George Mathen on the Relevance of Graffiti in India

Q: So tell us about yourself?

G: I'm not a graffiti artist - I do comics - graphic novels. And I paint walls in pubs - you know the old Mojos? And I play drums with this band.

Q: How did they contact you?

G: They just called me. I came because of the money scene. 

Q: What do you think about graffiti in India?

G: Nobody knows about the graffiti scene in India - there is no scene. But graffiti has become a very Indie thing - a very cool thing - all pubs want that. I first painted in a Bombay pub - the Ghetto. I used to ape western graffiti - now I have a style of my own. My version is a mix of street art and art from music albums and poster. I don't want to call it graffiti at all. I pulled elements from Stones also - don't like it too much - they don't light it too well.

Q: The lack of literature in graffiti here - is that a loss?

G: Why is the voice not there? We face this in many issues here. Our public is very preoccupied with earning a living. This is expensive paint. I prefer to use brushes. Stuff inside malls and showrooms - you don't want it to smell. So water based is the best. We face this in my band also. Rock music - is present here more than graffiti - but it's not really thriving. All the style's on the cover. Behind that we're all hammering walls. Graffiti - if it didn't evolve - it needn't evolve. So why do we need it?

Q: But graffiti is about subliminal messages and speaking out...

G: It's always a kind of vandalism, which is why it's so cool with big brands now. It's become a cult. I work for Fastrack . They do a very expensive shoot with a model and say "revolution." WHat revolution? I'm making money, I'm happy. I don't want to promote graffiti. I'm doing art only  - when I SAY it's graffiti - I get buyers. With these guys I have to create IMPACT.

Q: So you label it graffiti so that it sells?

G: It's already sold. My 20th store is open now - on for three years. Everybody wants to be young, wants to be adventurous, wants to be edgy. They'll give you a totally designed retail space, with freshly neatly painted walls, a blue floor - nowhere does it say adventurous, young, edgy. Then I come in and do the paintings there.

Q: So how do they find you?

G: They approach me because they've seen my work in Bombay. 

Q: But what about the buses they're painting here - each artist is getting only one side of a bus to paint on - 

G: I didn't like the idea so I'm not doing the bus.

Q: So are there more artists like you?

G: Very few people do all the pub painting. I work from home - I've got too much time - I don't want to waste my time.

Shilo on Street Art

Q: How did you get into street art?

S: In the beginning? For me, my mother's an artist - we have art in my house non-stop. I was tired of seeing art in my house and complaining how bad the walls are in Bangalore.  Wall art is os two kinds - either it's paid work - or pro bono community art. Where you interact with people, have fun. 

Q: So you have no experience in vandalism?

S: No - that's not true - my group is called the Vandals in Sandals. I've come to a conclusion about why there's no graffiti in India. There aren't any spray paints like this.

Q: What time is best for graffiti?

S: 5 o'clock in the morning. At night they're all looking out for drunken people. 

Q: What do you think about this project?

S: This is quite interesting - brings two things together - art on the street but not necessarily. (?)

Q: SO how did you get into street art in particular?

S: This has excited me for a long time. I've alway wanted to get back to street art. EVen while I was in Srishti - but Khoya took over completely. The first thing I did when I came out was to go back into the street. 

Q: What do you think of your art being on a bus?

S: That's really sweet. Everybody has different styles. Also, this is my first time using spray paints. It's quite exciting. I'm also painting at the train station. 

Q: What is it like painting in this place?

S: I've been doing lots of walls with kids - and even though I set out doingthis bus myself - I ended up collaborating with the people who spray the buses - they're all hidden artists. This guy sprays the blues on the buses. Lots of guys helped with the outlines, getting water for the paint. They showed me their portfolios. They've drawn Rajnikant. And I asked someone to paint lines with me. He said: "yeh toh bahut sukoon ka kaam hai."  They say they just get bored painting the buses a single colour.

Q: WHat kind of paints are you using?

S: Mostly spray paint cans they've brought. The base is the usual paint the use on buses. Robert only used BMTC paints. 

Q: What's the route to get permission for street art?

S: It's a bit of a mix. First wall I did was on litigation. We didn't have permission. After we painted, someone spray painted over it. So we were excited - there's some dialogue happening. That unused space became an art gallery - Rococo? They carefully panted around our painting. It's been a mixed experience. Once cops came after us - fun. We had got permission from the guy who owned the wall. He was a tailor and we were going to paint scissors and all on the wall. But the neighbours across the road started yelling at us and called the cops. This was a wall at Shantinagar. When we called the tailor, he said ok, if he doesn't want it, I don't want it. So we had to run before the cops came. The best thing is when people come and join us from the streets. Those rose girls on Church Street -These are the most special things for me. I don't really care about getting my work out there - my work is already out there - it doesn't matter now. Doesn't matter what it looks like in the end. Wallflower was a breath of fresh air. No this thing - that thing - no rules. You realize how afraid people are of actually painting a wall. It's a good thing for people to say - we'll just paint the wall red and see.

A Conversation with Graffiti Artist Hendrik Biekirch

Q: When did you start and how is it going?

H: I made the first lines the day before yesterday. I'm doing the light and shadow now - the dark and light bits - tomorrow I will add highlights.

Q: How does it feel to work at this scale?

H: If it's a legal project - there is a difference from the stuff you do at night - you can't see beyond a certain height - scale. You can only do this at daytime. So I wnated to do something big.

Q: What do you think about this location?

H: The wall has a completely devastated rundown air - it has a lot of history.

Q: What do you feel about art meant for a  public space?

H: It's different from work in a white cube setup. People will look at your art from a short distance. In a public space passers by will see only large scale work. You have to use a different language. You have only a few seconds to convey your art to a passer by. 

Q: How has the experience changed over the years?

H: When I first started I immediately felt that this is what I want to do. After twenty years I still feel the same joy. Let's see what's more to come.

Q: Do you always work in black and white?

H: Nowadays I stick to black and white. Especially here when there's so much colour around. It pops out. Emotion and expression is better when you do not have colour - that attracts attention. 99% of my portraits are black and white - it's better for the overall pitch and expression. Greys help to define the three dimensional quality of the face.

Q: What kinds of paint do you use?

H: A mixture. The black and the ark grey is spray paint. The medum and the light is paint. 

Q: How does it feel in India?

H: This is really busy. The main streets in Germany are not crowded. The people here are fantastic. They help keep scooters away, bring me water. It can't get better.

Q: Who's face is it?

H: It's no one in particular. Lots of people say he looks like myself. I have to...

I wanted to make someone who's not getting the point - kind of an ignorant look. But you can only tell how it will look when it's finished.

Q: How do you translate the idea into large scale?

H: I first sketch the idea, then develop it from there. 

Q: Do you have an idea before you see the space?

H: No, this idea is for THS special point. 

Q: Do you use text?

H: Most of the time I add text. Right now I don't know what to write.

Q: What was your first piece like?

H: My first pieces - paintings - were New York influenced writing.

Q: How did you get into graffiti art?

H: Usual story - as a teenager I used words to express myself. 

Q: Where did the shift come for you?

H: In terms of approach, I wouldn't say it changed so much over the last 20 years. It's still about the laughter, the soul you put into it. The circumstances have changed - my approach is the same.

Q: How much do graffiti artists communicate with each other?

H: Even before internet and cellphones - art movements worldwide - were well connected. People would travel, stay in contact, send pictures by snail mail. Nowadays the internet and email has made it faster.

Q: How many countries have you painted in?

H: I've been to a few, I would say.

Q: Are there differences, country to country?

H: Yes - but mainly it's because of streets - street life is street life. Streets are the same. The interesting part of traveling is taking inspiration from the spot you're painting in. Taking the surfaces as big as they come.

Q: How did you start off?

H: I started spray painting in '89. I used to do drawings as a kid. That's some thing that's always been with me. 

Q: What would be your advice for someone who wants to start?

H: Just go for it!

Q: WHat sort of relationship do you have with the art world - with galleries?

H: I do have a gallery in the States - they sell my art there. There are also a few in Europe. 

Q: So you're going to Korea after this?

H: Yes, my last big project was in New York, then in St. Petersburg - now India. 

Q: Do you do any other kind of art?

H: Canvas work I do - sketches from a person - then transfer to canvas.

Q: How do you make your art fit the space?

H: In a public space, I have to fit the face to the given space. The space is a square setup - so the face is kind of square. I wanted to keep the background as it is. If it's a new wall I paint it a dark colour, but because it's got so many stories to tell - I left it untouched. So the painting is more like a sticker.

Q: How much more time will you spend on it?

H: There's still quite a lot of work left. I'm here for two more weeks. I also want to paint a bus, so I will try to finish this as fast as I can. 

Q: Have you tried any other form of art?

H: I have done some sculpturing, but would consider myself - painting is my main sphere.

Q: Was getting permission for this wall difficult?

H: I actually wanted to paint another wall - a big wall in the next street - it's twice this high. But I didn't get permission. So we do get "NO"s as well.

Q: Has it become easier over the years?

H: I think it's kind of easier.

Bangalore Gallery Notes

Crimson - the Art Resource (Silloo and Naozar Daruwalla)

Hatworks Boulevard

32, Cunningham Road

1. The Cunningham Road space is the second location for Crimson.

2. The first location was on Infantry Road, at Safina Plaza.

3. Naozar Daruwalla is an artist - and the two of them had exhibited a few shows here and there at the Taj, West End, etc. when Mr. Safal from Safina Plaza approached them with the idea of opening a gallery at the plaza. This was in 1989.

4. It is a bad time for the art market now - especially corporate buyers have dried up.

5. The gallery is one long well-lit room with plenty of natural light, in an old Bangalore house with Mangalore tiles on the roof - which were being replaced when we went there. All the art was subsequently stacked in the reception room, which had hardly any walking space besides.

6. Silloo Daruwalla feels that lighting is most important for a gallery - especially natural light. They were blessed with "super" natural light at Safina plaza - as well as at their current location. It would be lovely to be able to change around lighting with every show - but the budget constraints of running a gallery prevents this. Specific lighting is not as important for an exhibition of paintings as t is for an installation or performance art. A basement space would not be a good idea for a gallery, because of lighting issues. There are new galleries being opened in buildings like warehouses, especially in Delhi, and it is her personal opinion that these places don't work because there is no natural light.  

7. The gallery picks the artists they want to exhibit - and if the show is a multiple-artist show, the theme is picked to thread together the works of the artists picked, and not the other way around.

8. Running a gallery is a very expensive venture. There was an art boom a few years back when every housewife thought that running a gallery would be a good business. But it isn't - it's very difficult -  there are economic problems. 

9. When you're running a gallery you're doing everything for the artist - brochures, exhibition, publicity. It's expensive. You can't afford to advertise the gallery - because your profit margin is next to nothing.

10. They depend on the press, magazine articles and their online presence for their advertising. 

Renaissance Gallerie

1. It's a tiny room, with walls that were white-washed a few years ago - and not too much natural lighting. There is a reception desk by the door with computer. 

2. Renaissance was started by Shreen Malani in 1993.

3. They exhibit art by consignment for famous artists and have rental shows for upcoming artists. They do not charge any commission on the sales.

4. They charge 25,000 for five days for rental shows - and sometimes club artists together into group shows.

5. the art stock they keep is work by famous artists.

6. Artists can get in touch with the gallery - where the gallery does a basic screening process with the work.

7. There are press listings to publicize exhibitions. One newspaper will cover each show in an article. The gallery invites 300 clients. Gallery bears all costs - except the rental.

8. The lighting is nothing special. There are small racks, one at the front display window and one at the back for holding small sculptures.

9. The art market is "really dull and down" right now. But it's supposed to pick up this March.

10. The receptionist(Fauzi) has a huge scrapbook of press cuttings with her - that cover every time the gallery or the owner has come in the news. She is a page 3 personality, in Fauzi's words. And every show opens with a gala affair, including food and entertainment at a five star hotel.

11. The rental shows were started only after the art market crashed. Before this they were only dealing with consignments.

12.the area the gallery is in is a posh area - there are many walk-ins, especially in the evening.

13. the gallery donates half the proceeds from non-rental charity shows to charity organizations. 

The Alliance Francaise Gallery Space

1. The gallery at the Alliance Francaise is in the atrium space - so one can do an entire circuit of each exhibition.

2. The artwork is displayed along the circuit on the walls, or in the central pit, sometimes on easels. The walls have hanging space and they use hooks, tracks etc. to hang the paintings at eye-level. The second floor also has space to put up work.

3. Different artists hang up their art differently - some level them from the bottom, some space them out haphazardly.

4. Their are special lights for the gallery space, designed by a French architect - bulbs hanging off the ceiling - some artists like them, some don't: they say the lights hit the eye - and they prefer using spotlights on their work. Natural lighting is used in the mornings - the atrium is a well-lit space. Saves electricity.

5. Each show is put up differently. Joseph, the technical co-ordinator, has been here for 33 years. There are two assistants to help with putting up an exhibition. Sometimes the artist gets worried that nothing has been done - and that they may not finish on time - but are then surprised at the speed at which the exhibition is finally put up.

6. The space puts up exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, architectural plans, etc. College final year exhibitions have been held at the Alliance - as well as the all-India Architecture Exhibitions.

7. Different kinds of artists exhibit their work at the Alliance - there are commercial artists as well as "serious hardworking" artists.

8. The artists bring their own contacts - and these people may buy their art. One does not display work at the Alliance to get buyers. Newspapers advertise each exhibition and critique the art.

9. Before, the gallery was inside where the auditorium is today - there was a partition down the centre of the hall with the gallery on one side and a hall on the other. It was the director's idea to create on large theatre - and the gallery was subsequently shifted here. This was 15-20 years ago.

10. The disadvantage of the space is that there is very little security - the Alliance Francaise is an open friendly space where anyone can walk in - and this atmosphere is encouraged at the cost of reducing security. There was a suggestion that a locked grill be placed at the entrance of the gallery but since this would compromise the open friendly nature of the space, the idea was shot down. A guard must be present at all times to ensure the safety of the displayed work.

11. The work is screened by the administration - but anyone can display the work. Some work is rejected because of insensitive content - the Alliance is a walk-in space where al sorts of people come in to view the work, and care is taken not to hurt the sentiments of the audience.

12. The space is given at a normal rent charge per day.

13. Twenty years ago the place used to let final year student work be exhibited for free. But maintenance of the exhibition/space was difficult so they charge a nominal amount.

Gallery Blue Spade

1. Housed in basement, inside the Chancery Hotel complex, the first gallery we visited that actually had a show on. We chanced upon the gallery, on our way to Gallery Time and Space. Lateral Insertions was an exhibition of artwork by 19 artists. Walking downstairs, there was art displayed over the staircase - and then as you walked into the gallery. It was a basement with no natural lighting - and the space was slightly claustrophobic - but not overly so - and there was enough light to comfortably look around the exhibition.

2. A high-end gallery - the low-end version of Blue Spade is located in Bannerghata. That does a good daily sale - there is affordable art that anyone can pick up - whereas this gallery on Lavelle Road has artwork, each of which s a collector's item priced over a lakh. 

3. The clientele depends on the walk-in crowd. There is a buyer every month. Everyone cannot buy in lakhs. 

4. The location is very good - there are many good galleries near by so buyers make these stops and do a gallery circuit around the place. 

5. The space is rented - and the gallery is entirely privately funded. There are no specific artists whose work is exhibited here - artists contact the gallery through the art circle. The art is accepted through a screening process by the two business heads of the gallery and the colleague of the lady we were talking to, who was currently manning the gallery.

6. The work is not on rent - the gallery gets a commission only if it sells. 

7. The hotel security is enough for the gallery.

8. A lot of research is conducted on the artists and the art. The gallery does curated shows - and may of these are group shows.

9. The stock is about two hundred paintings.

10. The artwork and the space needs constant maintenance - including the dsplay room and the locked storeroom.

11. The lighting is the original lighting that was installed when the gallery was opened, before she came. And the walls are painted regularly as the size of the artworks vary.

12. There are shows every two months - and they are on for more than a few weeks. 

13. Artists are on six month consignments - whereas the gallery accepts year-long consignments from new artists.

Gallery Time and Space

1. Gallery Time and Space is a commercial art gallery - with a huge variety of stock on display - but no particular curated exhibited. There are stacks of paintings in little boxes on the floor - but some beautifully exhibited under spot lighting on movable wall/dividers. There are tagged sculptures here and there - all in one longish outhouse with a tiled roof.

2. The gallery is nine-years old and privately owned - and housed in the family complex.

3. Artwork is stocked by commissions and art is rented out as well as sold. 

4. The gallery exhibits mostly contemporary artists - junior artists have group exhibitions. Artwork is selected every week and more than 2000 paintings make up the stock.

5. The gallery takes care of publicity. There are all kinds of clients - some walk-in clients - and a few contacts.

6. There is a strong online presence - but sale is not possible through the website just yet although the gallery is thinking of having an online sale in the future.

7. The space is changeable according t the exhibition currently housed - the dividers can be moved back for a larger exhibition and forwards for a smaller show.

8. There has been no security issue so far.

9. Renu George was always interested in art and was inspired to open a gallery 15 years ago - we talked to her brother. 

10. The art market is difficult - and it is not easy to sell art. It takes a lot of times to build up a clientele and 1 out of 10 regular contacts actually buy the art. 30-35 works are sold every month. The gallery itself has a regular set of artists, 2-3 from calcutta, some from bombay, some delhi and some bangalore. 

The Gallery Walk (off newsletter one)

As in most cities, Bangalore Art Galleries are scattered in small pockets, in different areas. One of these is the Cunningham-M.G-Lavelle Road neighbourhood, very much in the heart of the city.

Crimson Art Resource, Renaissance Gallery, Gallery Blue Spade, Time and Space, Gallery G and Tasveer are all located nearby - so that a buyer or an enthusiast - can "do the gallery circuit," in the words of the receptionist at Blue Spade. 

Most of these galleries depend heavily on the walk-in crowd as their clientele. This makes it doubly important that they are well located. However, due to the current slump in the art market in Bangalore, the business isn't booming. Gallery Time and Space, for examples, sells 30-35 pieces of work every month, and the gallery stocks a variety of price-ranges. Blue Spade has approximately one buyer every month for their "high-end" collection. Renaissance, a page 3 gallery, has had to resort to rent out their exhibition space where they would once only work with consignments. 

Each of these galleries, owned by different people, are completely different spaces. Apart from the fact that the artwork they stock is selected differently, with each gallery's ideologies in mind - the spaces themselves range from a naturally lit hallway in a colonial bungalow(Crimson), shaded by a tiled roof to an artificially lit small basement room with a central pillar(Blue Spade).

Consequently, the experience of the display in each of these galleries is quite unique - although they belong to the same "art walk." This makes this particular gallery circuit very different from, say - Lado Sarai in Delhi, a street with lines of different art galleries, all with similar interiors and stock.

THE VANDAL ?

Peter Strohmann & the Graffiti Vandalism Identity

Q: How does it feel to be a graffiti artist?

P: There are boundaries - it's ok.

Q: Tell us about your journey as a street artist.

P: I've been painting since 1984. I never called myself a street artist. There are changing terms. In Germany, I prefer to call myself a vandal. Here - I'm just an artist.

Q: What sort of content did you start with when you began with graffiti?

P: In the beginning I used to do straight graffiti writing - style graffiti.

Q: Do you document your work - are there any photographs on the internet?

P: NOOO - I hope there are none on the internet - I don't like the internet so much - especially the photographs. I don't document my work. It's a private thing I do - that other people can see.

Q: Have you ever waited to see people's reaction to your work?

P: In Europe it's too negative - I've not really seen people's reactions.

Q: Do graffiti artists have a sort of conversation through/about their art?

P: Quite a lot of graffiti writers do - for me I don't care. I have a very personal... not too many people care about sharing what I do - what WE do, if there is a we.

Q: Have you ever been caught?

P: I've been caught many times.

Q: What's the worst they can do to you?

P: Jail. I've been to jail two times.

Q: Now that the authorities know you as a graffiti artist - do they keep an eye on you?

P: No not really. They've got other problems - and graffiti's really not a problem.

Q: How do the other people in jail react to you?

P: They look at me and say "It can't be true. I'm a drug dealer - I'm a pimp - you're here for graffiti - can't be true.

Q: How long do they keep you in jail?

P: Twelve days.

Q: How much has your style changed?

P: Quite much.

Q: What sort of style did you have?

P: In Germany I do pure graffiti. I destroy - and I don't care. Just text - single line of text.

Q: What time do you paint?

P: At night - in the dead of the night.

Q: How has your approach changed over the years?

P: In the beginning - you're in the game. Have to do more, do better do bigger do faster than the others. Now I don't care about the others anymore. It's my own game.

Q: What other cities have you panted in?

P: All over the world.

Q: How is it different in India?

P: Over here is really different. People are friendly. It is easy to be a vandal in Germany, not everyone is friendly. Here - oh shit I can't destroy. People are friends.

Q: DO you prefer to be a vandal or an artist?

P: I prefer to be free.

Q: Are you free-er here?

P: No. Here I feel responsible. In Germany I don't care.

Q: How do you feel responsible?

P: I feel responsible understanding the people. Not being rude here - not an issue here. I don't want to be rude.

Q: Is getting caught by the authorities an issue for your art practice?

P: In Germany I don't care about being caught. I have good lawyers. I know I won't go to jail next time I'm caught. I'm far too old to bother with the police. If they catch me - it's ok. If they don't catch me - it's better.

Q: How is it different in other European countries ?

P: I know the restrictions in Sweden - the laws are pretty strict - I should be more rude than in Germany. Yeah, over here the difficulty is to adjust to society. If I go out and it's 10 degrees I have to wear a big jacket. Here I have to adjust to people. I want to be myself. I have to identify with things I want to do. For me - I don't want to be famous or rich - I want to be free. I don't have to prove anything to the art market. I'm on a high level with art - I'm free.

Q: How many hours a day do you spend painting?

P: Not too much anymore. I reduced it - I don't think too much anymore. I do it. I try to do it every other night.

Q: Have you come to India before?

P: This is my first time in India.

Q: And have you finished your painting?

P: Plenty of work to do - and I should continue.

Q: How did you choose this space?

P: We walked around. At first sight I was sure this was perfect for my masking tape. I don't want to bother myself about thinking about what to do. I can do squares anywhere - I like them very much - don't want want to think about colours - it looks very nice.

Q: Were you approached by passers by?

P: Not too many - just a few guys. They asked me what I was doing - I just said squares. They don't understand the idea of squares.

Q: How long have you been painting squares?

P: Two and a half years.

Q: Why do you use spray paints?

P: Spray paints are easier. The paint runs behind the masking tape.

Q: Also it's smoother?

P: Roller has the same effect - very flat paint. I prefer it sometimes. But this way is easier.

Q: Why squares?

P: Actually it is about squares. You know - people are squares - like in pulp fiction. People are squares but it's ok to be a colourful square. You might have the same address - but you don't need to be asshole straight. The visual side - I like it pretty much. In Germany it fits. People are assholes. Too straight. This is a point to discuss for hours.

Q: What about here?

P: Here they have lines - they're rather blurred. Look at the traffic - it works out somehow. In Germany it's - this is my lane. Don't come into my lane - or there will be an accident.

Q: How would you change your form here?

P: Here I'd fade the colours into each other.

Q: Have you made other pieces?

P: A little one a few days ago - it's not really finished.

Q: Did you blur that?

P: No - no - I'm, still a German. I don't like to consider myself a German, but I am. Over here in a way it's weird. Even bureaucracy is worse here than in Germany. I'd expect it would be fie. But you have to go through eight levels - you even have to ask the police for permission. In Germany I already know who to talk to. Here it takes a lot of time. You'll shave your beard - and grow it again - and then you'll get your decision.

Q: How do you choose your colours?

P: Colours are no choice - just a coincidence. Sometimes I think - oh this red and this blue together will give a nice contrast - but mostly - it's what colour next - oh this is good.

Q: Where is the paint from?

P: The whole story with the paint is a long story.

R: We tried customs and shipping - for two months then had to fly them.

Q: How many cans?

R: 700 cans of paint.

Q: Has anyone asked for the leftovers?

R: I doubt there will be anything left over.

Q: What do you think of abstract art and abstract panting?

P: I like it.