“Growing up, frustrated with the school-system I felt that my creativity did not have a place within more conventional artistic practices. I was drawn to unpretentious Hip Hop culture, and it’s youth orientated, d-i-y ethos as an escape from the institutionalized paths laid out for me. I started doing graffiti in 1988 at the tender age of 13. I was first known for my handstyles (tags), for the first few years all I did was bomb,self taught I strove to be the best I could be.
Growing up in South London, I saw the whole bus bombing movement evolve and my brother (Shucks) and I wanted to be a part of it. We both went to school in west London and saw the the first and second wave of train graffiti riding the different tube lines. Travelling across London, skating as we went, we were able to see the art that was being produced by different crews across the metropolis, thus giving us a great understanding of how to do it properly.
In 1997 my brother and I started a crew called the Ivory Dukes, it has now grown to have 13 members, all of which have different styles and are all infamous in their own right. We differed from other crews for originally doing politically satirical and comedy murals.
I focused on characters at this point as I felt that this form was not being represented in the scene at the time. Using the human form I felt made my work accessible and individual, setting up a conversation between the characters and the letters in each piece. I had always drawn cartoons since a small child and developed my own style which is instantly recognizable. I am constantly painting and drawing, trying to push myself and my art.”
Tuesday 3 November 2009
Tizer
