FRES REVEALS THE KEYS TO HIS MECHANICAL STYLE, TALKS TAGGING AND SHARES HIS VISION OF ART

At the beginning of September we published a Reel dedicated to Fres NCC VTM. During his time in Barcelona, we were able to converse with the Valladolid writer, who never ceases to amaze with his signature solid style. His analysis of three essential aspects behind his output adds to our appreciation of the NCC member.
Read this interview carefully. In contrast to much of the poor coverage out there, his statements about graffiti style, tagging and the conception of art are truly insightful.

“Graffiti maintains codes and unwritten rules, which must be kept in mind so that it always remains graffiti.”

PIECES

Your style is part of an approach that we could call “Mechanical Robotik Funk”, a type of wildstyle that follows very specific rules. From your point of view, what is it that characterizes this style and the writers that use it?

I try to construct my style with a mechanical pattern, although I consciously try to avoid style trends.

I work with legible, rigid and strong letters, connected and adorned with classic elements of New York graffiti from the mid-70’s and 80’s, creating pieces by assembling letters to give the sensation of forming a heavy duty structure. That’s what characterizes this style for me.

As for influential writers and forerunners of mechanical styles, I’d name Riff 170, Part One, Noc 167, Pade, Min, Case 2 and Sento, as well as contemporary European writers such as Seb and the rest of the NCC, among many others.

Where does this trend come from? How has it developed in recent years? What role does the NCC crew play in this? Do you think this style is associated with a specific profile of writer?

From my point of view, I’d say that this trend comes from studying styles, and in a way we can say that it’s the legacy of writers who came before and who worked on letters in this particular way.

“many of the writers that I’ve met who push similar style patterns have a very similar vision of graffiti and a significant understanding and interest in the subject. However, it’s not always the case, some writers have simply joined a trend without knowing why.”

NCC plays the role of a crew that produces and is faithful to a style of graffiti. Great writers with incredible skills and deep knowledge have formed part of the collective.

Sometimes, style can identify the specific profile of a writer. In my case, many of the writers that I’ve met who push similar style patterns have a very similar vision of graffiti and a significant understanding and interest in the subject. However, it’s not always the case, some writers have simply joined a trend without knowing why.

“Exercising in my blackbook on a daily basis means that when it’s time to paint, I don’t need to have anything previously calculated to the last detail.”

When it comes to painting, what aspects have you calculated to the last millimeter and what aspects are freestyled? What are you trying to convey to writers who see your pieces?

Generally, my pieces start from a sketch that I use as a basis to begin to fit the piece. From there I like it to flow, improvise and play freely with the letters and connections.

Exercising in my blackbook on a daily basis means that when it’s time to paint, I don’t need to have anything previously calculated to the last detail.

I’ve never considered what I want to convey to other writers with my pieces, I try to improve myself and be satisfied with my work, but hopefully from time to time I can convey the same thing that I perceive when I see a burner, a throw-up or a series of tags from other writers that I admire. In the end you want to create that feeling of “BOOM!!”

“For me, a good handstyle must be fluid and produced with energy, generate visual impact on the environment and contribute to the chaos of the city.”

TAGGING

How do you define a good handstyle? Could you tell us names of writers with a hands that you find interesting, beyond the classics?

For me, a good handstyle must be fluid and produced with energy, generate visual impact on the environment and contribute to the chaos of the city.

I like all kinds of tags, when you see a good tag you notice it immediately. I’ve always been fascinated with the scenes from San Francisco and the Bay Area, New York, Philadelphia, Paris and São Paulo.

I can name interesting writers like Geso, Jade, Adek, Easy, Veefeer, Skuf, Desa, SP One, Kadism and Gorey.

What’s the most important aspects of a tag?

• Long lasting
• Be visible
• Aesthetically pleasing

The three aspects are fundamental, in addition to quantity and consistency.

What is your preferred tagging tool and what makes it superior to the rest?

Markers. I always carry one or more markers, usually silver and black.

ART

We understand that you are developing your artistic side. What do art and graffiti have in common, in your opinion? What differentiates them?

From my point of view, the way I understand and experience graffiti doesn’t have much in common with art. For me they represent two very different worlds, although separated globally by an increasingly thin line.

Therefore, from my personal experience, art and graffiti converge in personal aspects such as development and growth, and above all, satisfying creative needs through graphic expressions and pictures.

One of the substantial differences between art and graffiti is the environment where they move and the message. Graffiti maintains codes and unwritten rules, which must be kept in mind so that it always remains graffiti.

“graffiti has taught me to observe the street from an angle that I use to inspire myself visually”

Do you think that the transition from writer to artist is a logical evolution or a rarity? What does art give you that graffiti can’t? Do you think your work and graffiti complement each other?

If you are a curious writer, as is my case, over time you discover other ways and means of expression, sometimes close to the world of graffiti and others which are very distant. So it’s natural to complement writing with an artistic side.

Art gives me freedom to create, experiment and work with other more personal and reflective languages.

My work comes from my experience as a writer, graffiti has taught me to observe the street from an angle that I use to inspire myself visually, generating a strong creative impulse inside me.

Both facets in me are closely linked, especially emotionally, since I consider my work a special tribute to the street, which is the natural environment where graffiti must remain.

“I express my own vision of the street, what attracts me to it and how the decay of the environment”

Is your work aimed at a specific audience? What are you trying to express with it?

I don’t create my work with a specific audience in mind, but writers and people familiar with contemporary art, abstraction, collage and photography can connect with it.

In my work I express my own vision of the street, what attracts me to it and how the decay of the environment, situations of vandalism, graphic and visual accidents influence me. I turn all this into a language to communicate my reading of graphics and emotions from the street.