SP GALLERY ARTIST SERIES: GR170

To the occasion of SprayPlanet Gallery we decided to make a interview with GR170, since he is one of the featuring artists behind one of the three prints. Remember that you can obtain your own copy of the print, as well as the ones of Pez and Belin, through this link.

-What was the first thing that came to your mind when you was presented to this project?

First of all I was thankful to Montana Colors and SprayPlanet for thinking of me for their new project of limited edition prints, thanks for all the help!

The evolution of the spanish graffiti scene has walked hand in hand with the brand practically since the beginning. Due to that I wanted the print to be something which spoke of pure graffiti, trains, the origins of all this.

-Explain what your contribution consists of.

The piece I made is a traditional scene from the graffiti world. A writer coming out of a vent from the tunnels, and he just made a panel down below. The message “Terror Underworld” is in homage to train writers, a problem for the system with millions of euros lost in the sanitation of their names on the sides of the wagons.  And this is part of the game of graffiti, it connects to the roots of what never shall seize to exist. Long live the wild state of graffiti.

-Both the technique and the performance of your contribution seems to be of a style more accessible to a larger audience and with less purchasing power than the ones we might find in the world of art. What is your opinion of serigraphy as a format?

I like serigraphy better than digital works, it is a old technique of handcraft and its durability is longer and more insured. I also like the finish of screen prints with its volume of ink on the paper.

Apart from that, my personal way of painting and using inks makes screen printing perfect for me.

-How did you come up with the style which defines you as the artist you are today?

What you do is a reflection of the things you like: Comics, 80’s video games, the covers of old cassettes… I always try to do what I like, and evolution is inevitable while you keep painting.

– Tell us some fun anecdote from your experiences of painting.

Once I brought my dog with me when was painting in the outskirts of Barcelona. All of a sudden he came back with a partridge in his mouth. I grilled it and ate it later…

-What do you value the most when looking at a piece of art?

Generally I like simple things which address a certain message, people who work from their own resources and things which tells us something without leaning on sensationalism. Maybe a piece doesn’t have any of these aspects and I like it anyway. You notice when it has that certain magic.

 -Who do you admire, and why?

In relation to the topic of my contribution to this project I have to say Vino TSK, for his discipline, constancy and his sense of adaptation during his 20 years of painting trains, always with fresh styles which always keeps evolving.

 -Is there something you have done lately which you are particularly proud of?

Im working on a “quite interesting project” with another person, and if everything goes well ill tell you more about it in a couple of months…