We first noticed Stickman in front of the old Witney Museum in New York around 2009. Since then we have spotted his tiny figures all across America.
He is by far one of the most prolific street installation artists in North America installing work for over 20 years. That pre-dates the popularization of the term Street Art. His work is rarely mentioned because you have to have an eye for hidden detail and travel a lot to really appreciate the scope of his placement.
Photographer: Mata-Hush
Photographer: Richard Mutt
AKAYO “I hate the police they all can suck my dick”
Endless Canvas: How many years have you been doing the art thing? (how many years have you been writing?)
AKO: I’ve been writing since 1994 and creating art pretty much my whole life and doing it for a living since 2006-7 i think..My mom is a artist so i started young.
EC: What graffiti artists influences your work? if you could go into some detail how they helped you out that, would be awesome.
AKO: My influences come from the streets of San Francisco and the Bay area. Revs, King Tie, Kr, Mr. McGee, Felon, Rem, Dug one, King Dream where always big influences in my graffiti. Growing up in the Bay I was exposed to the best graffiti in the world and thats all I saw growing up, we didn’t have internet back then so local graff was it. But my big influences in graf are my folks and friends like Serch UTI RTH, Smear, Rekoil, Otis, Graffia, Musk, Susr, Ceze, Branded, Melo and all the homies..
EC: What influences your work other than graffiti?
AKO: Skateboarding, making films, traveling, life’s ups and downs?
EC: Is beer good or bad?
AKO: Beer is good. I don’t drink much I’m way more of a stoner than dranker but beer is kool. Where the weed at?
EC: When was the last time you paid taxes?
AKO: Last year, I did some stuff for a few companies and had to pay taxes. Taxes suck. They just raised taxes here in california
EC: Rate your love for the police on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest?
AKO: I hate the police they all can suck my dick
EC: Would you call yourself a tagger, bomber, artist or what? And could you give a reason why?
AKO: I just do what I do, I’m not into labels.
EC: On average how many times do you go out and paint in a month?
AKO: I get up everyday I’m alive. For some reason I feel the need to write on something everyday, its apart of everyday routine. When I travel I write alot more cause new cities are awesome and I have to leave my mark.
EC: What era/ region of graffiti do you hold up as the greatest (NYC 80 Subway, 90’s LA, etc……)?
AKO: San Francisco 1990s where my all time favorite, its where I’m from seen and lived in. Some of the best graffiti and most groundbreaking bombing was going down in SF in the 90’s and still to this day. I would have like to seen new york during the subway movement,i bet that shit was sick!
EC: What got you started making art or keeps you making art?
AKO: I enjoy making art and I don’t know what else I would do with myself without art in my life. It has enabled me to travel,work on projects, make stuff I, show my work, pay my bills. I’m still excited about making art and when I’m not excited I’ll stop.
EC: What is your favorite beer?
AKO: hmmm weed.?
EC: Have you done stencils or wheat paste? (if not) Have you ever thought of doing such things?
AKO: I’ve done wheat paste before but never really into that much, I like tagging and painting. Wheat paste and stencils are both great mediums if used correctly.
EC: Do you see a different between what some call “street art” from what some call “ego graff/ tagging”?
AKO: Street art and graffiti have nothing to do with each other in my eyes, different ball game and lets keep it like that. I hate the term “street art”
EC: What is your feelings on the buff?
AKO: Its life we have to learn to live with it and its only getting worse these days it seems. Lately its still all about the streets but I’ve been painting more landmark spot where I know it will take the buff years to get it..?
AKAYO “I hate the police they all can suck my dick”
EC: You can only pick one to save from total destruction.
a. your mom
b. your girlfriend
c. your beer
AKO: my skateboard
EC: Nice try but your still wrong, its always beer.
EC: Could you give a brief history of your graffiti career? or. Could you give a brief history of your local graffiti scene? If you want to answer both that would be awesome.
AKO: I stared in 1994 in the sf bay area been working on the streets here since a young age. Grew up like everyone else who got into graffiti. I got into it from mainly from skateboarding and being a little punk kid looking to do some damage..
EC: Anybody you would like to shout out or give thanks to?
AKO: Everyone who’s supported me in my life journey, my family, My Family RTH, Smear, Serch, Osiris Shoes, All the galleries I work with and support me, 531 Gallery, Danny Warhol, my muse, Two Rabbits Studios, James, Susr, Yoshi, Jdis.
Francisco de Pajaro is from Barcelona Spain and began painting on trash in reaction to Barcelona’s more recent laws against street painting.
He’s been getting a lot of attention for the work he put up in London over the summer of 2013.
BROKE’S ARTIST STATEMENT:
“To the ones who feel that art can only be viewed in a library or museum, I respectfully say FUCK YOU. Art can be everywhere and be done by anyone, whether it’s good art or bad art has very little concern to me. I’m here to destroy the museums and gallery walls, to tear them down and get the art to the streets and end the pandering to the rich. We are the writers of urban folklore.
This series of collaborative Boards is about feeling good. We don’t do this to put a blind eye to the very real and destructive social inequalities going on in the streets, we do it because that shit doesn’t sell. We are broke and hungry and need some food. We are putting our homemade street signs up in the hope to brighten someone’s day. We do it to show a world worth fighting for where we can kick back and drink a beer and not worry about paying the rent, to not worry about the landlord calling the sheriff to come kick our doors down if the rent isn’t paid, because there aint no landlord in the first place and there ain’t no banks holding some phony piece of paper saying they own the rights to the land.
So here we are, you thinking we are all hypocrites because we are selling our art that you think should be free, on a wall somewhere in the streets, well guess what kiddo I pay rent too. I’m in the same boat floating down the same river of shit called capitalism. Even if I’d rather live my life without some fucko telling me to pay the rent, the reality is that there is this asshole telling me too. We are not here to tell you we know the answers. We are just here to point a big middle finger at all the landlords, bosses, cops and other figures of authority.” – Broke One PTV
Featuring artwork by Ras Terms, Turnip, OhWell, Logo, Yenta and others
Please don’t bring attention to the gallery by tagging the immediate area as they would like to keep working with graffiti artists in the future.
This weekend we took a trip to view the “OUT OF ORDER” art exhibition that took place in Santa Rosa, CA. The interior of a warehouse was taken over by an eclectic group of Bay Area graffiti and street art artists.
Meanwhile in Portland…
An anonymous artist has been installing life size riot police around the city.
The left photo is an install in the top floor of the mall which faces the capitol building.
