Smash 137 met the I-love-graffiti crew for a interview!

Please describe Smash137, in 10 words:
My writings are self-portraits of me and my current attitude to life.

Read the whole interview at ILG or here:

Smash, first of all, thank you that you found some time to speak with us. At the moment there is a lot to see and read about you. However, we start with the basics first, when did you start painting actually? When did it start and where did you get your inspiration from during the last years, in variously aspects?

I probably painted my first little piece at the age of three and then the first letters in 1990. I’m really into the installations of Barry McGee. I could look at Mark Rothko for hours. Every white page in my sketch book and the good feeling if a paper works.

Please describe Smash137, in 10 words.
My writings are self-portraits of me and my current attitude to life.

It’s been pretty quiet around your crew, the GTK? Recently, we had a website here with some old stuff. Does GTK still exist?

Yes, it does. Except for DJ Ace who is dedicating himself completely to music the whole crew is painting again as if nothing had happened. 2009 has brought them all back again. From my point of view Feas and Rois were always the true matadors of the city. When my crew vanished from the scene in 2005, they had nothing in their grip than a burnt down joint and a few clogged caps. Now that they are back again, they are all handling their lives and as far as I am able to judge this, they are still better than the rest of the city. But better look and see on Stylekings!

Let’s stay with the crews; in the comments of the german version of the ILG interview with CanTwo there is currently a discussion with the topic accreditation of various crews on the Internet. For example TPA contacts pretty often via MySpace. What do you think of these global actually anonymous crews in which it isn’t found unusual that they don’t know each other but rather other values are more important. And how important is or was a crew for you as a Writer?

I think that crews unfortunately do not have the same significance anymore in general which they once had. My imagination of a crew is almost quite romantic which is probably the reason for not painting for one anymore. Indeed, the guys of GTK still mean a lot to me but I just got used to the fact to do my own thing during the last 5 years. That people get accredited via MySpace and also write down their names is exceeding my imagination, therefore I cannot say much more about that.

You are from Switzerland, more precise from Basel, like Dare from TWS. Cren already asked a similar question in the MTV video interview. Have you been inspired by Dare at that time? You both are central figures of the graffiti scene in Basel.

Dare definitely played a role in my life as a Writer. Today it probably won’t be regarded as a big achievement, but I have never seen concept walls of such caliber before from anyone else. Although the whole railway line was quite completely painted, the TWS walls always stood out. First, the wall was painted and that with neatly matched coating color, all the writings had the same colors and were placed well-balanced, and as a centerpiece a consistent background and characters were added which connected the pictures with each other. Yes, Dare taught me without knowing it how to tackle a wall optically. In addition, as long as I can remember he came for interesting Writers from abroad to Basel who gave us young writers an idea of the style of other cities and countries before the Internet appeared. When I hit the road later, my small hometown was well known to the Writers I met, because they already knew the works of Dare.

In February 2009 you have been in the Swiss press with the name Smash137 and you have been convicted in Basel too, it was probably about a negotiation and also conviction. How is this possible? Isn’t it that Smash137 chooses only legal spots? How do you deal with illegality in general?

I very often paint so-called grey areas, objects for which I don’t have an allowance but which are desolated and forgotten and therefore nobody makes a report. In the case mentioned by you my friends and assistants from the police had found the owner of the wall in order to suggest him to press charge against me. Because it was the planning department of the city of Basel they put me to trial quite on principle. As they were saying substitutional for all damages to property in the city for which they just cannot sue anyone. I deal with illegality in that way that I indeed paint at all spots where I would like to see my pictures but without injuring or attacking someone by defacing his personal property. I also do not perceive my works as something rebellious or as a revolution against a society. I have accepted myself and my life like it is and all I want now is to live it.

How do you actually handle it that your name exists several times? There is also Smash in Holland and Berlin, isn’t it? What do you think about double assignment of names?

A double assignment would be really quite annoying, but as you find a Smash in every third city, this has already qualified itself.

Where do you see yourself at the moment? Do you describe your works and what you are doing still as classical graffiti? It is not about the basics for us with this question, but rather about in which scheme you would let yourself fit into most likely if you had to?

As far as I can judge myself, I would put myself into the scheme of classical “Stylewriting”. Even if I try out a lot and try to press barriers in all possible directions, the letter and their form are always the core of my work.

Keyword Stylewriting; what do you think about various projects like “The Exchange” project? The interpretation of foreign styles with your own style, what do you think about it?

I like the project and I have watched the first turn with great pleasure. But unfortunately, I can’t do anything with the second turn because from my point of view there are too many guys who can’t show anything or at least nothing on their own. I cannot imagine taking part in this project because I don’t feel like working with the sketch of someone else. I think you can compare it a little bit to the show “women’s exchange” on RTL2: entertaining to watch but from my perspective absolutely out of place.

You touched on the subject biting in your book “Smash Proof”. We all know that you are a Writer who inspires like almost no one else and also set a certain trend. Let’s have a look to New Zealand, for example. How do you handle it and what do you call biting at last? Where is the edge between inspiration and originality?

I don’t like in any case what has happened in New Zealand. I have also tried to stop it , but pretty unsuccessfully except for the fact that the New Zealanders are now thinking that I am a hater and begrudge them the attention. In principle, I really like it that my works are influencing others, at the same time I am also disappointed quite often that many of them just don’t notice where something comes from and simply regard it as a present trend instead. However, meanwhile I have also comprehend that the same people are pretty clueless about what happens in the style progress in general and that they are more interested in graffiti because of the action and the many beautiful colors and stories. For me biting means, if I look at a picture and it reminds me of another Writer than the one who has made it. For me inspiration means to have a picture of someone else in mind which you like to reach. And finally originality is simply not to run after the Writer who are you modeling on but to cut one’s own path to reach the goal.

How did you try to stop it? Im mean, how does it look like? I’m pretty sure that everyone who is looking at the pictures knows where the inspiration comes from, already because of your presence in the media. What has happened in New Zealand is in our opinion pretty obviously in parts, but however don’t you think that it will maybe help to direct the whole thing in another, further direction?

Since I was in Auckland in 2007, I have tried to tell the guys there that it has to be their main goal to move away from my forms and find their own style. I must admit they have tried it, but they didn’t work on the shapes, but on the technique and when this was good enough, they have started to sell my style as their own one to the world, just differently packed. You may not forget that my works are maybe known here in Central Europe, but for example in the States it looks completely different. I recently talked to Rime about that and he does not seem to see it, for example. However, it actually seemed like nobody is interested in that until I have finally signed Askew off the friendship and if I look at the new cover of the Stylefile #32, I have the feeling, there is happening something for the first time. Concerning New Zealand I am sure that we will hear and see a lot of positive things from there and I wish them all the best, but what had happened, was simply too much.

Let’s stay with this topic, or almost with this topic. There were recently some discussions again about the homage in Dusseldorf. A more than 20 year-old piece from Scale and Loomit was “renovated”. Also Moses has already polarized in this regard and reinterpreted old Jepsy, Razor or Chintz panels. What do you think about that and how you would handle that?

I believe the Dusseldorf action to be an absolute gentleman’s action. It was just funny that Loomit has done it much more better 20 years ago with his original caps than the guys with level 1 to 5 today. Also the idea of Moses is very entertaining. He didn’t try to steal insidious but simply has done a remix of his personal “Best of’s”. As long as I am still active, I would probably sense it rather inappropriate. Should my time as an active writer be over sometime, I would be certainly happy about the fact that someone wants to remember me.

So you also think that the answer from Razor was overacted? He said that it is a difference for him if something is copied one-to-one in homage and thus pay tribute to someone or if the filling and the creativity of the original is used to create its own Piece with it.

Yes, I think that the reaction was overacted, because no matter as I understand it, it remains paying tribute to someone.

As everybody knows, you are a part of the four-strong Montana writer team; we would like to go into that briefly of course. Has the team helped you in some ways as an artist? Do you think that in such cooperation, the constellation brand / artist, giving and taking is always given? Many think yes, such a sponsoring is pure luxury, is this right?

The team made many things possible for me. I would never have done a lot of it on my own. But especially lately, I hear that giving and taking is not always right. However, in my case I am very satisfied because I can say with a clear conscience that I am sponsored exactly with the product which I would also buy if I were not in the team. In any case, it is still a luxury to be sponsored as a Writer. But there is also the other side of the coin. The everlasting competition between the can manufacturers you get dragged into, you actually want no truck with it as a Writer. Meanwhile it has already become so silly that I only need to know who is sponsoring the event and I can exactly tell you which Writer is going to paint there.

Do you have any real duties? Is it like a contract of a musician or what can we think of it?

No, you can’t compare it with a contract of a musician. There are also no real duties. I have the right to do or not to do whatever I want and each “Montana Writer team” action is discussed in detail. Of course the Sponsoring would end soon if I paint with their product only during Montana actions and otherwise use another brand. I already deal with Montana for such a long time so our relation is based on friendship and I also act exactly after such a code.

You also paint on Jams often, you can always see some kids coming and asking for autographs etc. Are you feeling comfortable with that? Cult of personality and graffiti don’t really match, at least in the root of this whole thing.

It is not displeasing, but I wonder what the guys are doing with all the signed stuff. In Moscow they even presented bank notes under the marker. However, concerning your question I definitely prefer it a lot more if my pictures are in the spotlight and not my person itself.

What kind of music are you listening to during painting?

Almost exclusively Rap and the newer the better.

You are very active, if not the most active writer in the current gallery and exhibition events. In 2009, one could look at you and your works very often. You’re also involved in the current “Wash Me” Project of Mini. Each writer has goals. Which ones are you pursuing with your activities, in creative as well as personal terms?

I didn’t really set myself proper goals. I am very happy with the things I do and as I work very intuitively, I’m pretty curious how my next writing will look like. I would be very happy if I could create something sustainable. As long as I can remember it was never easy for me to cope with the fact that I will be gone one day and the thought of leaving something that reminds people of me is helping a little bit. But I’m sure that there are some big apples in the treetop and I want to get there and pick them before they fall rotten to the ground.

What will happen in 2010? Can you tell us something about your plans?

I want to drink less coffee and do more stretching exercises, because I’m getting a bit inflexible.

Besides some other guys you’re already a pioneer in the matter of Graffiti Art exhibitions, at least in Europe. Does it seem to be developing in the right direction in your opinion? What are you after concerning this aspect, a real interest in another medium, a canvas, for example? In which category would you put yourself and your work? Art?

Concerning this I have to tell you the unvarnished truth that the art market is a business and our letters don’t get any attention in this business yet. Many “street art” artists take part in that, but we definitely don’t. Or do you know anyone who paints letters and then it is traded on the art market? Jose Parla is the only one I know. I really appreciate his work but even about him I have to say that I cannot read his “tags” and therefore to me it’s more like an abstract painting than “Stylewriting”. I notice pretty strong that an own market for “Stylewriting” is emerging like almost everything coming from our movement so far. Galleries are opened by people from the scene and visited and supported by people from the scene and their environment. I don’t dare to judge if this is the right direction or not. It was always very important for me to reach people outside the scene with my canvas, as many of them simply blank out our works in public areas as we are perhaps doing it with billboards. But this development definitely implicates in a positive way the certainty that we are able to decide who will be shown and who may represent our culture finally. I consider my work without any doubt as art and I don’t say it because I can draw straight lines, but because I am convinced that my action and work stand more for the time we live in than so many other things currently shown in the art market.

You also lived in New York for a while and you are able to assess how it looks like there at the moment. What is your opinion, everything like in former times in Mecca?

I tip my hat to New York and its writers who have inspired me for years. I will never forget it and I am also aware thoroughly of the origin of everything what I have now. Concerning the New York of today, I don’t have any more expectations. The writers give themselves a hard time so that there is no big progress in sight. I have also the opinion that money plays such a big role in the city of New York that no inspiring writer can emerge from it. In this city supporting only makes sense for the people if they get some dollars in return at the end.

From New York to Moscow, you have already been there too, as mentioned before. What can you tell us about it? What is your opinion about the scene and what did you experience there?

I love Moscow. When I was there in 2005 for the first time I just wanted to get away, because in my opinion the guys were all airheaded. Techno, hooliganism and graffiti became popular there at the same time and the mixture emerged from that was just too strange for me. When I came back in 2009 I have experienced the city in a totally different way. The Moscow writers seemed to take a very critical stance towards themselves. I had the impression that the style of the letters is the most important thing and everybody knows that Moscow wants to find his own way, because at the moment Europe can still be felt pretty strong in their works. The first writers can even show their own stuff already and I’m sure there is bound to be a lot more. And you really can’t blame the writers from Moscow for having no passion for the matter.

That’s our opinion too; there have been a lot of changes in Moscow during the last three years. Another topic: women and graffiti are a difficult combination, in many ways. Why do you think there are few female writers and are there any favorites among the few who are active, worth mentioning?

It is difficult to say something about that topic without treading on someone’s toes, but I often miss the credibility of the women in this. Let me try to explain it this way: When I get a personal letter, I already recognize whether the sender is a woman or a man by the handwriting of the addressing. But when I look at a writing on the wall this is rarely the case.

Let’s stay with the female gender, you probably came into conflict with women, relationship, graffiti, don’t you? This graffiti lifestyle isn’t unusually the reason for trouble in relationships. Did you find a balance during all these years? Legitimate question considering your activity

No, unfortunately I did not and to be honest I have given up hope long ago.

We did a small survey in December, the best movies and books of the last years. Do you have some favorites among the big number of publications?

I almost never watch any movies because my Internet connection is very slow. In terms of books I liked “Crack & Shine” very much. Less because of the pictures but the written stories are very interesting and you get an idea of how the old London must have been. Unfortunately, I can’t do much with all the published books by photographers except “Backflashes” by Ruedione. Probably it is also the personal relation that I have to it. But I often wonder when I look at the photos after the shooting if I really were at the same place like Ruedi, pretty heroic and Gotham-City-like as always his works do appear.

Thank you for the interview, anything left to say?

I tip my hat to you guys and the work you are doing. It’s almost impossible that one get away with anything Graffiti-like without you are reporting on it.
Thank you!

Check: http://www.ilovegraffiti.de/eng/2010/01/31/smash137-interview/#more-7301