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 av
THOMAS STØNJUM © 01.03.00
Exem you're
one of Norway's oldest writers and are still painting. What made
you start, when was this and how old are you now?
There
was a friend of mine that was breakdancing and also did some graffiti
in 1984. When he showed me what it was about I was stoked ! I thought
breakdancing was the coolest fysical activety I had ever tried and
graffiti pleased my intelectuality.
Still I was
very young and understood only the visual of this and not the meaning.
Now 16 years later in an age of 26 I hopefully understand a bit
more of the culture then what I did back then.
What do
you think about the way the graffiti movement has developed?
What
I really like is that there has never been as many good writers
as there is now...on a global level that is. Unfortunatly when there
is alot of good writers there is even more toys and biters! But
it probably has to do with the time we're living in that its become
important to think alot and do crazy stuff - so people steal eachothers
ideas. At the same time we are now surrounded by security guards
everywhere and police wich does it much more difficult to paint
illegal. This has lead to that those who paint trains and risky
spots have become more rough and criminal with time. Media focuses
alot on the "mean" taggers who destroys for millions every
year. This has made a wrong impression on the beginners who hear
about graffiti for their first time. Your first impression on graffiti
and hiphop I believe is very important on how your attitude becomes
later on when being involved.
During the
80's it wasnt so important to live like a gangster. There was other
values that was important. What I think is important in the future
is to hold on the original values in hip hop and not let this become
something else then what it started out as, because then the good
vibes and feelings will disappear.
How much do
you paint now compared to what you used to do, and what makes you
keep going?
I paint
less now then what I used to do some years ago. Before it was important
for me to get an identity, I then tagged and painted a whole lot.
But nowdays I paint pieces mostly just for my own sake. I don't have
any possebilety to stop, because Ive done this for almost all my life
and it's an important part of my personality.
How is it
to be a writer in Norway?
I
can only talk about my own situation, and when you ask something
like that I start to think about the government that limits the
freedom of us citizens. Limiting what and how people can express
themselfs.
Norway is a small country with too few good painters, and too many
that arent good at all. This leads to that the inspirasjon isnt
as big as in other places in Europe.
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