> When and why you started doing stuff in the streets ?

The Art world, the galleries and theirs entourage never really appealed to us (microbo and I).
We go very rarely in art galleries, when it happens is never by chance.
Don't get us wrong, we love the arts, but it has been always introduced to us like an unattainable status that only few elects would have way to understand or to practice... and to buy!

To the contrary a new breed of artists and galleries are born and the legacy of the world of street/design/graffiti is bringing fresh air in the arts world.

...And now even the youths drop their Ps2's and start to show up at art shows....

Personally, I draw since I was little, I always drew a lot, it followed in my education and profession the street actions started with graffiti for the love of graffiti then after a time gap were I did other "visual experiences", rooted in the graff scene my work changed in different ways, and took different "platforms" (Paintings, illustrations, design, animation, video and wall installations....) drawing it's everything for me!

My work doesn't necessarily have to be in the street or done illegally I need to switch to one surface to the other. I don't like limitations.
I like to see my work printed on paper as painted on wood or canvas, with acrylics or a biro, spraycan or brush....i don't care as long I can keep it various.
From the streets to the gallery to a magazine to any other application my work vary in content, iconography and techniques.

I guess, the driving factor its primarily due to creative boredom and lack of visual stimulants around us.
we hope to stimulate as others do to us.

> Is it easy to work most of the time together with Microbo ? Would you like to work alone sometimes ?

Its actually difficult not to work together.
I love to work with microbo as I like to work alone
I think our work complement each other and it's always been very natural and spontaneous to work together on the same image.

I personally think that more people together make better pictures then only one.
I don't like solo shows particularly. I love layers and not divisions.
I've loved shows like Arteimpropria or the Urban Edge where people were painting on top of each other in layers and layers of colors...

> Last year you released Izastikup, a book full of stickers. What was your original goal in making this book ?

First of all, when the project started and we have spread the words out the result was amazing.... we could not believe at the amount of envelopes we've started to received and even more we were amazed by the quality of the stickers inside we want to stick them all down......that's why the book from 100 pages blew up to 208 and still not enough space for all.... more than 630 people from all over the world and more than 3000 stickers!!!! ...and still, we'got so much unseen materials to make another volume just like it, but at least we were able to put 1 stickers each artist.

you can imagine how fun it was stick them all in the pages...
our floor was totally covered by stickers....
In fact, the most amazing part of this project has been that of manually creating every single page, by posting stickers one by one - which reminded us of when we were kids...

then the book has been scanned and print exactly as a reproduction of a sketch book with the intention of sharing a fetish with the public at large that is normally the prerogative of artists and collectors.

> What has been the harder on the making of the book ?

The most difficult thing, has been archiving all the material received It was a very hard task indeed, because not everybody signed the stickers or the envelopes

so we did a mad job trying to find the icons on internet and give a name and a nationality.

For us Izastikup has been a really good experience, we are very satisfied about it,
and we are really happy in how it's going, every day we are still receiving lots of positive feedback's

also we were invited, in occasion of The Biennial of Venice, to join in a project called "attach the system" were lots of famous "institutional artists" were invited to do a sticker and "attach" Venice with sticker art, for this occasion we were invited also to make an installation in
a space, with all the original pages of the book,
check on: http://www.fuorisalone.it/attach/ + http://www.studiolabo.it/blog/?p=7

and the book was sold out at the Biennale book store

...it's true, though we haven't done so much communication of the book, and
it is also the truth that despite the book is still not distributed yet in some countries, (due to a last minute change of the distributor) everybody are really happy: us, the public, the publisher,
and in fact the book its nearly sold out and we are working on the second run
so for those who are still looking for the book in the own country keep your eyes open....

> As for me Italian street-art scene was one of the most interesting in 2005 with Milano hyper-active scene and thanks to people like you, Blu, Bros, Anotherbrixia... Do yo share the same point of view ?

yes no doubt! it tooks a few years to bloom but 2005 was a big year.
the urban edge show brought together the old skool and the new and all the previous shows shaked things up nicely.
definetely, after years and years of anonymity, Italy and Milan its finally moving and finding his own identity the only shame goes to all the people that wants to create beef and separate what they call real "hard core" shit and the all new "streetart" scene.

I personally think that what we are witnessing in the last 30 years of street activities
is still the beginning.....the shape of things to came, things that maybe will really develop
and establish in a real big turn over in a couple of generations so all the haters should take a cold shower and start to help each other in an even more strong network of people
creating our own channels careless of any rules, rules dictated by the art and communication cartels, by the market, by the so called intellectuals, by the "hardcore bombers" by any muthaphaka that put up walls in a already fukt up controlled world!.
Unity it's the strength.
Envies cause lots of unnecessarily loss of time and energy!

There are no divisions! its one big thin keep on developing and morphing and adapting to the time he touches.

For Italy the real shout out goes to all the Italian pioneers, the people who brought the culture over and for the love of this shit spread it around influencing future generations
people like Sean, Kaos, Gruff, Flycat, Shad, Rendo and many others.

> You traveled a lot this year, what are you best memories ? What was the most interesting location you´ve worked on ?

Barcelona always rocks !
The Montana family are doing an amazing job with the gallery!
Montana Colours, the genuine article, refuse all imitations!
the BIG GEEZERS SHOW up in Amsterdam has been great fun
chaz, galo, vila, microbo, pez, and I thanks to ottograph
we had an empty supermarket as a studio to prepare the exhibition
the Brussels show at Alice's gallery "What a wonderful life"
has been special to work with Chaz (TLP) and Microbo, painting together on the same piece and blending together as one,
thanks also to the positive vibe from the Alice crew.
"Wordless" in Zurich has been great too! great show, great artists, great people.

> Which artists (from the street-graffiti scene and/or classic art scene) do you enjoy and feel close ?

This is a tricky question, 'cause I really feel close to many people in the scene.
that's goes beyond the artwork. I've met artists I use to love their work but then meeting them in person and find out they where assholes made me dislike their art automatically.
As Galo and Chaz (tlp) teach, i believe too, in the so called "GEEZER" attitude, so....
if you are a geezer, if you are cool, down to heart and not an egomaniak-haaaardcore-illegal-extreme or die - balls breakin' freak and you like to skin up one the size of your mama's leg and have a phuckin' good time
we down!.

I feel lucky because during the last five years I had the opportunity to meet people from all around the world, who became good friends, such big geezers will last forever, if I have to mention one I'll have to mention all.

I really wants give props to all the people really experimenting new shit leaving envy and competition behind.

> Let's imagine that i'm going to visit Milano. As for you, which places should i check and which things should i do in your city ?

Well, in Milan you can go for the shopping , the fashion bars and expensive restaurants, if you are into that...
or you get a low-life local to take you around...

Long the canals called "Naviglio" there are lots of bars and restaurants
the 65METRIQUADRI bar in VIA CASALE 6 (navigliograndeportagenova) its a good place to have a drink and check what's going on.
its good also for street action...
anyway the two "open air galleries" are BRERA/Moscova and TICINESE/Navigli.
you should definitely check the different squats.
they are cool places were you can skin up one while listening to some good music,
lots of international DJs play in these places. Lot's of streetart and graffiti writing in all of them. here a few...

Conchetta squat (Via Conchetta 18-Navigli area), Pergola (via Pergola-Isola area- it's also an hostel), Leonkavallo (via wattau)
the Bulk Depo squat (via Niccolini-Monumentale/Paolo Sarpi Area) has been closed but still,
you should check the painted wall all around it. great hall of fame.

Be careful where you drink or eat some places are really bad and in some cases crazy expensive bakeries makes good selection of savoury and sweet stuff and its our alternative to fast food.
At Princi's in piazza xxv aprile you can get fresh cakes and cappuccino, focaccia and pizza at 3 in the morning
the place its been designed by the architect Claudio Silvestrin....
yes, it's a bit trendy but if you are in the area that's the best you can get especially that late.

if you need supplies like spraycans, or markers or a nice T-shirt go to Alberto at WAG in via de amicis 28.
A Cornerstone of Milano graffiti scene.

also check Ozmo's guide to Milan, here you'll find more interesting spots....

> Is there any project your are planning to from now on? and is your website will one day be back online ?

Me and microbo have just finish an installation together with BLU
the show opened on the 19th and stays up till the 27th
and its been a great experience to work together with him
and now on we'll do it more and more.

at the end of the month we'll start working on a special project
together with Alexone, Will Barras, Mr Jago, Kami, Sasu and Microbo

mean while I hope to finish my nu site....yeah right!!!
really, I'm trying' to get on with it, fotologs, flickr and my site, please be patience.

Love to y'all.

bo130 website + bo130 on ekosystem
:: ekosystem january 2006 ::