI approach to trains is to execute a production with professional efficiency and to have

The connection freight trains provided was essential in the development of styles, friend­ships, and networks across the country.

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fun while doing it. Every step of the process is well planned as members work together to burn.

Train Champs Inc. embraced the concept of the »End to End« early in the crew’s development. When two writers are painting a train, they share by painting either side and putting TCI over the doors. Combining competitive lettering with elaborate backgrounds and themes are a trademark of the crew as they dominate the lines with a reputation for quality freight train graffiti.

Freight trains are a great surface to paint, but they are constantly exposed to a changing environ­ ment as they travel through the USA. Having a quality spray paint that covers well and doesn’t fade is essen­ tial to making sure our work lasts on the lines.

With quality like this, the future of freight train graffiti looks very bright. With a conceptual approach and a »quality and quantity« result, if you’re in the USA or Canada, there is bound to be a lot more TCI product rolling through your neighborhood in the near future.

TCI TRAIN CHAMPS INCORPORATED Est.1993, Madison WI Freight trains are a great surface to paint, but they are constantly exposed to a changing environment as they travel through the USA. Having a quality spray paint that covers well and doesn’t fade is essential to making sure our work lasts on the lines.

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Artists in Focus TCI Crew

Step Out of the ArenA 2019 1

Location Eindhoven, Netherlands Photography @lukedaduke

Graffiti Jam in Eindhoven For every yin there is a yang.

The Step In The Arena graffiti festival in Eindhoven Netherlands is no exception. Logically the artists that step in the arena need to step out. But there is no half-steppin!

1 Riot1394 keeping it warm with some three dimensional letter trickery.

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2 TelmoMiel abstracting this image of a young female figure.

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Recap Step Out of the Arena

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tep Out Of The Arena (SOOTA) took place shortly after the creative hangers of SITA started to fade.

This time staying in the home of SITA, Eindhoven, SOOTA was like the aftershock to the earth­quake that was SITA. Confused? Don’t be. The artists still hanging around after the main event got together to rock a concept wall that was not located at the SITA site. The Montana GOLD and Montana BLACK cans that were still warm from the days before were at the ready for a color connected afterburner.

3 In progress, NovaDead has Biggie Smalls on the radar for some creative re-invention.

4 Attention to detail.

Even after the main event, Russia's Zmogk took his work equally as seriously.

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5 Reser from Italy making light work of his time away from home.

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Recap Step Out of the Arena

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6 Ladders at full extension as complete wall space is utilized.

7 Jos Hoppenbrouwers keeping the cultures connected with a street version of his Nike Air's.

The Montana GOLD and Montana BLACK cans that were still warm from the days before were at the ready for a color connected afterburner.

8 Pauks flying the Dutch flag with some classic yet contemporary graffiti style writing.

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9 French artist Babs creating some extremely impressive cutting edge contemporary graffiti.

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Recap Step Out of the Arena

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The artists in control of the cans were: Made 514 (ITA), TelmoMiel (NL), Chas (NL),Neist (FR), HrvB (D),Rate (BUL), FatHeat (HUN), Dater (D), Mister (NL), Fleks (NL), Dart (SE), Aroe (UK), Babs (FR), Nilko (FR), Bios (UKR), Zmogk (RUS), Truba (RUS), Novadead (B), Puaks (NL), Saker (ES), Fork (HUN), Beyond (NL), Ceser 87 (ES), Reser (ITA), Riot1394 (D), Norm (D), Fokus (FR), Kush (NL), Jos Hoppenbrouwers (NL), Real (NL), Toren (ES) & Angel26 (HUN)

10 Nilko's work of a street smart gorilla image brought a touch of animalia to the concept.

11 »Stopping all Stations«. Swedish train writer Dart makes a welcomed abnormal stop on the static concrete wall.

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Recap Step Out of the Arena

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Acrylic Series DMOTE

DMOTE

video montana-cans.blog/acrylic-series

↑ Large or small, scale is no issue when transcribing ideas on one substrate or another. ← As »at home« in his studio as he is in the streets, DMOTE hits the black book surrounded by color and ideas.

artist Profile IG @dmoterola

NEW YORK

Photography Jordan Katz / Montana-Cans

It’s been a long time since Australian graffiti artist DMOTE, has actually been based in Australia. It has also been a long time since he was only known as DMOTE. With a bag full of words and brain full of ideas, the title Graffiti Artist is not really enough to encompass the wide array of skills he exercises within his art making practice.

The now New York based artists is still as active as he ever was in the creation of traditional letter based graffiti style writing. His graffiti artwork has come a long way through relentless doing, re-inventing and self reflection.

But so has his fine artwork. A body of work that is hard to compartmentalize. Hard to put in a little box and call it something that everyone understands. For this reason he was the perfect candidate for the Montana-Cans Acrylic Series.

Acrylic Series DMOTE

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n our journey with him, it was clear that it would start where it all began. The streets of New York. With a sent of the city and Montana BLACK and Montana GOLD cans a blaze, DMOTE laid down the fundamentals for what was to become a classic graffiti canvas. And this time with the word SHANK. The ACRYLIC markers and ACRYLIC paint refills were out and shaken, at the ready for creating. A full spectrum of colors were used and DMOTE showed no confusion as he grabbed each color instinctually, placing the right color in the right context for a vibrant yet harmonious color scape.

With a love of robust round tips, he even turned to the Montana Empty Marker products for various application possibilities. With a refill here and some intricate line work there, we soon saw the style master pull the »SHANK« canvas together. Aerosol faded color, juxtaposed against opaque placements served up accurate linear craftsmanship.

Even for the non graffiti initiated, watching DMOTE create is like an enthralling passage of time travel through the origins and future of graffiti style writing. Regardless of which tool he puts in his hands, something impressive always happens.

Watching DMOTE create is like an enthralling passage of time travel through the origins and future of graffiti style writing ↗ »New York, New York big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain‘t always what it seems«.

For DMOTE, a long way from Australia but home never the less. → Anything is possible. Various phases of DMOTE’s artist path composed on paper, cover his studio walls.

Mapping out where he has been and possibly where he could go. →→ SHANK, just one of many alter egos for DMOTE that helped him re-invent himself when arriving in New York, explore new letter possibilities and avoid becoming stagnant.

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Acrylic Series DMOTE

Acrylic Series DMOTE

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AMBER VITTORIA Photography Jordan Katz / Montana-Cans

artist Profile IG @amber_vittoria

Video montana-cans.blog/acrylic-series

NEW YORK The ACRYLIC marker and paint range has done a lot of yards with traditional graffiti artists. Thats why it is even more inspiring when super talented artists not in that discipline take the materials to a whole new level, or better yet a new location. Introducing New York based artist, Amber Vittoria. With an instagram bio sentence stating »Dismantling societal tropes set upon women«, we knew we were going to be in for something special when we invited her to feature in the latest Montana-Cans Acrylic Series film. And Vittoria didn’t disappoint.

↗ Brush work, marker line work and vibrant color. Vittoria‘s work welcomes it all. → Her ability to characterize and yet humanize makes her an ideal candidate for commercial artwork. → → In the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps, Vittoria’s work is a breath of fresh air.

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Acrylic Series AMBER VITTORIA

Acrylic Series AMBER VITTORIA

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ith a client list featuring some international heavy weight brands like NBC, Gucci, Adidas, The New York Times, and Instagram, Vittoria has been tack­ling the subject of the portrayal of women in art for quite some time. Both in her illustration work as well as her fine art work. And with client names like those we mentioned, this engaging subject has a large au­ dience to play with. Including the added dynamic of fashion, she also helps change and challenge stereotypes for the positive in industries that are otherwise loaded with unrealistic portrayals of women. But it doesn’t end there. As an ADC annual award winner, Vittoria is under the world creativity spotlight and seems comfortable with that too. Moving from brush pens to the Montana water-based ACRYLIC marker range was an easy step for Amber Vittoria. The speed of drying, brilliant opacity and coloration, endless possibilities of mixing colors and the varied sizes the marker range gave her to play with, meant it was a thumbs up for making a transition. The extra bonus of being able to use it with brushes and get results as vibrant as any acrylic tube paint made it a no-brainer.

With an assertively feminine touch, her strong bold images are not only easy on the eye, they are also to be taken seriously in their ability to broaden the portrayal of women in society generally. The works often display rounded features, proportional challenges and body hair in the places it normally grows. Which can be a grounding and refreshing experience for the plastic photo-shopped version society is normally served up in glossy magazines. On a recent visit to her New York studio, we were honored to capture a small portion of her creative world on film.

She helps change and challenge stereotypes for the positive in industries that are otherwise loaded with unrealistic portrayals of women.

Ambers works are a grounding and refreshing experience for the plastic photoshopped version society is normally served up in glossy magazines. ↗ At home in her studio, the Montana ACRYLIC marker range is a permanent feature of her desktop. → Wide or fine, all shapes and sizes have their place for Vittoria, just like the woman she portrays in her artwork. →→ Never afraid of color, beyond the visual aesthetics there is always an important message in the artwork.

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Acrylic Series AMBER VITTORIA

Acrylic Series AMBER VITTORIA

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LOW BROS Shaking up the village for METROPOLINK artists Profile IG @low_bros

Festival Profile IG @metropolinkurbanartfestival

Photography Daniel Schreiber / Montana-Cans

The LOW BROS name in this case may not be so accurate. Or at least the LOW part. With nearly every part of their new artwork at the Patrick Henry Village in Mannheim-Germany being elevated off the ground, the festival METROPOLINK is glad they got them out to make things happen.

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Artists in Focus LOW BROS

Artists in Focus LOW BROS

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Artists in Focus LOW BROS

With the sun shining and the Mon­tana GOLD and Montana BLACK cans flowing like the LOW BROS very original ideas themselves, the pillars, frontage and many things in between were up for grabs.

Artists in Focus LOW BROS

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Artists in Focus LOW BROS

Artists in Focus LOW BROS

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Carefully chosen, the LOW BROS re-invented symbols of a lost youth and cooked them up into a post modern, visual soup. Drink brands, Credit card providers, spiritual sym­ bology and of course tennis balls, all got the LOW BROS treatment.

Even a major computer brand was reduced and re-introduced in a whole new context.

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Artists in Focus LOW BROS

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Artists in Focus LOW BROS

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POW! WOW!

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Location Okinawa, Japan

J A P A N 2 0 1 9

Profile @powwowjapan

Photography @gralffic

In 2019 the POW! WOW! event returned to the Asian mega culture, Japan.

Curated and directed by @emiriokamoto, Okinawa was the city that played host to the event making POW! WOW! 2019 a coastal experience.

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1 Denpa proving that black and white is the new colorful.

2 The smell of of the Okinawa salty air was a positive ingredient for making art.

3 Jason Keam throwing everything in the mix.

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4 Tatiana Saurez explores some femininity in a larger than life female figure.

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5 Super Deux adding French flair to the Okinawa streets as his bold opaque characters stand proudly.

Recap POW! WOW! JApan 2019

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eaturing artists such as Jason Keam, Tatiana Saurez, Towmei Kaisen, Luise Ono, Super Deux, Denpa, 123klan, Cab, and Laurence Vallières, the diverse artworks represented a cultural mixing pot of ideas and techniques. It didn’t just stop at art.

The usual festivities were naturally complemented by skateboarding, BMX, dancing and artist talks.

The artworks were a mirror of the color and vibrancy of the event. Excluding those works in black and white by Denpa that were just as dynamic. The beach made a perfect base and backdrop as the final stages of the event were spent by the artists resting by the barbeque listening to the music and waves sooth their creative fatigue. Another great year for POW! WOW! and another exceptional cultural happening for Japan.

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6 123 Klan keeping it graffiti, and keeping it colorful. A classic trademark mural sitting happily in it’s new surrounds.

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7 Laurence Vallières making a unique addition to the artist line up working in predominantly cardboard as apposed to paint.

8 Luise Ono representing Japan with an aesthetic floral composition on a challenging building.

9 Japanese artist Cab adding a touch of illustrative style achieving impact with bold color.

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POW! WOW! Rotterdam 2019 Location Rotterdam, the Netherlands Photography Martine Kiers

MONTANA-CANS X POW! WOW! ROTTERDAM To celebrate the partnership and strengthen the European integration of the POW! WOW! event, Montana Cans released a Limited Edition Collabo Series can in honor of the event. The vibrant green litho sporting the classic POW! WOW!, logo was complimented by the number one used color in the Montana GOLD range, Shock Black! As with all the POW! WOW! collabo series cans before it, they were only available at the event.

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The POW! WOW! festival made a success landing on its maiden voyage in Europe 2018 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Although the first edition was a success, more than 10.000 visitors one year later proved that POW! WOW! Rotterdam is here to stay. With its heavy artillary of Graffiti, Muralism, Hip Hop culture and live music, the Afrikaanderpark and the surrounding Afrikaanderwijk played host to an array of sensory delights.

Considering the main day was Sunday 15th of September, a week before the event saw both the participating artists and plenty of street wandering street art enthusiasts flooding into city to watch art happen.

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1 Size does matter, even if it’s small.

SLINKACHU making big waves with little art.

2 SMOK’s floating artwork on a Rotterdam boat.

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Profile @powwowrotterdam

Recap POW! WOW! Rotterdam 2019

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he artist line up was as strong as the name POW! WOW! itself. With a Montana GOLD in one hand and a Montana BLACK in the other, the artworks were again broken into two programs. The murals were covered by DANNY RUMBL, DOURONE, DIDIER JABA MATHIEU, HELEN PROCTOR, MURMURE, NINA VALKHOFF, SAID KINOS, SMOK, SMUG, SUPER A, TELMO MIEL, WOES, SLINKACHU and SPENCER LITTLE. 3

3 Super A at work re-inventing Pinocchio for a modern audience.

4 Telmo Miel and Smug join forces to create what is now judged by www.widewalls.ch as the »Most Beauti­ful Mural of 2019«!

5 Didier Jaba Mathieu taking out a whole facade with ease.

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6 The finished mural.

Super A wraps modernity over tradition with his giant Pinocchio homage.

7 Edoardo Trionfera aka Dodici bringing some festive illustration to the mural game.

8 Murmure’s amazing plastic bag floats gracefully over this buildings side.

9 A welcomed break in the monotony, Spencer Little explores his sculptural linear artwork on the light poles of Rotterdam.

More than 10,000 visitors one year later proved that POW! WOW! Rotterdam is here to stay.

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And to continue the theme of the »20 VANS 30 CANS« project, artists AVOID010, BILLY COLOURS, BIER EN BROOD, CHAS, DZIA, FELEON, ILLUSTRATOR DANNY, JAWGEM, KARSKI and BEYOND, KLAAS LAGEWEG, LEVI JACOBS, MINA, MR. JUNE, NAAMLOOOZZ, NNAMARI, NOLART, OTTOGRAPH, OX ALIEN, SOGO SHOW, SR. PAPÁ CHANGO, TALIB, STEPHAN BONTJE and VENOUR, were all called in to transform the moving targets. All in all the event went on with an positivity and without a hitch.

11 12 9 Artist duo Dourone pack a punch with their vibrant and figurative mural.

10 Said Kinos making sure typography got a good runwas well represented in an international artist line-up displaying many disciplines.

11 Native Dutch letter master Chas making light work of a van.

12 One of many vans receiving an artist makeover at the 2019 POW! WOW! Rotterdam event.

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From mainland U.S.A and beyond 122

Street Report Greetings Tour

→ Starting at 14 feet off the ground, ladders were not an option on this mural. ↓ Always welcomed by onlookers, the GREETINGS TOUR murals connect the cultural threads of local residents. Even when in Bermuda.

ArtistS Profile IG @greetingstour Photography Beggs Location USA

Street Report Greetings Tour

Victor Ving and Lisa Beggs know what it means to be uncomfortable. They have been living out of an RV since 2015 when they departed from their then city of residence, New York. The years proceeding have seen them travel through their beloved mainland the United States and beyond, on what is possibly one of the most unique projects of its kind.

The »GREETINGS TOUR«.

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eminiscing on the classic American »GREETINGS FROM …« postcards of years gone by, Ving (the artist) and Beggs (the photographer) have been traveling together from state to state creating murals in this exact same theme. Adding a touch of contemporary relevance and a sense of belonging for all the residents in the communities these murals have been painted in.

In each state, the duo has cre­­ated »GREETINGS FROM« murals that feature contemporary local icons, landmarks, and historical artifacts. In every case, they leave what was a relatively lull wall space with an impressive mural that brightens the landscape and offers a sense of pride for those lucky enough to live around it.

← GREETINGS FROM Moab, Utah. Too hot to sleep in the RV, Ving and Beggs were offered one week free in air conditioned luxury at the Bowen Motel, the site of the mural.

↑ The GREETINGS TOUR travels through nearly every type of terrain. Each location offering ingredients for the next mural.

They leave what was a relatively lull wall space with an impressive mural that brightens the landscape and offers a sense of pride for those lucky enough to live around it.

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Street Report Greetings Tour

← The much loved RV. The workhorse of the tour as mobile home, studio and garage all in one. ↓ The seascapes of Bermuda and endless source of inspiration.

Never a dull moment for Lisa Beggs and Victor Ving.

↑ Reliability and quality, the Montana GOLD never lets the team down. Even available in colors made for the location.

BERMUDA BLUE, as used in Bermuda.

With approximately 41 murals in over 21 states, the prime goal for Ving and Beggs in this project is to cover at least one »GREETINGS FROM« mural in every state of the USA.

Amongst many locations, in 2019 Ving and Beggs managed to get the RV van over the seas to the coastal island of Bermuda. Or at least symbolically speaking as the need to fly meant being committed to a booked travel itinerary and being finished on time to catch the flights home.

With approximately 41 murals in over 21 states, the prime goal for Ving and Beggs in this project is to cover at least one »GREETINGS FROM« mural in every state of the USA. With 9.834.000 km² of possible surface area to cover, we will enjoy watching the GREETINGS TOUR unfold over the coming years.

Street Report Greetings Tour

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Street Report Greetings Tour

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MontAnA Cans German Quality Spray paint

Photography Daniel Schreiber / Montana-Cans LOcation Heidelberg, Germany

The machine behind the brand – There are many destinations in Germany that tourists savor as »must do’s« on their travel itinerary. Visiting the office headquarters of a supplier is not normally high on the priority list. But this is not the case if the offices your visiting is that of Montana-Cans.

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Insight MONTANA-CANS

↑ Every product has its origin. Often not looking anything like the final product on the shelves, in store.

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↓ Compromise is not an option.There can be hundreds of formula’s for any given product before it ever comes to market.

here is a lot that goes on behind the scenes at Montana-Cans before any product ever reaches the end-users. In a picturesque quaint little city tucked away in the valleys spanning around the Neckar river, Heidelberg is where the head office is located and happens to be the original town where Montana-Cans came to life. In a historic residence in a tree-lined street, here the thinktank behind the brand Montana-Cans takes care of daily business and looks after customers with direct and personal service all over the world.

At second glance, it is obvious that this is not where the manufacturing magic happens. But the factory is only a short ride away by train or car with the Neckar river flowing gracefully aside you, through the green valleys and hills which stretch as far as the eye can see. Upon arrival at the main production site in the peaceful little Oden-Wald town of Haßmersheim, within seconds it is noticeable of the proud relationship between parent company Motip Dupli and daughter company, Montana-Cans. Artworks and photographs of all Montana orientations are strewn throughout the complexes buildings and offices.

← MADE IN GERMANY. This means something to each and every person working with Montana-Cans.

Not excluding the latest technologies used for precision manufacturing.

Heidelberg is actually one of Germany’s humming graffiti and creative hubs and the original town of which Montana-Cans was born Insight MONTANA-CANS

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Insight MONTANA-CANS

← Caps and valves play a large role in the performance, handling and output of a spray can. Extensive testing is undergone to ensure the right combination is found for all aerosol products.

↓ You can’t cut corners in color. The sun will call your bluff each time. At Montana-Cans we use only premium quality, European made pigments. Proven to resist even the hardest of UV exposure.

Insight MONTANA-CANS

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Insight MONTANA-CANS

← The Montana-Cans Warehouse has the perfect balance of space, efficiency and safety. Always filled to optimal capacity, this is a space that is a pleasure to move around for all those working in it.

→ It’s not just about the cans. In the Montana-Cans Warehouse every single item in our assortment is ready to go at all times.

With precision and care, goods here are picked and packed for transport to distributors and stores all over the globe. ↓ Fresh out the box: the new limited edition Montana BLACK Artist Series can featuring DEMS.

The pristine grounds of Motip Dupli are a buzz of activity. Between the chirping of birds in the shrubs and trees along the Eco Path, the sound of electric ve­hicles transporting products and raw materials from building to building and workers moving from space to space, show that German efficiency is well and truly at work. But this is not by accident, Motip Dupli’s has worked hard to achieve a quality management sys­tem certification ISO EN9001 and an environmen­tal management system certification to the level of ISO EN 14001.

The large, quiet buildings, hold within them the production heart of the Montana-Cans aerosol range.

On multiple well oiled modern production lines, cans are electronically sent on their path under human assis­ tance from empty container to premium quality German spray paint. At the blink of an eye, thousands of cans whizz by as they are boxed and loaded for their next destination, the Montana-Cans Warehouse.

The Montana-Cans Warehouse is the hub within the hub for the full Montana-Cans assortment. Here all products are stored, processed and doc­umented in preparation for the most important journey of all, to our customers. The solid in house team of Montana-Cans pickers and packers move with ease from position to position in one of the most modern aerosol warehouses available. With precision and care, goods here are picked and packed for transport to distributors and stores all over the globe.

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↑ A vision of beauty.

Even when unfilled, the empty Montana BLACK can litho is inspiring and enticing.

A true symbol of our graffiti roots.

↓ The Montana-Cans ULTRAWIDE can, first of its type, best of its kind.

With castles perched on hill­ tops and the scent of trees and nature blowing in the wind, it’s hard to fathom how they can actually get any work done. But as is proven in over 70 countries worldwide, they do.

With a slight tilt of the head, there is no escaping the light glowing from the Montana-Cans Showroom which sits humbly over the Montana-Cans warehouse with a view of the products below it. The ideal space for distributors and store owners, the showroom is the ultimate display of the full Montana-Cans product range as would be on everyone’s wish lists. The inviting space also caters for meetings, testing, and creative brainstorming.

With all this action going on, it is often frightening when you stop and realize how beautiful the surroundings really are. With castles perched on hilltops and the scent of trees and nature blowing in the wind, it's hard to fathom how they can actually get any work done. But as is proven in over 70 countries worldwide, they do.

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Insight MONTANA-CANS

↓ The path for a Montana-Cans aerosol can is one of precision and efficiency.

Traveling on the most modern of production lines ensures quality and consistency every time.

Insight MONTANA-CANS

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photography by edward nightingale

MONTANA-CANS #Germanspraypaint

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Imprint

LOOKBOOK 020 Media owner and publisher: MONTANA-CANS Editorial Staff: MONTANA-CANS Editorial design & Art direction: Matter Of (MO-P-061) Alexander Krziwanie (MONTANA-CANS) Texts: René Van Kan Special thanks to all contributing artists & partners!

Cover Photo: Sobekcis in Belgrade, Serbia © Carlo Kohal

© 2020, MONTANA-CANS All rights reserved.

Reprinting, even in part, only with the approval of the publisher. No liability can be accepted for unsolicited photos, slides, films or manuscripts received.

MONTANA-CANS Häusserstraße 36 69115 Heidelberg Deutschland Ph: +49 (0) 6221 36 333 0 info@montana-cans.com WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM WWW.MONTANA-CANS.BLOG

LOOKBOOK / EDITION #05 / 2020 WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM