XTR!!! How the heck are you? I’m fine, thanks. Hope you’re doing rad as well. What’s cooking w/ DXTR’s Laboratory? Awesomesauce as always! Where you at right now? I recently moved to Berlin and started working in a new studio with my friends, Look and Vidam, from Peachbeach. When’d this all start for you? I got introduced to graffiti in ’99, when I was sixteen. And thanks to graffiti, I discovered the illustration/ design world. Later on, I focused more and more on characters, canvases and classical typography.
How’d school help along the way? I studied communication design in Düsseldorf a while back… It helped me to concentrate on style, technique and my freelance business. It also gave me the time to grow and learn what I wanted to do with my art. So it was definitely the right decision to study this kind of stuff. At what point did you decide that this was what you wanted to do w/ your life? When I used to paint a lot of graffiti back in the early 00s, two friends and I opened up a shop for cans, clothes and things. Around that time I’d already finished school and decided that all I wanted to do was paint. How do you feel about your decision now? Best decision I ever made. I have the privilege to do what I love, 24/7. Of course it’s a lot of work, and not every project is a dream to work on, but I really enjoy what I’m doing. How would you actually describe what you do for a living? I’m a freelance illustrator and artist. I create weird worlds for clothing, skate, snowboard and other companies. Besides that, I do a lot of public work and free stuff for exhibitions. What are the benefits of being self-employed? The ability to decide what kind of clients and projects I want to work with, and the freedom to work whenever it suits me best. Are there any drawbacks? Sure. It’s a lot more work than the usual nine to five job, I always have my projects in mind and I can never really switch off my thoughts about this stuff. But I can absolutely live with that—I prefer this kind of lifestyle. Often I realize, when I have some free time, that I’m doing the same stuff as when I’m working in the studio anyhow. What have you learned along the way? To preserve my inner child. Any regrets? Nope.
Would you describe your work/awesome-booming-color-slabbed-out-psychedelic-awesomeness as being an extension of self? [laughs] Good question... Somehow, yes. I think drawing and painting are always a reflection of self. What’s your largest piece to date? The largest piece was a commission in ’04 that I did. It was a building with eight floors, the homie Mikro and I covered all four sites. The biggest free piece was in the Ukraine last year, four floors total. How much time is spent in preparation on something like that? This really depends on what exactly you’re doing. In the
Ukraine, for example, I just sketched in front of the wall and started directly. I had total freedom on the building, so everything went a bit faster. They gave me something like three or four days to paint that piece. Any plans on going any bigger? Sure, the bigger the better! Just give me the wall :) The Hangover Book was illin’, when’s your next book gonna drop? I did a very dark and mysterious graphic novel a while back called Le Pendu - The
Hanged Man, and it seems that it’s finally gonna release soon—but I have no date for now. What’s new w/ your crew, “The Weird”? This year we’ve all been concentrating a bit on our own stuff. The last two years have been super rad though—loads of travels and collaborative murals. But you can expect to see some massive collaborations coming up this year as well. How’d that all come about? Most of us (there’s ten total) have been friends for years now. In ’11, Nychos invited us to a festival in his hometown of Vienna and we painted a few
nice walls together. We all do character based stuff and it just felt right from the beginning. Painting with these guys is really inspiring, plus we have loads of fun while spending time together. After that great week in Vienna, I invited most of them to a small festival in Oberhausen, and we had the same idea that we’d had after Vienna, to start a new crew. And from then on, “The Weird” was born. It’s about once a year that you guys are hitting the road? We try to catch up whenever possible... It’s mostly during summertime, we meet each other at several festivals throughout the world. Most of the time it’s not the whole gang, but we keep working together as much as we can. Once a year we arrange a big “The Weird” exhibition—last year it was in Switzerland, before that, Berlin. When’s the next? We are working on some gigs at the moment. Never talk about something unless its 100% confirmed—that’s what I’ve learned over the last few years. Where you off to next? I’ll go east again this year, I guess... I’ve always had fun painting in Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine and all those countries. Would you describe your trips as a being a “24-hour-party-zone”, or more of a “business-attack-mode” type of deal? More or less 50/50. We party a lot, but we also focus on our paintings. Through all of your travels, is there any one thing that you wish you could relive? There are loads of experiences I wish I could relive. Painting gives me the opportunity to see all these kinds of places and countries I might not have seen otherwise. I have made a lot of friends throughout the world. For example, Ukraine was pretty cool last year… And our crew trip to Detroit was absolutely massive! Tirana,
the capitol of Albania, was pretty crazy. There’s almost no graffiti anywhere, and after a day of painting in the streets everyone wanted us to paint their houses and gave us something to eat or drink. We felt very welcome over there. It was definitely a new experience regarding the police/authorities and acceptance of graffiti as compared to Germany. I really like to travel, meet new people and see new places. Talk about exposure—you had that “DXTR x Amnesty International” full-billboard-status running in Times Square!!! How’d that feel for you? That was pretty crazy! A great honor. And it was also really fun to work with those guys—they gave me a lot of creative freedom. What was the response like? Massive! Besides over six-hundred thousand people who signed the petition and loads of people taking part in the rally on Times Square, the event got news coverage at Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, MTV, ZDF, EFE News Agency and Kyodo News America. I received a nice thank you letter from Amnesty, plus they told me that all those network stations came up to Times Square because of the huge graphics that teased them. That’s crazy though, riiight—that “Weapons have fewer global trade regulations than bananas?”!? Absolutely! Enough bullets are made each year to kill everyone on the planet, twice over. Armed violence kills more than two thousand people every day. The arms treaty got approved at the United Nations Conference, so it’s great to see the work is helping somehow—even if just a little bit. But the arms debate is barely on the public’s radar… There’s still a long way to go. What’s it like working w/ Nike?
Working for Nike is always a pleasure. Somehow, they’ve been the best client I’ve worked with until now. They treat you right, they know exactly what they want and I have the creative freedom to create illustrations that I can be proud of afterwards. Kudos to Chris, Wylie and all the others! Any upcoming shows or exhibitions? Yup, showing some new works in Düsseldorf this May, having a show in France (May as well) and we’re working on a big “The Weird” show this summer. How do you feel about all that you have achieved so far? I’m very thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had so far, and I’m glad that everything has worked out so well for me. You never know what can happen in five years, but I have very positive feelings about the future. What’s next? Same as it ever was—a mixture of client work and free stuff for exhibitions, etc. Keep your eyes open. Any shout-outs? Big shout-outs to my fellas of “The Weird Crew”.
shkan!!! What’s going down? Not much, working on some new projects and a big fashion collaboration. When are you at your best? When the right source material collides with the right idea—then all is magic. Who’s all this for? For me! Collage making is my therapy, a way to escape reality, and at the same time, understand it. Have you received the responses you’d expected? Yeah, I think so. Does that matter? No, not at all. When is it appropriate to veil one’s true inten-
tion? That is a tricky one! Some of my projects are more conceptual, so I try not to reveal much about them and let the viewer decide what they see without being too direct or to the point. But some of my other projects, like American still life, are just too delicate and controversial—so they need more explanation. At what age did you start to create? When I was four, I think... My mother always motivated me to create from an early age. When are you finished? There is no finishing anymore… Once you find something you love in life, you better just keep doing it until you die. And in the process, try to keep getting better and better. Perfect exists, but we’re never supposed to reach it. Can human nature be manipulated into a more mundane state? No. Maybe by force? Would that serve mankind well? No and yes! There are many human emotions and characteristics that could be improved upon if we could replace them with a mundane state. What can be said of you from your work? The work I create stands on its own (at least that’s what I’m aiming for). I see myself as just a vessel, not really the creator. It doesn’t start with me— maybe it just flows through me... The subjects I work with are close to me, and I feel for them on a personal level. How about you? For the last few years I’ve felt like
a scientist working in his lab—trying to understand the universe and how everything works, focusing on human nature and history. When did you make up your mind? I think that gradually happened over time, organically. It wasn’t that I woke up one morning and thought to start working on these themes... In a way, they found me. What emphasis is placed upon beauty in your daily life? Beauty is a personal matter. For me, beauty is in things that many others do not see (or want to see, for that matter).
How do you plan on becoming better over time? I would like to use the word grow instead of better. And the only way to grow is simple; just keep doing what you do, day in and day out. Every project you start should be your best project ever! Who would you most like to reach? No one specifically. Any upcoming shows or exhibitions? Yes, two collage group shows in NY and Montreal, and a solo show in LA later this year. How do you feel about all that you have achieved so far? I have long way to go, but so far I’m pretty happy with the results. What’s next? Expect to see some more fashion collaborations.
rill!!! Aye, that’s me. What’s going on? Not much… Just doing work, chilling and doing shows—riding the waves of life right now. First things first, when’s Jigsaww gonna drop? Good question. I haven’t really decided yet... I’ve been making a lot of music lately, so I’m sitting on a bunch of music that nobody’s heard yet and tryna figure out what to do with it all. I think things are going in a
direction I like. I might release some other shit before Jigsaww even peaks its head. What direction do you see that project taking? A very dark and twisted journey through my head... It’s jagged and unhappy, but it makes you wanna go crazy in the best way possible. Who do you got on production? Most of it right now is my homie, LIZ, from Chicago. Then there’s some SoundCloud homies that I’ve been fuckin’ with for a minute now. And even some new ones that I recently connected with, but we’ll see what ends up happening with that. You’d also mentioned that you’re “sitting on a bunch of music nobody’s heard yet”, what’s up w/ that? Yeah, I’m approaching almost thirty songs that I’ve got gathering since I dropped Lucille13. It’s just more material to add to my catalog. I do a variety of shit—I write, I let beats take me places and this is what ends up happen-
ing. So now we just gotta figure out what to do with it all. And the crew/label, Dojo Dungeon, how’s everyone there? That’s all family... We’ve been good. I feel like everybody’s been finding themselves and reinventing their sounds. Just do whatever you want and lets fuck music up. We’ve been doing it since day one and we haven’t stopped since. Do you have a defined creative process towards new material, or does it stem more so from the interconnected ebb and flow of life around you? Yeah, it’s kind of more of a life thing... I mean, I know how I write, but I always try and twist out and do some other shit. It’s like painting with a different medium or something... Writing a different style of non-fiction, really. You have conversations with people and think about speech patterns and all types of other shit... Outta nowhere you have ten tracks about how weird life is. How do you handle challenge? Think about it a bunch. Then figure out the best attack. How much of your life is invested into creating your own reality? All of it. When I don’t have to be around people, I’m somewhere else. But it’s my life that allows me to create the alternate world that I write about. When are you really being “you”? All the time. If it’s at work, shows, writing by myself, with family, friends—all that. It’s too
hard to try and put on faces and do dumb shit like that. I am who I is. You either like it or you don’t. Through recreational drug use, what have you learned from yourself? I’ve learned that I’m a perfectionist, and that I have been put here to create. When did you really start to stand out from your peers? Hmm, well... When you’re one of five or six black kids in your grade it’s not too hard. I was always the cool kid that was good at a bunch of shit and was friends with everybody. I think by high school was when that happened... Have you ever quit being yourself? In my head, I’ve been the same eight-year-old kid that liked school and rode his blue bike around the apartment complex he grew up in. Somehow that’s just developed into what I am now. What changes are you currently focused on making? Moving away from my hometown and starting my life for real. I really want to tour and take this music shit to a different level. Niggas ain’t scared to journey out and see what life is about. I’m ready to take it by the horns and show people what I’m about through this music. Do you believe in coincidence? Yes. Who are you? The only me to ever exist in life. How has that changed? Time. Just getting older and experiencing what the world has to offer. Is that more or less so w/ music? I’m starting to find that I’ve been low-key chronicling my life through my writing. I just see the different stages of where I was at when I listen to it—and I’m just like, “Yeah, I was doing that when I wrote this. This song
was when…” So the music has become crucial to it all too. What would like your peers to feel through your music? Life. We all experience most of the same feelings, and that can be communicated through music. Everybody loves music and it’s the best way to connect humans. If they can listen to it and have a thought, laugh, cry, memory, whatever—I’m good. How does it feel having influence over others? I don’t know. I’d rather have somebody tell me how it makes them feel, if that’s the case. I think it’s just that I have the confidence to be vulnerable in front of people, and that resonates with everybody. How would you like to extend that influence? I want that to be in Europe, Japan and anywhere else... Across the states, in some eighth graders headphones in Iceland, a Harvard professor’s iPad—I want to be everywhere. Explain the hype you get on stage rockin’ a show? It’s the best shit ever. I get to be a kid for like thirty/forty-five minutes with my homie, Polifino—and nobody can say or do shit to me. Does anything else compare? There’s maybe some things that are up there with it, but it’s its own beast. Is it still breakfast if it’s 6pm? Breakfast is infinite. Any upcoming shows or exhibitions? Yeah, I’m doing Mates Fest Jr. in my hometown, a show at a writing exhibition thingy and hopefully touring in June. How do you feel about all that you have achieved so far?
It’s kinda weird—I didn’t think I’d be doing an interview at this point in my life, or for people in other countries to be letting me write to their beats. I’m just curious where it’s about to be in the next eight years. What’s next? More music, tour, move and link up somewhere to do this shit full-time. Any shout-outs? Yeah, shout-outs to my mom, and to my grandma (who’s about to be eighty this month).
eong!!!! Who are you? I’m an Illustrator from South Korea, living and working in Berlin. Why do you do what you do? When I was a kid I drew all the time— much more than I do now. I also made all my own toys, dolls, houses, puzzles, picture books and comics. I feel all this was my start to what I’m doing now. Would you feel like any less of a person if you didn’t? I don’t know… I’ve never really had any ambitions other than to be an artist. Has your best ever not been good enough? I always feel like my best is not good enough. How does this make you feel? It’s why I try and do new things again and again. What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Myself. What do you want to become? A person who can draw and make my story for my entire life—and thus, can experiment over and over again, and learn new things. How do you plan on getting there? By quitting smoking and playing sports. How did you get here today? In South Korea, I worked as graphic designer for a few years. Unfortunately, this job didn’t make me happy, but I had to try and do what I’d always wanted to do. So I then decided to move to Berlin and study illustration at the Berlin University of the Arts. I graduated last year in May. What would you go back and change if you could? My starting smoking as a teenager. How much of yourself do you pour into each piece? It’s always different.
Does color dictate shape and form, or does shape and form dictate color? For me, I allow colour to dictate shape and form. And that’s because I like overprinting, like silkscreening or risography. The process I use often relies on overprinting two colours to create a third colour. I’ve found that by using one warm colour and one cool colour, that they will both sit very well together, and create a strong and dramatic mix colour when they overlap. How is your life better w/ art? I think it’s important to do things for and by myself—not so much for clients and other people. I know what I’m doing and will continue doing so. Any upcoming shows or exhibitions? I just showed my last book, Chicken or Beef, at the Leipzig Book Fair, because I got a prize for the graphics and printing in it. What’s next? Currently, I’m working on a new book. It’s going to be a surreal journey type of story. I’m very curious and excited on how it will all turn out.
ack!!!! Whatups! How’s it going? Good, thanks. It is a sunny day! What are you doing right now? Sitting at my desk. Although, I do not think we will finish this before I go out, so who knows where we will end up... Have you decided what you want to do w/ your life? I think so, but I have a lot of work to do before I get there. The next step for me is to gain a master’s degree. Where do you find the most enjoyment from your work? The happy accidents… And by keeping
an open approach to new things. I like learning new programs and techniques by not really knowing what I am doing at first. For instance, right now I am learning Processing—so keep an eye out for some new things. Does your opinion of what your work is about differ from that of your audience? No. I think, for the most part, people get the main themes within my work. What are you trying to accomplish? I would like to have a positive affect on people with my work, open them up to new ideas and hope they continue to explore the world because of them. But on a selfish note, I would really like to spend some time on the International Space Station... There really should be some kind of artist residency program up there. What’s your poison of choice? I have a few different themes and types of outcome I work in. Usually it is either JPEGs or GIFs, depending on what mood I am in, and how quickly I want to get an idea out. What do you do to push yourself through? Beer. Does that enable your growth as an artist? Most definitely. Every time. How does Jack IRL compare to your online persona? I would say they are quite similar. Where are you when creating? Well, the beauty of a laptop is that I can be anywhere… I don’t feel as if I need a dedicated space to work in. I like to work while I travel. I think move-
ment is good for creation. Is technology the answer? I think a lot of people feel technology should be able to save them in some way, or make their lives easier without any questions asked. How do you see the prolonged effects of technology manifesting through mankind? I hope there will be no “haves” and “have nots” when it comes to the prolonged effects—no one wants to end up in some kind of dystopian future. On that note, you all should read The World We Made, by Alex McKay. What is right w/ this generation? A lot of people are pulling for some kind of utopia, and investing time and energy into getting there. Everyone is becoming more aware of each other on a global scale and realizing that their choices do, in fact, have global effects. Any upcoming shows or exhibitions? For now, I’m working on mostly online projects and shows, as I feel working IRL can be very wasteful... There is already so much art, etc. IRL. How do you feel about all that you have achieved so far? I feel good about it, but think I have a lot further to go. I need more time each day.
Any shout-outs? Everyone URL‌ Global.
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I been in the game for about eight years now and have come to find out how grimy the business is. I don’t take it as serious anymore—I just have fun with it. Now I’ve heard you mention that you’d served in the Armed Forces—how ’d that instilled discipline manifest itself through your desire to succeed? I served in the military for six years. I joined when I was seventeen, and went to Iraq at nineteen. It really made me grow up quick and be more independent. How has your perception of reality changed since? Shit is fucked up in this world. Here in America, we really don’t know how good we’ve got it. Would you say that you value life more so now than before? Yeah, and not just from the military... In my city it seems like everyday somebody is getting shot and killed. I’m just glad to be here. Who’s consistently had your back over the years? Man, so many people… But if I had to pick one person, it would definitely have to be my brother, SdotPdot Designs. He’s had my back since day one.
Do you have everything you want? Well, it is getting kinda warm—I could definitely use a pool in my backyard. A few million dollars would be cool too... Do you have everything you need? Most definitely. Is music always a release? Most of the time… I also like to workout and get my swole on. When it does become work, how do you maintain?
I hope it never becomes that—I don’t even want to think about doing music as work. Any upcoming shows or exhibitions? Not at the moment. What’s next? I’m getting started on a new solo album— it’s gonna be a lot more in-depth and personal. Any shout-outs? Shout-outs to anybody rockin’ with me! Much love!