issue4 stkrs.stncls.strtart. [art in public spaces]
FOUR stinking
DOLLARS
issue 4 spring 2005
Film Review Public Discourse 4
Tokyo's Postmodern Sticker Culture 5 by Scot Orser
The Yellow Dog 8
Jon Burgerman 10
more art, more interviews, more better.
20mg: Visual Narcotics 12
In this issue we review the documentary film,
Mike Clark 14
me love 16
ABOVE 20
Klutch 24
Zoltron 28
Stickerthrow! Gallery Review 30
Stickers You Sent 32
Megan Miller's Sticky Art 35
logokill by Patch
Thanks for picking up the 4th issue of PEELzine. If you’re one of the handful of people who collected the first three issues, you’ll notice that if you lay them all face down and side by side, the backs will form the PEELzine logo... neat. Hopefully, you’ll also notice we’ve improved the quality with each issue, making this our best yet. More full color,
Public Discourse, examine Tokyo’s Postmodern Sticker Culture, hear from several sticker / stencil / street artists and check out their work, recap Stickerthrow! 2004, showcase some readers’ stickers, display some of the top entries in the Sticker Nation, Sticker Robot, PEELzine sticker design competition including Michael Slack’s winning entry Mini Zombie (included in this bagged copy), and hear from Megan Miller about her project Sticky Art. (whew) If that’s not enough, we also have feedback from you, our readers. So...tell us how we’re doing. Our goal is to continue to produce a quality publication that you can dig. Email dave@peelzine.com or holly@peelzine.com with your comments and we’ll print selected letters in the next issue. PEELzine is published almost quarterly by Dave & Holly Combs. Office of publication: 1727 North Coolidge Avenue Indianapolis IN 46219 USA
All photographs artwork and images in this publication are the property of their respective creators, and used with permission.
Sticker Design Competition 33
Public Discourse
a film by Brad Downey, Quenell Jones and Tim Hansberry reviewed by Dave Combs
We are the people who make up this city. I’m gonna show my presence. Swoon Entering the stairwell and heading for the roof, rollers and buckets in hand, Public Discourse sets out to take viewers on a bombing tour of the city. Unsteady camera work, occasional night mode filming, and spontaneous dialog all contribute to the feeling of being present on several secret excursions during which some of today’s most prolific artists reveal street tested techniques for “getting over”. Tips like how to get stencils to stay in place for spraying even in adverse conditions, keeping wheatpaste from freezing during winter postering, and temporary fixtures designed for getting extra height to create out-of-reach installations are all included in this diverse 46 minute exposé. In addition to some excellent street footage there are also candid interviews with artists such as Swoon, JJ Veronis, Desa, Shepard Fairey, Verbs, Nato and others. Some of my favorite moments in the film were Nato’s enthusiastic primer on graffiti art from throwups to top-to-bottoms and his theory of choosing a name. “I can’t front, you gotta have a good fuckin’ name”, and ,”Getting bagged sucks”, are some of Nato’s memorable words of wisdom that every fledgling street artist should take to heart.
One of this film’s greatest strengths is that it presents the evolution of street art beginning with its roots of style writing in the 70’s through today’s many various forms of visual expression ranging from the simplest sticker to the most elaborately welded sculpture/installation. Throughout the film, there is conspicuously little heard from street art’s detractors. I was sincerely hoping for at least one interview with a public official or other individual with an outsider’s perspective to express the counterpoint in the Public Discourse. While watching the film, I was reminded of Bernie Jacobs’ immortal line from Style Wars, “Is that an artform? I don’t know, I’m not an art critic, but I can sure as hell tell you it’s a crime.” The absence of counterpoint makes this Discourse a little one-sided. All in all, the film’s strengths far outweigh any criticism I can offer. Public Discourse represents solid documentary filmmaking from cinematography to editing to sound mixing. I highly recommend this film to every street art enthusiast. If you haven’t seen it, don’t wait another minute. Contact Video Data Bank online at www.vdb.org or call 312.345.3550 to rent or purchase your copy. Pz
Tokyo’s
Postmodern
Sticker Culture
by Scot Orser
There are many ways to experience and enjoy art wherever you go. One way is to visit an art gallery where you receive the art in a manner controlled by the artist. The art is on the wall, protected from hands, and carries a price tag. On the opposite side of the spectrum, street art is a very hands on medium in which participation is free for all. One can spray over, rip down, or cover up whatever is within arm’s reach. Gallery art stays indoors protected with glass and controlled lighting whereas street art fades and changes over time. These differences are analogous to the differences in modernism and post-modernism, where the former is made to last, and the latter is made to change. In most urban centers there is a sticker art culture. But what separates Tokyo is that the entire city is always in flux reflecting a broad mindset that is post-modern at its core. These ideas flow vigorously into a vibrant tag and sticker culture that is strange and colorful, and is brimming with excitement.
To the casual observer the wall
may just be covered with junk, or noise, but a closer examination reveals emerging themes and microcosms. Artist’s signatures continually evolve bouncing new ideas off one another without any face-to-face contact. These taggers copy or anticopy to differentiate themselves among their peers. Hello stickers and
shipping labels come in all forms from pre-printed vinyl to hand written with a marker. These artists alter their style, constantly drawing from images of their childhood to current television shows. All these factors boil down to one common element: identity. The more stickers up, the more established the identity becomes leading to a broader appeal and respect within the sticker community.
This respect eventually reaches a
level of wide notoriety on the brink of pop culture. These artists usually find a motif that works and stick with it keeping its core true to form. Their designs often achieve worldwide recognition by many sticker enthusiasts. These designs become personalities unto themselves and only copy from within creating a feedback loop that results in recognition from only one symbol.
The road to artistic success has
never been so direct as it is with today’s sticker culture. The street art scene has become influential enough to trickle its way into media and also come full circle back into the art galleries. Using public space as canvas has forced the masses to look at street art willingly or unwillingly. The results are an unconscious awareness of its presence. This awareness is what perpetuates this medium in our post-modern society. comments or questions are welcome. pushtaktix@gmail.com
The Yellow Dog
theyellowdog.net
The main challenge, I think, is to find the right balance between artistic work and "paying bills" work. I studied graphic design, so I have all the skills to handle any kind of commercial work. Making some commissioned projects is what pays my bills these days. The main difference is that in the past, I had a fixed work journey (in my case, 8 hours a day). Artistic work had to be done through the night. Now I can be an artist in daylight, too.
You've recently decided to become a full time artist. What are the benefits and challenges associated with this change in status... (how do you eat?)
The project started in April 2002.
When was the yellow dog born?
That's a good question. For short term, a new website and definitely some new stickers. For long term, there are so many paths to follow... I'm starting to paint some dogs on canvas, panels, walls... I'm enjoying very much to do this. But my most important objective now is to produce as many free stickers as I can and keep on spreading the dog to the people. Pz
What's in the future for the yellow dog?
A lot of tricks, and he's always surprising me with new possibilities.
What tricks does the yellow dog know?
My first idea was to make the dog a kind of "street sign with life". I first thought about Yellow or Orange, I ended up keeping with yellow. It grabs more attention, and it's more joyful. Another reason is that yellow is a sign-like color. You know, in the city we see lots of things painted yellow... curbs, signs, plates, etc.
Why Yellow?
Who are your favorite artists? (street or otherwise)
jonburgerman.com How long have you been doodling? Probably since I could hold a pencil. My Mum encouraged me to draw, my teachers at school didn't - in the end the doodling won.
I like 'em all.. well almost. I like loads - do I have to name them now? I always worried I spell peoples names wrong. I like artists who draw. I am less keen on those who reproduce the same logo / motif again and again with little variation. That's as bad as advertising logos.. Big up's the scrawlers, drawers, noodlers and doodlers..
Why don't you quit doodling and do something serious and boring like everyone else? Good question. I don't think I've got the right mind-set and attitude to do something serious and boring. I tried working in an office and just ended up doodling all day (that and sleeping, surfing on the 'net and stealing biros). It'd be nice to be able to concentrate on normal things but my peanut brain just can't cope - it needs a fantasy land to escape into, somewhere far far away from here.
How have your style and techniques evolved or progressed over time? The more time you spend working the more you'll hone your skills. I think, or hope, my drawings have become a little tighter and more clinical over time. I like to try working (and thinking) in different ways so I don't become too proficient in any one way of doing anything - that way I can stay fresh and make all those cool mistakes you make when first starting out doing something. Mistakes are good. What are your future plans for your work?
What about street art inspires you most? The talent - there's so much of it about. It's like people having their ideas and work building up inside of them and having no other outlet for release - so it just bursts out onto the streets. You see amazing pieces, really beautifully crafted works and not only are they so well executed but they're also upside down under a bridge, or 15 stories up on the side of a derelict building. It's people doodling all over the cites because they're not serious and boring like everyone else..
I don't know really - more doodles in more places with more pens. I'd be happy with that. With whom would you like to collaborate given the opportunity? Someone really good at making animations, videos and 3D stuff. I'd love to make more animations but learning the computer programs is like being back at school. Numbers! Maths! A third dimension! It requires a part of my brain that's been neglected for too long. Maybe I should write a lonely arts column to find the perfect animating partner... Pz
What is/are Visual Narcotics?
20mg:
Visual Narcotics
Visual Narcotics is a street art project started about 5 years ago primarily in response to the massive amounts of advertising and other media battling for attention in our public spaces. The name "Visual Narcotics" is in reference to the bombardment of images directed at us by the mass media. Just like a narcotic, these images are intended to make us feel and act a certain way, only to leave our minds numb. The project's main goal is to raise awareness of this phenomenon and to question the influence of our media saturated environment.
“Don’t buy into anything without some question.�
Aren't projects like yours and street art in general eventually absorbed by mass media ultimately becoming just another aesthetic used to sell products and influence thinking? Well, I like to think there's a difference between street art and street ads. But in this world everything is for sale, even art. So in a world of commodities, I think we need to inform ourselves by researching the intentions behind what it is we're buying or buying into. Then we can make intelligent choices as to what we let influence us or more importantly spend money on. Is the process avoidable? Unfortunately, I guess not. But that's alright because there will always be great street art out there, you just might have to look a little deeper to find it.
Why do you choose to work in black & white or red & black? Well honestly, I started working in black & white and then in red, black & white just because that's all I could afford to have printed. But then I noticed that those colors work well on the streets. Cost is definitely still a factor for me, but the boldness of that color scheme really helps it stand out among all the other distractions on the streets. Besides participating in street art, how can individuals challenge the mass-media machine? The best way that everyone can "fight" the "mass media machine" is to stay informed and aware of your environment and the influences surrounding you. Don't buy into anything without some question. Do you envision a dramatic revolution? A slow gradual awakening? Something in between? Well, I don't know if I really see any kind of revolution. We will always have the mass media. In the future there will only be more media and more ways to advertise to us. But like I said before, I just hope people will become aware and question the intentions behind the media's message before they buy into something. So I guess I see more of a gradual awakening if anything. But, one thing you have to keep in mind, is that the mass media is always changing and finding new ways to intrude. So we will have to keep changing too and continually stay informed. So I see more of a gradual but continuously changing awakening. What are your plans for the future? I want to continue expanding this project. With it I'd like to break all the bounds of the mass media. I want to use their same tools to explore new and different ways of getting it out there. Through this I hope to continue reaching a wider audience and see just how many places Visual Narcotics can show up where it's not supposed to be. Get another dose at: 20mg.com
Pz
PEELzine set out to find the
mysterious and enigmatic artist known only as ABO VE.
The following is a photojournal of the journey: In Pursuit of ABOVE
Cleveland: Dirty and smoggy. Had a fun time at night walking around. Talked with some Armenian lady who gave me a Red Bull...whatever.
Pittsburgh: Rainy. Cops and male prostitutes. Moving on...
Chicago: Windy. Wrigleyville. Friendly people. Burritos. Yummy. San Francisco: Overcast weather. Sunny afternoons. Rich color. Dealers and junkies. Cool people on upper haight street.
Get over at www.goabove.com
A few of the 2,000 stickers hand stenciled by ABOVE for this issue.
Seattle: Space needle. Cops. Junkies. Coffee. Color. Waterfront. Music. Clubs.
Klutch: profile of a Vinyl Killer. Intense colors, intricate patterns, splatters, drips, and figures, sometimes disturbingly lifelike describe the work of the Portland-based artist known as Klutch. PEELzine had the opportunity to catch a glimpse into the mind of the man behind all that vinyl. Here’s what he had to say... Is your art influenced by any certain music? Definitely. Ever since elementary school I have always been and continue to be hugely influenced by music. My stereo gets turned on with my morning coffee and goes off with the lights at bedtime. Which band(s)/artist(s)? A list of the bands/artists I am into would fill your whole zine. These days Coldcut's Solid Steel radio shows get the most play around my house. I have about 50 of them and am always adding to the collection. The genre mashing reminds of radio when I was a kid in the 70's and you could hear Alice Cooper followed by Curtis Mayfield. What inspires you in your work? Street artists everywhere. Initially it was being exposed to abstract graffiti in the mid 80's, then it was SF during the 90's which again changed my view of graffiti. Now with places like Wooster Collective showcasing what is happening worldwide I find something amazing almost everyday. How long have you been stenciling? I did some band names on jackets and other stuff on skate ditches around 1984-85 but only a few times. Years later I would see a few around SF, and was aware of Seth Tobocman and WW3, but overall I didn't really pay much attention to stencils. I was into a different phase of my life back then but at the same I was super into everything else happening in the Bay Area graffiti and street art wise. Finally in 2001 while ski bumming in BC, Canada I hooked up with Ape7 from Sydney, Australia. He showed me some of his stencil work and inspired me to pick it back up. When I returned to Portland that spring I read Banksy's tutorial, made one, became super stoked on stenciling, and haven't stopped since. What do you do when you're not making art? Backcountry snowboarding is pretty much my number one passion and doing art is secondary. But since winter is only a few short months I do a lot more spraying than riding. Other interests include traveling with my wife. I am also a book junkie with a particular weakness for art and old skating books. Sometimes I work but I really try to keep my needs simple so that it is kept to a minimum. Why do you stencil on records? Originally I was doing a painting of a turntable and had traced around a record with an oil stick. While waiting for the oil stick to dry I painted the record just to pass the time and was stoked the result. I have always been into painting found items and was doing a lot of broken skate decks so records just seemed to be a natural progression. As soon as I did that first one it was obvious that they were a great medium. Old records are free or really cheap, work equally well on the street or in a gallery, are easy to store and ship, and they just look really cool hanging on the wall. What have you been doing to promote the medium of stencils on vinyl? So far I have put together two group shows of vinyl paintings from around the world which have been huge hits. After participating in the Negative Spaces show in SF, and inspired by all the cool shows happening in Australia, I put the first VK show together because I wanted something cool to do in Portland. Almost immediately it totally blew up to over 60 artists and it was pretty crazy to take on that many people for the first show I ever put together. But it all went great and almost immediately people were wanting a follow up.
This year we expanded a bit to 4 days, over 100 artists, 2 venues, painting a van, a picnic, and a fundraiser for a kid's teaching garden. Several of the artists from both coasts traveled in for the shows and all the hard work paid off with a great time for all involved. I have also been pushing to schoolchildren and have helped two art teachers introduce vinyl to their students. One cool aspect of this is that most of the kids had never seen a record before and may never have otherwise. What would you change about the stencil art movement? Squash the ego inflation and competition. What's good about it in your opinion? Stenciling is pretty easy to do and just about anyone who wants to can quickly become pretty good. What are your future plans for... Vinyl Killers? The whole vibe of the Vinyl Killers shows has been about showcasing vinyl painting as a medium and a community. That is the spirit that I want to keep alive and still find ways to take it to more people and to other cities. Several people have approached me about wanting to join together and we are talking about ways to make it all happen. The other thing that I am trying to put together is to have the VK site become a PHP upload site. Then everyone around the world can add their vinyl work and we can build a document of the whole VK movement. It might help to spark things even further by providing a showcase for others without having to wait for and be selected for any future VK shows. It looks promising that we can have it added soon, hopefully early 2005. Other shows? For the winter I plan to retreat to the mountains for a break and then come back swinging in the spring. Painting in the rain and cold sucks so bad and riding powder is so much fun that it isn't a very difficult choice to make. I already have a couple of cool things lined up for early spring to work towards and have no intent of slowing down. Your own work? To hook up a real workspace. Making things in the backyard is pretty limited especially when it rains which in Portland is most of the time. Do you have any tips or tricks you'd be nice enough to share with aspiring artists just getting started? Handle your biz and don't kill no kids. And, go to www.woostercollective.com, do a search for Magmo The Destroyer's 5 Tips, and read it everyday. Definitely the best advice you will ever get about art, street or otherwise. Pz www.klutch.org / www.vinylkillers.com
I AM ZOLTRON... What is the origin of Zoltron? I was playing basketball and this Greek guy with two black eyes and a waxed chest got the game winning lay up. He grabbed the board, slammed the ball at the ground a screamed some inaudible victory howl. A kid that was watching kind of mumbled "Holy Zoltron.." We all laughed. It had to be the company name. Other ideas were, "Genghis Khan Cook Graphix", "Burn Again Christian Press," and "Inebriated Assistant Industries," but in the end I think Zoltron was the right call. What are Zoltron's powers/secret weapons? Can spackle a fence post at the speed of light. What's your paste recipe? 1 part heavy duty wallpaper paste 2 parts clear acrylic faux glaze Some water and elmers glue to texture Ring of invisibility (if applicable)
Is Sticker Robot Zoltron's arch-enemy? What's the story on the Robot? Sticker Robot is Zoltron's albino sidekick. We've been running stickers for so long, eventually we just decided to print our own. Everyone was hitting us up to print theirs as well, so we came up with the full color gang run thing, where we take everyone's orders every week and run one set of film, one set of screens and print 1000 sheets. Since we don't charge for set up or extra colors or anything, people have been going nuts.
We launched the site and pretty soon we were running 30,000 or 40,000 stickers a week. It's been insane. Recently, we hired a group of replicants to man the machines and by abusing the state's child labor laws, we end up doing pretty well. Plans for the Sticker Robot Casino/BBQ are in the works.
What does the future hold for Zoltron? The long term plan is to take over the world. In the meantime, we're doing a bunch of random websites and print gigs, and all the while pasting giant demonized images of Evil Dick and his sidekick, W. Got a cool project going right now called
"The Robot Assemblage Street Sign Enhancement Kit." Teaming up with Parskid, Mars-1, DAVe, D*Face, we're creating a limited edition run of Sticker Packs. These guys came up with some sick designs. Should be pretty heavy. The idea is to continue the series with other artists and eventually compete with PokĂŠmon. Pz www.zoltron.com
International sticker art gallery exhibition Stickerthrow! held at KCDC Skateshop in NYC and hosted by Abe Lincoln Jr. and AnerA was a huge success. Sticker enthusiasts, curiosity seekers, and casual observers alike turned out in droves to catch a glimpse of the freshest work by many of today’s hottest artists and a number of up and comers all displayed side by side in a somewhat traditional gallery setting.
In addition to numerous panels of sticker art from more than fifty international artists was a giant interactive sticker wall which allowed viewers to actively participate in the exhibit by adding stickers at will to the dynamically morphing composition. The sticker wall lended an uncontrolled element of chance to the show that is typically found only in the street and almost never in a gallery setting. Watching individuals select a sticker,
consider placement, and slap it up on the wall was for me the highlight of the show. There was an almost tangible sense that we were participating in something revolutionary. Several months before the show, Abe and AnerA sent out an open call for artists to send in stickers. The response was overwhelming, and thousands of stickers came in from across the globe. All those stickers were free for the
taking and by the end of the opening many were gone or had been added to the wall. If you slept on Stickerthrow! 2004 you missed a truly great event but you can still get a copy of the program featuring work from several of the show’s participants. Hit up www.comixpress.com and search Stickerthrow to order your copy and visit www.stickerthrow.tk for more pics and info.
"just having fun with it ya know, putting it out there, sending stuff to as many shows/people/etc. as I can. I just want to spread the word and see what happens... just knowing the stickers are getting outside my immediate area and shared with others is pretty cool!" marco san diego choose your own adventure
Sticker Design Competition
First Place: Mini Zombie by Michael Slack
PEELzine teamed up with Sticker Nation, Sticker Robot, Sticker Switch, and several other generous sponsors to bring you the biggest sticker design competition we could dream up. After sorting through thousands of entries, we voted for our favorites and here are the results. The winner, Michael Slack, received 2,000 stickers of his design printed by Sticker Robot, free stickerpacks from StickerSwitch.com, Bomit.com, PinPops of his design and tons of other prizes. The second place winner, Kaneda, received 1,000 stickers of his design printed by Sticker Robot, PinPops of his design and other prizes. This was a great competition. Big ups to all the participants and congratulations to the winners!
2nd Place: aaah! by Kaneda
3rd Place: Eyelifting by BORT
Tell us we rule. Tell us we suck. Tell us something... Bravo on your third issue of Peel. I have successfully collected all three now and am very impressed. Its wonderful to have a straight up street art mag, with no distractions at all. Don’t get me wrong, I love music and hot chicks, but its good to get focused and read about what it really comes down to, the art form. Please keep up the good work and I look forward to the next issue. Sars from Seattle Today I got the peelzine 3. I was really impressed. It’s a good job you guys are doing. This is the first time I get the mag, so I have a few comments. First of all I think you guys should dedicate a page or two to the less known and popular, yet great artist out there. You should go around your own city or check out stickernation.net or ask people to send in pictures of street art that isn’t popular. I believe that there are too many artist out there that have as much a right to be in your zine as the ones that are already mentioned, but never get the recognition that they deserve. I know you are busy and you cant put everyone in the mag, but just dedicate one or two pages to the unknown. Some artist go out on the internet tell everyone about themselves etc. but there are some that don’t even have access to the internet or a camera. Do you see where I’m gettin at? To be honest I have seen almost all of the street art that you included in this zine. I would much rather pay to see something that I haven’t seen before. Peace sergey www.s-a-k.org Just wanted to let you know that the zines arrived last week, and they're amazing! Totally beautiful stuff, I took them into art college to show some friends yesterday and they all loved them. So, thanks very much & I'm looking forward to reading the next issue! take care Kate Your stupid mag sucks ass. Nobody reads it except the moron artists who are in it. I use the pages to line my birdcage. (some jerk pretending to be) DAVe