INTERVIEW: WON (ABC)
German based artist WON, works in many mediums. From spraypaint to sculpture, illustration and design. We searched the web really struggled to find some valuable information about him other than the fact that he seems to be pretty well respected, as he should be. So we contacted to discuss life and learn.
La Famiglia – Please introduce yourself.
WON – My name is WON my crew ABC, Art Bombing Clan. I grew up in Munich, Germany. The earliest influences of art came from the art books of my father, and of course comic books. At the age of 4 years my parents took me to an art show of Picasso. There was a wooden group of very simple sculptures. I still remember a deep feeling of understanding with out exactly knowing what Picasso had in mind by producing this sculptures. most of the audience in the show said that Picasso just wanted to fake people by nailing some wooden garbage together. But I think I felt the mystic aspect in art which the intellect is not able realize.”
La Famiglia – How did you get into graffiti?
WON – Like most of the European pioneers in the beginning of the 80’s when the film Wildstyle came to the cinemas. This impact was so fresh and powerful that this culture is still alive worldwide. To check out borders criticize our western world concept of consuming in which belongings have such a high standard were also reasons to bomb this world with color, this world does not deserve to stay clean, that is why I smear it to the max
La Famiglia – When you were a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
WON – First I wanted to become a musician. Later a grammar school I found out that specifically girls loved my drawings and wanted to collect my stuff.
La Famiglia – What influences your work?
WON - Life itself, every evening I try to rip down my universe so that the next morning I can rebuilt it again more aesthetically honest and directly so that it shines unfinished through my physical death. Supposedly the essence of painting and creating is not to become stiff in your expression. Shape and form are tools with which to work, it should never be self-explanatory. The form, shape and direction are just a medium for lives elixir, to make the essence of life artistically visual in total harmony with body and soul. Everyday I have to break the mould. Everyday I have to renew myself similar to life itself in the continual river of change. Human chameleon style. Every set form as mighty as it may be conceals the path towards “truth , life knows no boundaries. Chaos rules this place where we dwell.
It is important I you want to change something with your rotten art pieces not to point your accusing finger. saying this world is shit living with atomic, biological and chemical weapons, pollution, the vast disregard of the human being against mother nature especially wildlife, racism violence and so on…. I could write an encyclopaedia about this catastrophe. That all of these disasters that exist is not part of my mission. To begin with it is too easy just to oppose something. More difficult especially honest and useful is to be ready for something. To be opposing means destruction. to stand up for something to work with it sowing it, nurturing it but never harvesting it, that is what life is worth living for. Tearing down pre conceived ideas, walls, barriers so that you can rebuild things more healthily and beautifully that is a reason to live for. Secondly it is probably the beautiful lest way to change this wonderfully shitty world with your art pieces by creating a contra world. Something that reduces the hyper mighty negative energies of this world. I build a new world, a world full of color.
La Famiglia – Who are some of your favorite artists?
WON – Goya, Caravaggio, Robert Williams, Bode`,liberatore, Hironimus Bosch, Giger,mucha, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and of course the NY pioneers of graf!!!!!!!!!
La Famiglia – What is the scene like where you live? How is it different from other places through out the world that you have done work?
WON – The Munich scene is still very active. What I really find inspiring all over the world that the graffiti virus can not be stopped and still gets stronger an will reach all clean areas on the world map.
La Famiglia – What has been your most memorable project you’ve worked on? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
WON – Some years ago I did a canvas painting project called “love project” together with about 20 teenagers who stayed for one or two years in a open house project in Hamburg, Germany. All these kids have been hardly drug addicted and were sent to prostitution. Most of them never painted a canvas with cans. I choose the theme love for all canvases because this was the thing this young people never became too much in life. First they had problems to start and paint the white canvas. I told them that you can not make a mistake in painting. There are no wrong lines or whatever. I told them to close their eyes and think about love and bring some lines to the canvas as a starter. It worked. The pictures were exhibited in an art show. The kids were so proud of the their work shown in a public place. This project was so memorable for me because I think I gave this kids a little help and confidence to find back in our society.
La Famiglia – What would you like to do with you work that you have not had a chance to do yet?
WON – I would like to send a painted satellite to the orbit
La Famiglia – What’s the craziest story you have from your travels?
WON – Oh there were so many. Lets bring it together like this: Most of the countries I painted in were nearly graffiti free, for example Thailand, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Belize and Cuba. A lot of the pictures where not located in cities or on public places. I only painted for people to whom I grew up a special relationship. When you have a funny time at the place together with the locals and see their happy eyes when you leave them this means much more than getting respect by your own scene. I also paid for all the paint. What you give is yours forever what you keep is lost forever. That is my way to show the syndicates and governments of our days that humans exists who do their own thing not only focused on money and authorities and give pictures for free as a present to foreign cultures. What is for free in this cooperated world? ZERO.
La Famiglia – What advice would you give to an aspiring artist?
WON – Stay strong, if you really believe in your dreams they will come true, but you have to work hard on it.
La Famiglia – Any last words?
WON – In every one of my color tantrums you can feel the anger and the rage inside me that I feel for this world in an intense open and truthful way (1994). My pictures and thoughts are answers to my surroundings, hard, nasty, filthy and massive. The world does not deserve to be clean, that is why I am smearing it to the max. The world has been gorged with shit for too long instead of progressing healthily. The world needs to be smeared with colour to be reborn again, destroy and create all at the same time, that is the way of the graf bomb!
Links:
www.wonabc.com
