MontanaCans LOOKBOOK 2021
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021<br />
EDITION #06<br />
MONTANA-CANS <strong>LOOKBOOK</strong><br />
WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM
#GERMANSPRAYPAINT<br />
photography by edward nightingale
photography by edward nightingale
#GERMANSPRAYPAINT #GAMECHANGER
photography by edward nightingale
#GERMANSPRAYPAINT #GAMECHANGER
photography by Musa
MONTANA<br />
CANS<br />
<strong>LOOKBOOK</strong><br />
<strong>2021</strong><br />
Without even having a moment to realize it,<br />
2020 had ended as fast as it came. And<br />
<strong>2021</strong> started with as much confusion as<br />
2020 ended. It is easy to turn on the television<br />
and be constantly reminded about<br />
how negative everything is or was. But the<br />
real challenge, and the reward, lie in wiping<br />
off the dust, removing our masks, and<br />
taking a deep breath, reflecting on all the<br />
good things that happened. All those amazing<br />
things that happened before, during,<br />
or after all the restrictions. The projects and<br />
ideas that wouldn’t have happened if we<br />
were still running up and down our old paths.<br />
So, what did happen in 2020? Well,<br />
actually a lot! In the Montana-Cans LOOK-<br />
BOOK <strong>2021</strong>, which is the sixth edition of<br />
the <strong>LOOKBOOK</strong> series, we start the celebration<br />
with the freshly cooked cover illustration<br />
by one of our favorite Italian artists,<br />
LUGOSIS and STRATO200’s. Not only<br />
are their quirky characterizations known to<br />
the graffiti community the world over, but<br />
you may also recognize their style on every<br />
box of Montana BLACK cans.<br />
The start of <strong>2021</strong> marks the release<br />
of the 20th edition Montana BLACK Artist<br />
Edition cans by ATOM ONE. Not only special<br />
release as it is the 20th can in the series,<br />
but also as it pays extra respect to an<br />
artist that has well and truly earned it. The<br />
gray areas of copyright infringement and<br />
artists’ legal rights were also given a shakeup<br />
in 2020. So much so that the SEVENTH<br />
LETTER lawyer Jeff Gluck, CHINA TOWN<br />
MARKET, and Montana-Cans collabora ted<br />
in creating the “Call my Lawyer” can. Collaborating<br />
and staying socially connected<br />
in times of isolation and restricted social<br />
contact proved to be more important than<br />
ever in 2020. Making the release of the<br />
Montana-Cans x NITRO Backpack collaboration<br />
even more poignant. The icing<br />
on the cake being the SPRAYCATION patch<br />
series that told a story about travel and<br />
adventure that sits harmoniously on the<br />
NITRO bag. It wasn’t all about products<br />
and gadgets however, 2020 also saw the<br />
artistic development of many prolific<br />
artists who reached new levels. Artists like<br />
BOND TRULUV, blowing us away with<br />
his unique world of augmented reality that<br />
is based on one of the most solid outdoor<br />
and studio practices in the game. We<br />
reconnected to the streets with the gritty<br />
French bomber, KENO. Taking us on a<br />
visual adventure filled with the mark-making<br />
of a dedicated individual. The Israeli<br />
photographer MUSA FRAMES rose to our<br />
attention with his photographic documentation<br />
so close to the action, you can<br />
almost smell the sweat.<br />
Not to mention the amazing innovations<br />
of German artist, NOMAD. Pushing<br />
graffiti letter style writing to places it has<br />
never been before. And that’s just some of it.<br />
No one knows what will lie ahead,<br />
nor how the future of Graffiti, Urban art, and<br />
Visual art, in general, will look. One thing<br />
is for sure, it has never been more important<br />
to be creative than it is now. From all the<br />
team at Montana-Cans to all our loyal sup -<br />
porters, partners, and collaborators, we<br />
thank you for keeping the creative fire burning<br />
and making the world a colorful place.<br />
Onward, and upward.<br />
Montana-Cans <strong>LOOKBOOK</strong> <strong>2021</strong> Editorial<br />
7
5 Editorial<br />
10 Montana BLACK<br />
Artist Edition: ATOM<br />
14 LOCKDOWN<br />
ON LOCK<br />
Or how to make it<br />
through 2020<br />
30 POW WOW<br />
Hawai‘i 2020<br />
10th anniversary<br />
40 Montana-Cans<br />
Collabo Series:<br />
CHINATOWN<br />
MARKET<br />
44 GOLDZILLA by<br />
FLYING FÖRTRESS<br />
46 BOND TRULUV<br />
Entering the<br />
world of graffiti<br />
augmentation<br />
56 PICHIAVO<br />
for Metropolink<br />
62 Montana-Cans X<br />
NITRO BAGS<br />
70 The 2020 JBCB<br />
Summer Tour<br />
80 Corona Dampf 2020<br />
84 MUSA.FRAMES<br />
96 CLOAKWORK<br />
Graffiti on a tourist<br />
cruise ship<br />
104 The world according<br />
to N.O.MADSKI<br />
114 KENO was here<br />
120 AKUT<br />
studio insights<br />
124 SISTERHOOD<br />
in graffiti culture<br />
130 Montana-Cans<br />
Latest Products<br />
138 Blackbook<br />
148 Imprint<br />
8 <strong>LOOKBOOK</strong> <strong>2021</strong> content
10<br />
ATOM MEGABLAST<br />
Celebrating the 20th edition of the<br />
Montana BLACK Artist Series cans.<br />
30<br />
14<br />
LOCKDOWN ON LOCK<br />
The graffiti guide to surviving 2020.<br />
POW WOW Hawai‘i 2020<br />
Celebrating 10 years of POW! WOW!<br />
46<br />
BOND TRULUV<br />
Taking us beyond our<br />
comfort zones into graffiti<br />
augmented reality.<br />
62<br />
Montana-Cans X NITRO BAGS<br />
Time to go anywhere with the ultimate<br />
travel companion.<br />
84<br />
MUSA.FRAMES<br />
So close to the action you can<br />
smell the sweat.<br />
120<br />
AKUT<br />
Forcing us to look beyond the mask.<br />
<strong>LOOKBOOK</strong> <strong>2021</strong> Content<br />
9
ATOM's<br />
MEGA<br />
BLAST<br />
Location<br />
Dortmund, Germany<br />
Photography<br />
ATOM<br />
Profile<br />
@atomoneski<br />
ATOM ONE, a name that is synonymous<br />
with both German, and international graffiti<br />
history. A writer that has been active<br />
for well over three decades. Originating<br />
from the industrious city of Dortmund, this<br />
prolific graffiti artist has been paving<br />
his way through all disciplines of the graffiti<br />
spectrum since the beginning of his writing<br />
career. All the while doing what he loves<br />
most, letters. With artwork all over the<br />
world and a penchant for the color orange,<br />
we celebrate the release of the 20th<br />
Montana BLACK Artists Series can, ATOM's<br />
MEGABLAST- BLK 2120.<br />
↑ "Big, beautiful,<br />
colorful wholecars".<br />
From the very first<br />
time, Atom describes<br />
what still drives him<br />
today.<br />
→ With a new direction<br />
in the Artist<br />
Series can designs,<br />
ATOM opts for a<br />
photographic touch<br />
for the limited<br />
ATOM's MEGABLAST<br />
can.<br />
10 Artist Edition Atom'S MEgablast
Atom One is a name that stands for over 30<br />
years of quality graffiti innovation. His<br />
roots stemming from the German city of<br />
Dortmund, he is now one of the most<br />
respected graffiti writers on the globe. With an unstoppable<br />
work ethic, his continual commitment to graf -<br />
fiti style writing has made him a reference point for multiple<br />
generations of graffiti writers. To celebrate the<br />
legendary status of the 20th Montana-Cans Artist Series<br />
can, it seemed only fitting to feature a legendary<br />
writer that is active both behind the scenes and in the<br />
scene. With his choice of the Montana BLACK<br />
ATOM's MEGABLAST color, ATOM has paid homage<br />
to his favorite variation of his favorite color, orange.<br />
MC<br />
You have had many periods in your work where particular<br />
styles came to the fore. Do you have a favorite or<br />
any favorite phases in your style that you can reflect on?<br />
ATOM<br />
One poignant period for me was when the Berlin writers<br />
regularly came to visit Dortmund, and I saw that<br />
you can make your style a lot more attractive and with a<br />
lot more power with very few visual resources.<br />
For me when I saw this, I sat down and set myself<br />
the goal of taking the typical Dortmund blockbuster<br />
style that I was doing to a new level and dealing a little<br />
more with letter combinations or to put it more<br />
I do not judge when people progress<br />
and develop their ideas<br />
and expressive forms further, to<br />
reflect the art they make and<br />
the mediums they use.<br />
← ATOM proving<br />
again who is the<br />
winner between man<br />
and machine, with<br />
this colorful wholecar.<br />
MONTANA CANS<br />
Your graffiti name is known all over the world, your style<br />
of graffiti is a reference point for writers of all ages,<br />
and you have been heavily active for over 3 generations.<br />
Does the fire still burn in you as strongly as when<br />
you began?<br />
ATOM<br />
Yes, of course, the fire is still burning as it did at the beginning.<br />
MC<br />
Graffiti has splintered into many diverse sub-disciplines.<br />
What are your feelings toward writers who have<br />
turned to focus on fine art and gallery work, and do you<br />
still relate to the older writers who focus purely on<br />
graffiti style writing?<br />
ATOM<br />
Things are different now compared to 30 years ago.<br />
Some of us have different needs. Now there are<br />
obligations, children, you have to earn money, and the<br />
time is no longer there to go completely nuts as it<br />
was 30 years ago. Or better yet, at the beginning of your<br />
career. Time management is the keyword, and<br />
everything depends on that. Time management is not<br />
my strength otherwise I would be doing more.<br />
accurately, the combination of the letters. I no loger went<br />
out to just paint 5–6 pieces every day and that was<br />
that, rather, I wanted to do achieve one impressive piece<br />
and invest a little more effort to get a better result.<br />
This was such a milestone for me between 1994 and<br />
1998.<br />
MC<br />
You have been an active graffiti writer for the greater part<br />
of your life and have seen many changes in graffiti<br />
culture. (E.G., the internet and social media, the commercialization<br />
of graffiti, the many publications made,<br />
etc.) Are there any specific topics within graffiti writing<br />
culture now that you feel strongly about?<br />
ATOM<br />
Yes of course. I belong to the old guard and have certain<br />
ideas and values that I have come to appreciate and<br />
love over the years. Nevertheless, I do not judge when<br />
people progress and develop their ideas and expressive<br />
forms further, to reflect the art they make and the<br />
mediums they use. I have no problem with that, the<br />
one belongs to the other, and is also justified and should<br />
be continued in my opinion. The only thing I pass<br />
judgment on a little is the time people spend on social<br />
media. This is time that is not being used to be creative<br />
or to reflect on the art you bring to the outside world.<br />
Artist Edition Atom'S MEgablast<br />
11
That's why you don't see posts from me every day or<br />
every week, but only when I feel like it.<br />
MC<br />
Were there any turning points in your life or graffiti writing<br />
career that have affected you more than others?<br />
ATOM<br />
My turning point was when I was 16 years old. This is<br />
when my father said to me: "you have to take care<br />
of yourself now". He no longer felt like being held accountable<br />
all the time for the trouble I was getting<br />
myself into. I left home and stood on my own two feet<br />
for the first time. From that point on, graffiti was<br />
what I was best at and the only thing I had to earn money.<br />
I am grateful to my father for those words to this day.<br />
MC<br />
As a lot of writers see style writing as a never-ending<br />
quest for perfection, are you happy with the work<br />
you are creating right now?<br />
it my pictures or my work developing spray cans that<br />
are fun to use.<br />
I am still looking for perfection in my style which<br />
I will probably never find in my lifetime as there is no<br />
such thing. Or as the beat producers would say, "looking<br />
for the perfect beat". There isn´t one, everything is<br />
a learning process that everyone should go through, not<br />
giving up after going backward while learning the<br />
style process. It always gets better and so style is not<br />
timeless, but always variable, ever-changing, sometimes<br />
more complicated, other times less complicated<br />
or reduced. Sometimes even completely exaggerated.<br />
And that is what style lives from, ever dependent<br />
on the mood you are in.<br />
MC<br />
Your elaborate and prolific wholecar works often pop up<br />
on social media and mystify the audience. Are you that<br />
guy that needs an extra 10 minutes when everyone else<br />
is finished? Or are you the one who is emptying scraps<br />
on another panel while you wait for the others to finish?<br />
I just try to stay true to myself and<br />
not lose sight of the goal I set<br />
myself at the beginning of my career,<br />
which was to paint graffiti for as<br />
long as I could and to become as famous<br />
with it as possible.<br />
← Any model, any size.<br />
What ATOM does<br />
in 2 hours, many don't<br />
manage in a day.<br />
ATOM<br />
I just try to stay true to myself and not lose sight of the<br />
goal I set myself at the beginning of my career, which<br />
was to paint graffiti for as long as I could and to become<br />
as famous with it as possible.<br />
Graffiti has taken on an uncontrollable dynamic<br />
of its own over the years and it goes in all directions.<br />
These directions are all associated, be it street art, graffiti<br />
on canvas for the gallery exhibitions, straight style<br />
writing, tagging, the throw-up movement, etc... All these<br />
things fall under the heading GRAFFITI.<br />
It used to be a handful of people in a city, or in a<br />
country, on a continent. Today it is a complete movement<br />
that I helped spread to all areas of social life including<br />
fashion, music events packaging, advertising,<br />
or social media. Graffiti is simply a formative art form,<br />
or rather the formative form of art of the last 50 years<br />
that simply must be recognized. I am happy and grateful<br />
to be a part of it and to give something back, be<br />
ATOM<br />
Haha, no, I'm definitely not the guy you need to wait an<br />
extra 10 minutes for. Usually, I am the one who<br />
finishes first when there is a time limit of 1.5 to 2 hours.<br />
Particularly if this is discussed beforehand, you<br />
need to stick to it.<br />
I am probably more experienced and can reach<br />
my potential in exactly 2 hours, so it may look more<br />
complicated than others. But it is just that I know what I<br />
can do in 2 hours, keeping it safe, and not over exaggerating<br />
it.<br />
MC<br />
You have successfully managed to consistently paint in<br />
all disciplines of graffiti all over the globe. Whether<br />
it be the streets, walls, or trains. What was the most rewarding<br />
action/project that you have managed to<br />
paint until now?<br />
12 Artist Edition Atom'S MEgablast
→ ATOME ONE mixing<br />
it up with a style<br />
for every occasion.<br />
ATOM<br />
I think the first wholecar I ever painted was the most significant<br />
event or the most outstanding action I did.<br />
From that day on, it was like I was obsessed. All I wanted<br />
to do thereafter was to paint big, beautiful, colorful<br />
wholecars. I hope that I just have enough opportunity and<br />
time on this planet to be able to do that a little more.<br />
MC<br />
What is it that inspired the color MEGABLAST when it<br />
was being developed?<br />
ATOM<br />
Orange has always been my favorite color and that's why<br />
it was clear to me when I got the opportunity to<br />
make my own color, it would be some form of orange.<br />
Montana gave me the opportunity to make<br />
ATOM´s Napalm orange back in the days, but for strategic<br />
reasons, the Writer Team line was then discontinued.<br />
This resulted in ATOM´s MEGABLAST Orange.<br />
MEGABLAST because this orange covers<br />
extremely well.<br />
MC<br />
Imagine that for whatever reason, you have concluded<br />
that you must stop writing graffiti forever. If you<br />
can have one last painting session that is guaranteed to<br />
work out. Where would it be and on what?<br />
ATOM<br />
Yes, I've been contemplating this topic for quite a while,<br />
and at some point, I won't be able to paint graffiti<br />
anymore. You never know if you will stay healthy, your<br />
bones will get tired, or you just don't feel like it anymore,<br />
which I can't imagine at this point and I'm almost<br />
50. But the last action will definitely be a beautiful<br />
colorful Wholecar and I would be most happy about it if it<br />
was on an old steel train wagon. That was the first<br />
train I painted, so it would be a fitting ending.<br />
MC<br />
What's your favorite Montana BLACK can and cap combination?<br />
ATOM<br />
The best Montana cans cap combo for me is Montana<br />
BLACK black with a NYC fat cap for the outlines, or<br />
any Montana BLACK line can with Gold/Black fat cap to<br />
fill in. Absolutely the best!<br />
MC<br />
When in Italy, how many cups of coffee do you drink per<br />
day?<br />
ATOM<br />
Good question, when I'm in Italy, my Italian colleagues<br />
always laugh because I drink too much coffee.<br />
I only drink cappuccino and Italians only drink cappuccino<br />
in the morning with breakfast. But that's not enough<br />
for me, I drink cappuccino all day. There is always one or<br />
the other shake of the head from the Italian boys.<br />
Or as they say, "Latze, is not possible cappuccino now,<br />
only in the morning".<br />
Artist Edition Atom'S MEgablast<br />
13
LOCK<br />
DOWN<br />
ON<br />
LOck<br />
Or how to make it through 2020<br />
Text<br />
@team_flightmode<br />
Special thanks to<br />
all contributing artists<br />
& partners<br />
Photography<br />
@iamlaia<br />
@koolfunc88<br />
@waneonecod<br />
@cloakwork<br />
@kae_67<br />
@__lafranz__<br />
@clicks05<br />
@pshines_aow<br />
RIBES<br />
ALONE<br />
1<br />
Last year was a bizarre period, certainly one<br />
for the books. At the beginning of January<br />
2020, reports of an unknown syndrome<br />
started to appear on the news sporadically.<br />
There had been an outbreak in a Chinese<br />
metropolis. That city was Wuhan and, the<br />
mysterious illness became one of the most<br />
frequently used words all over the world<br />
in that year: Corona. A new kind of virus,<br />
SARS COV-2, to be exact, causing a disease<br />
called Covid-19. Apparently, it was very<br />
contagious and possibly dangerous. Precautions<br />
were taken to prevent further<br />
prevalence, but it had been too late. A pandemic<br />
had started. Corona has been<br />
spreading relentlessly around the world<br />
ever since.<br />
2<br />
14 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
“I remember watching the entire beginning of the<br />
pandemic in China on television. I thought this would<br />
never spread to the rest of the world”, Laia recognizes<br />
with a sense of disbelief when asked about how she<br />
remembers the beginning of 2020. “I thought it would<br />
be one more catastrophe, like all those that are experienced<br />
in many countries but end quickly.”<br />
Country after country was affected. Skeptical<br />
and hesitant reactions soon turned into pure paranoia,<br />
which seemed to morph into a kind of fatigue or negligence<br />
over time. Both individuals and governments acted<br />
upon the new circumstances. All of a sudden, our<br />
globalized world showed direct downsides of connectivity.<br />
Amongst others, traveling was identified as a<br />
catalyst of the pandemic.<br />
It comes as no surprise also Graffiti culture would<br />
become affected eventually, as societies struggled<br />
to tackle the new situation on all levels. Fist bumps, hand<br />
sanitizer, social distancing, contact restrictions,<br />
remote work, superspreaders. Video calls, home workouts,<br />
homeschooling, home office, systematically<br />
relevant professions, curfews, travel restrictions, lockdowns.<br />
Some buzzwords gained momentum quickly.<br />
They manifest how language both mimics and shapes<br />
our way of thinking. What’s more, these concepts<br />
reveal a whole new set of rules and external factors that<br />
changed our behavior and modified our reality to a<br />
new normal. The world was changing fast, and we tried<br />
to adjust. But was it all just bad?<br />
3<br />
Country after country was affected.<br />
Skeptical and hesitant reactions<br />
soon turned into pure paranoia,<br />
which seemed to morph into a kind<br />
of fatigue or negligence over time.<br />
4<br />
Dissecting this pandemic’s symptoms and semantics<br />
could make one think writers should have<br />
been the first ones to adjust. Writers are used to disguising<br />
their faces, often wearing gloves and respirators<br />
for protection. Habits that were widespread already prepandemic<br />
in our niche became the norm. But writers<br />
also usually love to travel, and they are rather free-spirited<br />
beings that do not respond well to restrictions.<br />
The world never felt more at stake in recent years<br />
than in 2020. Not to mention other challenging issues:<br />
open racism, institutional violence, fake news, presidential<br />
elections in the United States, Brexit, Moria, and<br />
sadly, this list could go on. The bushfires in Australia<br />
were no metaphor; the world was, in fact, burning.<br />
1 ALONE, taking<br />
a moment to observe,<br />
seeing if the air is<br />
clear.<br />
2 Is this steel still<br />
safe to hold weight?<br />
RIBES putting the<br />
iconic bolt cutters to<br />
good use, ensuring<br />
they don't gather rust<br />
in Lockdown.<br />
3 Just because there<br />
is a pandemic, doesn't<br />
mean it doesn't get<br />
hot. WANE bringing<br />
the heat regardless of<br />
the conditions.<br />
4 LAIA keeping it<br />
smiley while sporting<br />
her own design<br />
Montana Cans TAKE<br />
AWAY cotton bag.<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
15
5<br />
We didn’t take it seriously because<br />
it started on the other side of the<br />
planet, and we always think when<br />
it is far away, it wouldn’t impact us.<br />
Laia<br />
6<br />
But let us rewind to a time before masked faces were a<br />
common sight in the broad public.<br />
We asked ten Graffiti artists with diverse backgrounds<br />
about their personal journeys throughout the<br />
year 2020. From Asia to Northern and Southern Europe,<br />
from East Coast to West Coast in the United States,<br />
we spoke to enthusiasts from all over the planet. Enjoy insights<br />
by Alone (Italy), Cloak (Malaysia), Func (France),<br />
Kae (USA), LaFranz (Italy), Laia (Spain), Pheo (Denmark),<br />
Post (USA), Ribes (Italy), and Wane (USA).<br />
REALITY CHECK<br />
“We didn’t take it seriously because it started on the other<br />
side of the planet, and we always think when it is far<br />
away, it wouldn’t impact us,” Func says. The Paris resident<br />
quickly changed his mind, though. “I wasn’t<br />
scared at first... But I quickly started to remember all the<br />
dystopian movies I’m watching all the time and thinking<br />
it could be the end of days,” he continues with a smirk,<br />
seemingly trying to take the critical situation with humor.<br />
Laia and Func address what probably a majority<br />
can relate to. Disbelief, refusal, derealization, or feeling<br />
like being in a bad movie. With the omnipresence of<br />
technological devices, an abundance of information<br />
is guaranteed. Whether on news broadcasts or social<br />
media, updates on recent developments are available<br />
at all times. While this might accelerate global developments<br />
and business, there is also a downside. More<br />
information does not create more order. The universal<br />
law of thermodynamics describes this as entropy.<br />
Thus, more than ever, one needs to be media savvy to<br />
process the plethora. “It seemed like the world turned<br />
16 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
upside down overnight, and the future became so uncertain.<br />
In the early days of the pandemic, there was<br />
so much misinformation floating around out there, so it<br />
was really hard to know what was true or false or even<br />
know what to expect next,” Wane says.<br />
7<br />
FEELING TRAPPED – DOWNSIDES<br />
“When the pandemic was starting, it seemed all normal;<br />
I kept on as usual. However, as time passed, much<br />
negative news came. ...I started to demoralize myself. I<br />
had so much free time but at the same time very few<br />
opportunities,” Ribes admits. The native of northern Italy<br />
faced a struggle of many. With increasing precautions<br />
and restrictions, individual freedom got limited.<br />
Social interactions had to be reduced; people were<br />
forced to stay close to their homes to stop distributing<br />
the virus. As a result, many perceived themselves to<br />
be deprived. “I felt trapped as a lot of things couldn’t be<br />
achieved,” as Cloak from Malaysia puts it. “Most of<br />
my Graffiti tours and spraycations were put to a halt, and<br />
there was a lot of uncertainty,” he continues. “To be<br />
honest, I wasn’t mentally prepared for the pandemic as<br />
well as the lockdown as I’m someone who is outgoing<br />
and always loves to create new pieces outdoors.” Almost<br />
everybody was confronted with similar problems like<br />
isolation and constraint. Over time, not simultaneously,<br />
with regional variations, as waves of infections created<br />
constant ups and downs. A rising number of cases was<br />
usually followed by amplified measures and vice<br />
versa, creating a limbo.<br />
I had so much free time but at the<br />
same time very few opportunities.<br />
Ribes<br />
5 Cloakwork taking<br />
it back to basics<br />
in the black book. The<br />
beauty of drawing<br />
is you can do it at<br />
home and refer to it<br />
later. Anywhere,<br />
at any time.<br />
6 LAIA dropping<br />
a different take on a<br />
classic character.<br />
This time E.T.<br />
with some attitude.<br />
7 RIBES showing that<br />
the show must go<br />
on. Locked down or<br />
not, if you earned a<br />
spot in the game you<br />
have to maintain it.<br />
8 With less happening<br />
on the street,<br />
POST using all<br />
chances offered to<br />
him to get over.<br />
Apart from physical wellbeing, also mental health<br />
gained importance. A lot of people dealt with fear,<br />
uncertainty, and a decline in motivation. “...When I try to<br />
remember those two and a half months [referring to<br />
the first lockdown], the memories are hazy in my head.<br />
Every day was exactly the same, and obviously, I<br />
couldn’t paint,” Laia states. “The last wall was kinda<br />
weird, saying goodbye to your friends for a while, entering<br />
a very dystopic future,” Func adds.<br />
“The city [was] in fear. So people were locked in.<br />
The streets were kind of deserted. I went about life<br />
as I usually do, but with a mask on. Graffiti wise the pandemic<br />
brought a lot of people out. People that were<br />
already doing their thing started going harder. And people<br />
I’ve never seen up in my life started doing bad<br />
Graffiti all over the streets. A lot of businesses had to<br />
close, so they let the Graffiti run on everything for the<br />
most part, so it was like 10 new writers a day were born.<br />
Shit kind of took the essence out of it for me,” Post<br />
reveals about his experiences as a resident of New York.<br />
8<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
17
9<br />
9 KAER giving the<br />
color treatment<br />
to a different moving<br />
target.<br />
10<br />
10 It isn't always<br />
about how many colors<br />
you can throw<br />
at a piece. LA FRANZ<br />
showing that tonal<br />
can be just as impressive<br />
with the new<br />
Montana GOLD gray<br />
tones.<br />
11 Three colors on<br />
virgin concrete.<br />
LAIA keeping it simple<br />
and effective.<br />
18 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
11<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
19
The changes had me wondering<br />
about things I never had to stress<br />
too much about, like how I was<br />
going to get food from the supermarket,<br />
pay bills, stay safe during<br />
the madness.<br />
Kaer<br />
20 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
12<br />
“Los Angeles had its waves of lockdowns and<br />
curfews that were implemented. Painting has been a sort<br />
of push and pull situation. Mostly due to the fact that<br />
I have a family of my own and am the head of household<br />
who is responsible for holding shit down for five people.<br />
So, in the beginning, we were being super careful<br />
about everything we did. As time went on, the confusion<br />
progressed. And being sort of a street person, so<br />
to speak, being home for long periods of time, really<br />
took a toll,” Kae continues. “The uncertainty of what was<br />
coming was very confusing.”<br />
All of a sudden, Wane wondered how to organize<br />
everyday basics, “the biggest struggle was not necessarily<br />
having to stay home, but the uncertainty around<br />
some of the most basic things we were all so used to.<br />
The changes had me wondering about things I never had<br />
to stress too much about, like how I was going to get<br />
food from the supermarket, pay bills, stay safe during<br />
the madness. But perhaps most importantly, it had<br />
me wondering when I would see my friends and family<br />
again.” What once was normal apparently changed into<br />
something challenging. LaFranz continues to emphasize<br />
the lack of external stimulus: “Without being able<br />
to travel and to paint with your friends, and without all<br />
the events and Graffiti jams, it’s hard to feel always inspired.<br />
I do not live in a big city, so it was not so easy.”<br />
In lockdown periods, new routines had to be<br />
established. Former variety exchanged for monotony.<br />
On the contrary, time, which is usually scarce, was not a<br />
limiting factor anymore. So, how to turn all of this<br />
around and regain confidence?<br />
Without being able to travel and to<br />
paint with your friends, and without<br />
all the events and Graffiti jams, it’s<br />
hard to feel always inspired.<br />
LaFranz<br />
13<br />
12 “Say their names.”<br />
WANE faces the<br />
issues in his homeland<br />
through color<br />
and communication.<br />
13 KAER making light<br />
work of this van with<br />
his selected Montana<br />
BLACK can colors.<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
21
NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER<br />
OF INVENTION – UPSIDES<br />
“Back then, frustration was the main feeling overall: deleting<br />
all traveling plans and suffering those crazy restrictions<br />
of freedom like ‘curfew’ or being ‘forced to stay at<br />
home’. I’m personally a loner in a sense I enjoy the time<br />
with myself, I like to paint with no-one and, always take<br />
solitude as an opportunity,” Alone from Milan reveals.<br />
“As a graphic designer, lockdown didn’t change a thing<br />
for me; I’m still glued to the computer. Whatever...<br />
the nerd life,” laughs Func, admitting at least his profession<br />
was unaltered. Pheo tried to take the good with<br />
the bad: “My job, although required that I worked as usual,<br />
but for a short period, I worked from home. This gave<br />
me opportunities to make a piece or two during lunch<br />
break. I tried to do this as often as possible, most of<br />
the time alone, but sometimes it was possible to meet<br />
up with a couple of others. The advantage of Graffiti<br />
is that you can join up outside and keep the required<br />
distance. This opportunity meant a lot to me. Being<br />
able to keep up with my painting gave a lot of new energy<br />
and let a bit of positivity into a time where things<br />
looked bad.”<br />
So, after a time of frustration and grief came an<br />
acceptance. The circumstances were undeniable. The<br />
best one could do to cope with the situation was to seek<br />
possibilities rather than focusing on problems. Thus,<br />
some started to practice their craft to step their game up.<br />
I’m personally a loner in a sense I<br />
enjoy the time with myself, I like to<br />
paint with no-one and, always take<br />
solitude as an opportunity.<br />
Alone<br />
14<br />
15<br />
22 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
“I concentrated on sketching, to find out new<br />
pieces, that I could do as soon as all this situation would<br />
end,” says Ribes. “Sketching for hours daily became<br />
the highlight of the day,” Wane replies. “I don’t really<br />
sketch, just doodle thousands of throw-ups, straight<br />
letters, and hand styles just like any other day. Everything<br />
I’ve done before the pandemic... got the same focus<br />
throughout the pandemic.” Post highlights his already<br />
established routines and shows resilience.<br />
“I drew a lot, but my mind was a little blocked, so<br />
I changed my online store. I thought of new products<br />
to produce and ways to improve my projects. I also designed<br />
new tote bags,” Laia adds. “In the first lockdown,<br />
I sketched a lot on paper but also in digital. I did<br />
some collaboration with my CTA’s crewmates, and I<br />
had fun customizing some home stuff, like restyling old<br />
chairs and painting my alphabet on glass,” LaFranz<br />
continues. “I’m just doing my best to remain productive,<br />
thoughtful, and pushing myself to learn some new<br />
tricks when I have nothing but time. For example, I spent<br />
more time on digital illustrations and more sketches<br />
for future graffiti works (you never know when a sketch<br />
might come in handy!),” Cloak concludes. “I’ve just<br />
noticed how the lockdown has sort of slowed me down,<br />
in a good way, though.”<br />
Pheo also took the time to lay the groundwork for<br />
future projects, “I have spent a lot of time planning for<br />
color combinations, letters, productions, etc. I have enjoyed<br />
being able to spend a lot of time to immerse<br />
and develop my letters. I have been productive and created<br />
a lot more sketches than usual, so I am well prepared<br />
for the upcoming walls and productions this year.”<br />
14 The self-confessed<br />
loner. ALONE sees<br />
solitude as an opportunity.<br />
Including the<br />
opportunity to paint.<br />
15 Lunchtime burners.<br />
Working from home<br />
on a reduced timeline<br />
meant PHEO had<br />
more chances to<br />
dash out at lunchtime<br />
for a quick paint.<br />
16 Polishing up the<br />
drawing skills. WANE<br />
indulges in a little<br />
style experimentation.<br />
17 Meanwhile, on<br />
the other side of the<br />
globe, great minds<br />
were thinking alike.<br />
PHEO also trying<br />
out some new moves<br />
on paper.<br />
18 (following page)<br />
Stopping all stations<br />
to nowhere. ALONE<br />
keeping it locked<br />
down on steel while<br />
the world is locked<br />
down.<br />
16<br />
17<br />
I have enjoyed being able to spend<br />
a lot of time to immerse and develop<br />
my letters. I have been productive<br />
and created a lot more sketches than<br />
usual, so I am well prepared for<br />
the upcoming walls and productions<br />
this year.<br />
Pheo<br />
“I can probably count on both hands the times I<br />
actually sat down and sketched something in the last<br />
10 years. Until now of course. I decided to get an iPad<br />
where I was able to sketch up pieces directly on the<br />
surfaces I planned to paint in order to analyze color and<br />
structure,” Kae goes on. He did not just think of himself<br />
though, “aside from that, I took some time to send<br />
friends of mine sketches I drew up of their names. I<br />
also hadn’t owned a set of fancy blackbook markers in<br />
over 10 years.”<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
23
24 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
18<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
25
18 “Can I kick it, yes<br />
you can”. FUNC and<br />
his friends throwing<br />
themselves into the<br />
@ciki3000 sketch<br />
battles.<br />
19–21 POSTR taking<br />
it back to the New<br />
York underground<br />
one tag and throw-up<br />
at a time.<br />
22 Creeping on spots<br />
that are usually hard.<br />
With heavy lockdown<br />
restrictions being in<br />
place, some Milan<br />
yards were left understaffed,<br />
and ′open′ to<br />
negotiation.<br />
23 When opportunity<br />
knocked, ALONE rose<br />
to the occasion.<br />
18<br />
Func and his friends took sketching to a new<br />
level and added a social aspect since physical contacts<br />
were reduced. “During the first lockdown we created<br />
a private Instagram account moderated by Crazé and<br />
Fred1 called ‘ciki3000 aka Can I kick it 3000’. A bunch<br />
of selected stylewriting addicts joined the group, and we<br />
battled some names days after days. As much as the<br />
rhythm started to be insane, we counted more than 2500<br />
posts at the end of the lockdown with mad styles and<br />
creative tries. That was fun and a good way to get to know<br />
each other a little bit more. It was basically a French-<br />
German initiative project.”<br />
Their initiative creatively utilized technology and<br />
pushed their individual style developments through<br />
interactive feedback. Cloak could benefit from technology<br />
as well, but he had a different approach. “I was<br />
physically and mentally prepared to go to Taiwan to paint<br />
a cruise ship, but unfortunately, I couldn’t make it,<br />
and I had to ask my best pals in Taiwan to execute the plan<br />
on my behalf. The project was a success at the end,<br />
as we had constant communication with each member<br />
of the team.”<br />
The less people on the streets...<br />
the more you stand out. Otherwise,<br />
it’s almost like hiding in plain sight.<br />
19<br />
Post<br />
20<br />
21<br />
Writers are usually an adaptive crowd. Overcoming<br />
obstacles is constantly part of the game; thus,<br />
writers are masters of finding creative solutions.<br />
“There was a lockdown. But I was out and about<br />
as usual. On my ‘essential worker’ shit. As for bombing<br />
I could carry on if I wanted to. I would paint in public<br />
in broad day when there was no pandemic. And did<br />
the same thing during the pandemic and actually got<br />
caught. The less people on the streets... the more<br />
you stand out. Otherwise, it’s almost like hiding in plain<br />
sight. And at night, everyone had to be indoors. All<br />
public transportation was stopped: trains, busses, taxis,<br />
Ubers, Lyfts, everything. If you had your own car and<br />
were outside, you stood out because any cars were out.<br />
So you had to have a reason to be out if you got pulled<br />
over, which was something that would most likely happen.<br />
That made it difficult to do Graffiti in the streets for a<br />
while,” Post explains what kind of problems he faced on<br />
the streets of New York. However, he came up with<br />
a solution: “If I can’t or don’t want to do Graffiti in the<br />
streets, I take it underground. The thing about doing<br />
Graffiti underground, is that none of it last past a 48 hours.<br />
So most of it, if not 99%, doesn’t get seen or pics taken<br />
other than my own pics or pics I allow certain graffiti<br />
photographers to go get before the Graff gets cleaned.<br />
And in the world of social media, if people don’t see<br />
pics of what you are doing nonstop, they will think you<br />
are inactive. I like it that way, though. There’s so much<br />
shit I’ve done in 2020 that didn’t touch social media.”<br />
26 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
22<br />
Instead of painting, I concentrated<br />
more on some other passions related<br />
to the mountains, finding back the<br />
freedom I lost twice.<br />
Alone<br />
23<br />
“Milan early 2020 was completely fucked up until<br />
May. This was the first lockdown, then summer arrived,<br />
and more loose rules together with it. I had super<br />
much fun painting spots that were super hard before<br />
lockdown, security was pretty much understaffed, and<br />
we caught the opportunity,” says Alone. Milan, the<br />
biggest city in the northern Italian region of Lombardy,<br />
was hit the hardest by Corona early on in the pandemic<br />
in Europe. A skyrocketing number of infections<br />
meant strict restrictions from the beginning.<br />
“I did some quick road trips with good friends,<br />
and everything was nice again. Then a second lockdown<br />
arrived in autumn. I was more organized, and the<br />
cops were more chill, but my personal motivation<br />
was beaten down by these stupid rules again. Instead<br />
of painting, I concentrated more on some other passions<br />
related to the mountains, finding back the freedom<br />
I lost twice,” he continues. To him, escapism is a<br />
means to deal with the stress city life can entail. “So the<br />
big issue for me was meeting too much police and<br />
army everywhere, always checking even when just walking.<br />
This pressure sucks so much; I thought, ‘fuck,<br />
Orwell is getting closer and closer’...Train writers deal<br />
with adapting to different environments every day.<br />
We don’t need open bars or restaurants to do what we<br />
like: a bush, a construction area, or a parking lot can<br />
be cozier than anything else sometimes, but all this control<br />
was way too much in the first, super hard, lockdown<br />
in Milan. I respect people who were struggling at<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
27
24<br />
the hospital or dying – but paying the consequences<br />
of stupid people out there who have no clue about surviving<br />
alone (or with your relatives), it was too much<br />
as well.” Alone addresses a dilemma: a double bind situation<br />
of being caught up in between responsibility<br />
for others yet feeling the need for individual freedom.<br />
Kae admits having mixed feelings, too: “somehow I<br />
managed to pull off some interesting things that I now<br />
reflect on and have some sort of bitter-sweet guilt<br />
attached to. This is after really seeing the effects this<br />
whole shit had on everybody, including family members<br />
outside of my household.”<br />
25<br />
The main thing the pandemic has<br />
taught me is that we really took even<br />
our most basic freedoms for granted,<br />
whether it is the freedom to travel,<br />
the freedom to paint outside, and<br />
even the freedom to spend time with<br />
the ones we love.<br />
Wane<br />
I would love to reunite with people,<br />
...party, and have the freedom to<br />
explore places without fear.<br />
Cloak<br />
26<br />
ANTICIPATION IS THE<br />
GREATEST JOY – OUTLOOK<br />
“I would love to reunite with people, ...party, and have the<br />
freedom to explore places without fear,” Cloak bursts<br />
out in response to what he looks forward to. Post simply<br />
emphasizes continuity: “No lockouts, the game<br />
don’t stop.”<br />
“Travel. Travel again. I’m pretty sure my first destination<br />
will be Germany,” LaFranz states. The answer<br />
is unisono – Laia, Ribes, Pheo, Alone, Wane, and Func<br />
want to see the world and, even more, embrace their<br />
friends. Humans are social beings, after all.<br />
“I want to take my kids and wife out to a really<br />
nice dinner. I used to spoil them when it came to going<br />
out to eat. It’s something I hold really close, as I never<br />
really had that structure as a kid where we sat down to<br />
enjoy a meal as a family. So watching my family enjoy<br />
themselves together is something I value,” Kae shares.<br />
Drawing a conclusion as of now seems hard<br />
since the pandemic is still not over. The virus or its mutations<br />
might become endemic. Yet, some things are<br />
certain. For better or worse, Corona will be a catalyst in<br />
some aspects. Digitalization took a big step forward.<br />
While tourism and imports slowed down, at least nature<br />
could catch a short break. Global repercussions are<br />
undeniable and inevitable. Thus, the best thing to do is to<br />
concentrate on positive aspects. Try to benefit from<br />
the extra time. Invest energy into your passion; maybe<br />
go painting more. Take a moment to rethink, focus on<br />
what can be done now – like sketching, for instance.<br />
28 Montana Cans Lockdown on lock
24 Caught in traffic,<br />
RIBES manages to<br />
spread some color in<br />
an otherwise gray situation.<br />
25 No hidden message<br />
here as LAIA<br />
brings another smile<br />
with some style.<br />
26 Tuning the the<br />
canvas skills, one of<br />
many pieces created<br />
by WANE during<br />
the lockdown period.<br />
27 Making the important<br />
decisions,<br />
WANE looks over his<br />
Montana BLACK<br />
and GOLD cans to see<br />
which comes next.<br />
28 WANE reminding<br />
us to “Just Skate”<br />
when the chips are<br />
down.<br />
27<br />
We encourage you to be creative! This applies to<br />
both professional and purely passionate contexts of<br />
your artistic output. Quite a few writers managed to invest<br />
their surplus of time wisely. Graffiti media flourished<br />
in 2020. There was time for creation, curation, and<br />
consumption, whether magazines, blogs, books,<br />
videos, and podcasts. “I took the opportunity to put together<br />
a fanzine-book called Graffiti Minded. For a<br />
long time, I wanted to do something on paper, and thanks<br />
to the lockdown, I did it together with all my beautiful<br />
friends around the globe, more or less locked, like me,”<br />
Alone says.<br />
“...Better times will come,” Laia is certain. “For<br />
sure, I painted way less compared to the previous<br />
year, and every action now considers new elements. But<br />
those new things are not always unpleasant! Like,<br />
wearing a mask everywhere is not that bad,” Alone concludes<br />
with a smile. Wane has humble reasoning, “the<br />
main thing the pandemic has taught me is that we really<br />
took even our most basic freedoms for granted,<br />
whether it is the freedom to travel, the freedom to paint<br />
outside, and even the freedom to spend time with the<br />
ones we love.”<br />
Like, wearing a mask everywhere is<br />
not that bad.<br />
Alone<br />
28<br />
Montana Cans Lockdown on lock<br />
29
Pow!<br />
wow!<br />
10th anniversary HAWAI‘I 2020<br />
Location<br />
Hawai‘i<br />
Profile<br />
@powwowworldwide<br />
Photography<br />
Ian Lundie &<br />
Lannycatcheswalls<br />
For the last 10 years the POW! WOW! organization<br />
has been creating a world-renowned<br />
street art festival. But if you look<br />
at their achievements during this time,<br />
this is but a mear portion of what the team<br />
and all the participants have created.<br />
← The now-iconic, limited<br />
edition Montana<br />
Cans x POW! WOW!<br />
10th Anniversary collaboration<br />
can.<br />
↑ The POW! WOW!<br />
team in the flesh at<br />
Lana Lane Studios,<br />
the home of POW!<br />
WOW!<br />
Let’s start by looking at the participating artists<br />
in 2020. The strong line up came from all over the<br />
globe. Internationally, the visiting artists were;<br />
123Klan, Aaron de la Cruz, Aaron Kai, Alex Pardee,<br />
Andrew Schoultz, Baghead, Bier and Brood, Brian<br />
Butler, Cryptik, Czolk, Defer, Denpa, Dragon76, Drew<br />
Merritt, Edwin Ushiro, Frida Stiil Vium, Jay Howell,<br />
Jose Mertz, Joshua Vides, Jurne, Kevin Lyons, Lauren<br />
YS, Madsteez, Matt Eaton, Mayonaize, Nathan Smith,<br />
OG Slick, Persue, Rabi, Saturno, Simone Legno of Tokidoki,<br />
Tatiana Suarez, Tristan Eaton, Will Barras, Woes, Yoheyy.<br />
30 Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I
Locally the talent participating was just as strong;<br />
7Sketches, Asalt, Bethany Georges, Cheyne Gallarde,<br />
Ckaweeks, CME, Cory Taum, Dak1ne, Devour, East3, Flip,<br />
Gary Draws Fish, Gavin Murai, Grace, Mr. Hahn, Jack<br />
Soren, Jana Lam, Jesico Serrano, Kahiau Beamer, Kai<br />
Kaulukukui, Kaplan Bunce, Katch, Kate Wadsworth,<br />
Kealakukui, Kim Sielbeck, Kris Goto, Kween, Lauren Hana<br />
Chai, Lucky Olelo, Luke DeKneef, Maek, Mark Milligan,<br />
Marko Livingston, Matthew Tapia, Mauka, Melon James,<br />
Nanea Lum, Oera, Pero, Puff, Ralph De La Cruz, Ran<br />
Noveck, Retsy, Sergio Garzon, Shar Tuiasoa, Shingo,<br />
Solomon Enos, Ware, Wooden Wave.<br />
↑ Bier En Broot (NL).<br />
Enter the vortex, this<br />
mind boggling mural<br />
draws the viewer in<br />
to an imaginary void.<br />
↖ German artist<br />
CZOLK takes the<br />
stage to show what<br />
he can do for the<br />
POW! WOW! audience.<br />
← Baghead and<br />
Upperhand, taking<br />
it from Miami to<br />
Hawai‘i. With just<br />
the right amount<br />
of everything.<br />
→ Josh Hall aka Baghead<br />
and Brian Butler<br />
aka Upperhand pause<br />
to smile for the cameras<br />
they had been trying<br />
to ignore for the<br />
duration of painting.<br />
Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I<br />
31
In 2020 to help celebrate the 10th anniversary, a<br />
select group of our own MONTANA CANS team went<br />
beachside in Hawaii to see, hear, and experience it all in<br />
the flesh themselves. With the welcomed special<br />
Collabo Montana Cans Shock Black 10th anniversary<br />
can at the event, design by POW! WOW! co-founder<br />
Kamea, it seemed a fitting occasion for everyone to meet<br />
and greet. The natural landscape of Hawaii, which<br />
plays such a large roll in the home of the POW! WOW!<br />
festival was a welcoming host as the colors off, and<br />
on the walls were as inspiring as those being sprayed<br />
with Montana GOLD and Montana BLACK on them.<br />
↗ 123 Klan featuring<br />
Scien and Klor. Bringing<br />
tradition of graffiti<br />
style writing to the<br />
island.<br />
→→ The Michelle<br />
Hoogveld mural in all<br />
its geometric, yet organic<br />
glory.<br />
→ Michelle Hoogveld<br />
(CA). Posing in front<br />
of her finished work.<br />
↓ Haunting and enchanting.<br />
It is not<br />
always about lots<br />
of colors.<br />
32 Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I
↑ Flora and fauna,<br />
play a large role in<br />
POW! WOW! murals<br />
thanks to the inspiring<br />
landscape.<br />
→ All shapes and sizes.<br />
The POW! WOW!<br />
festival has it all.<br />
All visiting artists who sometimes become<br />
international POW! WOW! collaborators<br />
are amazed by the positive response and<br />
support by residents of the Kaka’ako<br />
district of Honolulu.<br />
→ Rule number one<br />
at any POW! WOW!<br />
event; „Don’t take<br />
yourself too seriously.“<br />
↓ Murals of all sizes<br />
and shapes. The artists<br />
at POW! WOW!<br />
know how to do it all.<br />
← Kevin Lyons keeping<br />
it fruity, and<br />
aesthetic.<br />
Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I<br />
33
34 Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I
↖ Art. The place where<br />
life, death, and nature<br />
merge, thanks to<br />
the hand of the artist.<br />
← Wildlife, a great<br />
source of inspiration<br />
for murals on this<br />
idyllic island.<br />
↑ With a flavor of<br />
tattoo art, figures<br />
and form harmonize<br />
on a large scale.<br />
Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I<br />
35
The local community also plays a large role in<br />
the success of POW! WOW! both nationally and<br />
internationally. All visiting artists who sometimes become<br />
international POW! WOW! collaborators are<br />
amazed by the positive response and support by residents<br />
of the Kaka’ako district of Honolulu. Their positive<br />
energy transports a spirit that is welcomed and in<br />
demand, all over the world.<br />
There are also many teams behind the team. Copartners<br />
like Thinkspace help create exhibitions, happenings<br />
and artist talks that take being a POW! WOW!<br />
participant to a whole other level. A place where graffiti<br />
meets street art, urban art, music, and dance, the POW!<br />
WOW! umbrella is a creative force to be reckoned with.<br />
We look forward to the future years of collaboration<br />
and partnership with POW! WOW! team, and reflect<br />
fondly on the ten years of achievements thus far.<br />
↖ All styles and colors.<br />
The POW! WOW!<br />
reach is not only felt<br />
by its audience, but<br />
also its wide spectrum<br />
of artists.<br />
← The power to create<br />
and come together.<br />
The true essence of<br />
every POW! WOW!<br />
gathering.<br />
↙ Let’s not forget a<br />
touch of humor. Art<br />
for the inner child,<br />
both young and old.<br />
↓ Abstract, figurative,<br />
and everything in between.<br />
There is something<br />
for everyone.<br />
↓ It’s not all men,<br />
↓ spray cans, and<br />
graffiti. POW! WOW!<br />
is a truly unique<br />
creative happening.<br />
36 Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I
↑ Final wall by Jose<br />
Mertz & SaturnoArt in<br />
Kakaako, Oahu<br />
← Final wall by<br />
Woes & Dragon76 in<br />
Kakaako, Oahu.<br />
↙ Dragon76, Jose<br />
Mertz, SaturnoArt &<br />
Woes. Not afraid to<br />
take on big projects.<br />
A place where graffiti meets<br />
street art, urban art, music,<br />
and dance, the POW! WOW!<br />
umbrella is a creative force<br />
to be reckoned with.<br />
↓ Size doesn’t always<br />
matter. A small wall<br />
with a lot to offer at<br />
ground level.<br />
Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I<br />
37
TRISTAN & MATT EATON<br />
“RABINDRA” MURAL<br />
Tristan and Matt Eaton @ POW! WOW!<br />
HAWAII – A homage to “Rabindra”<br />
Location<br />
Hawai‘i<br />
Profile<br />
@ matteatonasnobody<br />
@tristaneaton<br />
Photography<br />
Ian Lundie &<br />
Lannycatcheswalls<br />
Make sure to check out the LEGACY EPISODE on:<br />
www.tristaneaton.com<br />
↓ The finished mural,<br />
„Rabindra“. By Matt<br />
and Tristan Eaton.<br />
↓ Starting, with a long<br />
↓ road ahead. Painting<br />
offers time to reflect<br />
and connect.<br />
It’s hard to look past the sorrow when losing someone<br />
you love. But for American artists, Tristan and<br />
Matt Eaton, being invited to POW! WOW! HAWAII was<br />
the perfect opportunity to create a mural inspired<br />
by their much-loved uncle Ralph “Rabindra” Danks aka<br />
“Binda”. The name Rabindra is related to the sun Indra<br />
and was given to their uncle by an Indian Guru. The Eaton<br />
brothers credit their uncle for a lot of their outlook<br />
on life, humor, music and above all art. With a fascination<br />
for animals, Binda’s life included being born in Glasgow,<br />
being a musician in a band playing alongside the<br />
likes of The Beatles, Eric Clapton, and the Rolling<br />
Stones, to eventually settling down in Japan to focus<br />
on a successful career in art and creativity.<br />
38 Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I
This rich tapestry of inspiration and stories was<br />
easily drawn from by Matt and Tristan Eaton who<br />
have created monumental artwork combining their two<br />
styles with their uncles love of the natural world.<br />
The artwork also titled ‘Rabindra’, truly celebrates their<br />
uncle’s life and gives the brothers a chance to share<br />
visual homage with the POW! WOW! HAWAII audience<br />
and beyond.<br />
The name Rabindra is related to the sun<br />
Indra and was given to their uncle by<br />
an Indian Guru.<br />
With the vibrant Montana GOLD colors expanding<br />
in and around what appears to be the shape of<br />
a tiger, the white of the walls base coat plays host to a<br />
neutral background for the tiger’s internal details to<br />
come to the gelding. Take a moment here to ponder the<br />
beauty that is ‘Rabindra’.<br />
The Eaton brothers credit their uncle for a<br />
lot of their outlook on life, humor, music<br />
and above all art. With a fascination for animals,<br />
Binda’s life included being born in<br />
Glasgow, being a musician in a band...<br />
↑ The hot Hawaiian<br />
sun can be hard at the<br />
best of times. Being<br />
on a scissor lift with a<br />
wall reflecting light<br />
onto you is just another<br />
challenge for the<br />
Eaton brothers.<br />
→ Traditions and rituals,<br />
a bonding experience<br />
for all POW!<br />
WOW! participants.<br />
↙ Being brothers doesn’t<br />
make painting<br />
large murals any easier.<br />
But it does help<br />
communication.<br />
Recap Pow! Wow! Hawai‘I<br />
39
CALL MY<br />
LAWYER<br />
Location<br />
Los Angeles, USA<br />
Profile<br />
@chinatownmarket<br />
Photography<br />
Chinatown Market<br />
In case of an emergency, call the number on<br />
the can. This might sound like a health<br />
and safety warning for aerosol can use, but<br />
it is not. It could be, however, a practical<br />
instruction for artists to pick up the phone<br />
when their rights have been infringed or<br />
work used without authorization.<br />
↑ A new take on a<br />
American classic.<br />
Chinatown Market<br />
re-invents the basketball<br />
with a new look.<br />
→ The message is<br />
clear, the tides have<br />
turned for artists that<br />
have their work used<br />
for the financial gain<br />
of others.<br />
40 Collabo Series Jeff Gluck X Chinatown Market
Big business knows who’s<br />
hot in the art world.<br />
The artists are seldom included<br />
in this financial<br />
chain, and theirs is the artwork<br />
that functions as<br />
the backbone of many campaigns<br />
without any remuneration.<br />
↓ Yellow and black,<br />
the new CI to remind<br />
you when it’s time<br />
to call your lawyer.<br />
CALL MY LAWYER is a limited edition collabo<br />
can that tackles this topic head-on. And<br />
actually provides a number for artists to call<br />
when they think have been ripped off.<br />
The idea was born out of a recent trend by big businesses<br />
that use original artworks for their own purposes<br />
to generate revenue and drive their sales.<br />
All without the consent of the artist or payment<br />
for their creative contribution. The Seventh Letter,<br />
lawyer Jeff Gluck, China Town Market and Montana Cans<br />
have come together to create a can that spreads<br />
awareness of the issue and provide a possible solution<br />
to this problem for those affected. Gluck, Seventh<br />
Letter and China Town Market are all at the coal face of<br />
the issue. In cases of copyright infringement or<br />
unauthorized use, Jeff Gluck is a New York-based lawyer<br />
who specializes in protecting the work and rights<br />
of artists. Recent cases with Seventh Letter artists such<br />
as Jason REVOK Williams’s work being used by<br />
H&M and Cavalli, RIME’s work being used by Jeremy Scott<br />
or DASH SNOW’s work being used by Mc Donalds<br />
highlights that big business know who’s hot in the art<br />
world. Using their ideas and artwork to reach their target<br />
demographic without the normal associated costs.<br />
Collabo Series Jeff Gluck X Chinatown Market<br />
41
But the artists are seldom included in this financial chain,<br />
and theirs is the artwork that functions as the backbone<br />
of many campaigns without any remuneration.<br />
Gluck has been a lone ranger representing the often<br />
non financial artists against deep-pocketed big business.<br />
For him, it all started in the initial phases of him<br />
opening his own practice. His work with Curtis Kulig<br />
who became his first client, began a process of referrals<br />
and testimonials, showing artists that Gluck had<br />
their backs. In his words, he is trying to “level the<br />
playing field” which can assist artists in protecting their<br />
rights and their financial interests.<br />
↓ In case of emergency,<br />
call the number on<br />
the donut and speak<br />
to your lawyer.<br />
He is trying to “level the<br />
playing field” which<br />
can assist artists in protecting<br />
their rights and<br />
their financial interests.<br />
42 Collabo Series Jeff Gluck X Chinatown Market
A can that has positioned<br />
itself as the ultimate<br />
tool to fight the system<br />
since day one.<br />
↑ Clever and real. Jeff<br />
Gluck puts his money<br />
where his mouth is<br />
and helps artists fight<br />
the big fight.<br />
After a successful sell-through of a CALL MY<br />
LAWYER t-shirts by China Town Market, the obvious<br />
next step was to transform the design on the tools of<br />
which the artists use to create the work. The black<br />
lithography of the CALL MY LAWYER can boast a similar<br />
aesthetic of the Montana BLACK can. A can that has<br />
positioned itself as the ultimate tool to fight the system<br />
since day one. Filled with benchmark black 9001<br />
color, this can will find it’s way into the hands of the artists<br />
via, The Seventh Letter, China Town Market and Jeff<br />
Gluck himself. An instant collectors item with an important<br />
message.<br />
Collabo Series Jeff Gluck X Chinatown Market<br />
43
Goldzilla<br />
Limited edition print:<br />
GOLDZILLA –<br />
The King of Cans<br />
FRA MED<br />
Location<br />
Hamburg, Germany<br />
Photography<br />
@nokiss.print<br />
Profile<br />
@flyingfortress243<br />
44 Art Print GOLDZILLA – A Flying Förtress Design
FLYING FÖRTRESS, the German artist, graffiti<br />
writer, and fan of all things mullet, is well known<br />
across the globe for his signature teddy bear<br />
helmet characters, and his humorous illustrative<br />
graffiti styles. No stranger to the Montana Cans family,<br />
he has often participated in various Montana Cans projects<br />
including the highly collectible, Limited Edition,<br />
BLACKBRÄU – OKTOBER FEST can. Since 2015,<br />
Although he is an avid Montana<br />
BLACK user when doing graffiti,<br />
FÖRTRESS shows some love for<br />
his favorite artmaking can, the<br />
Montana GOLD.<br />
FÖRTRESS has been toying with the idea of a characterized<br />
Montana GOLD x GODZILLA design, but until now<br />
just hasn’t had the right moment or format to develop it.<br />
That was until COVID came to town and gave everyone<br />
a reason to stay home and have a lot more time. Fast<br />
forward a little, and we celebrate the launch of the<br />
Limited Edition FLYING FÖRTRESS print, GOLDZILLA!<br />
And the second love incorporated<br />
in the design is the iconic character<br />
from his childhood, GODZILLA.<br />
The GOLDZILLA art print is a homage to two of<br />
FÖRTRESS’s favorite things. Although he is an avid<br />
Montana BLACK user when doing graffiti, FÖRTRESS<br />
shows some love for his favorite artmaking can, the<br />
Montana GOLD. And the second love incorporated in the<br />
design is the iconic character from his childhood,<br />
GODZILLA.<br />
↑ At a close look it is<br />
clear to see that every<br />
print features color<br />
cut edges by the<br />
personal hand touch<br />
of FLYING FÖRTRESS<br />
and Montana GOLD.<br />
↗ More than just a<br />
multiple, the FLYING<br />
FÖRTRESS - GOLD-<br />
ZILLA print is the<br />
perfect addition to<br />
any art collection.<br />
← The inner child of<br />
Flying Förtress,<br />
GOLDZILLA in all its<br />
graffiti glory.<br />
The 3-color hand-printed screen<br />
print is in A4 format and color cut with<br />
Montana GOLD along the edges.<br />
The print was released in a numbered limited<br />
series of 100 at Nokiss Letterpress Studio. The 3-color<br />
hand-printed screen print is in A4 format and color<br />
cut with Montana GOLD along the edges. Maybe you too<br />
can still get lucky and grab one of these exclusiv<br />
prints for yourself from the FLYING FÖRTRESS webshop<br />
or at the Montana Cans Store Vienna or Frankfurt!<br />
Art Print GOLDZILLA – A Flying Förtress Design<br />
45
Bond<br />
truluv<br />
Location<br />
Leipzig, Germany<br />
Photography<br />
Jordan Katz<br />
Profile<br />
@bondtruluv<br />
Montana Cans visits BOND TRULUV<br />
Entering the world of graffiti augmentation<br />
BOND TRULUV uses travel as one of his<br />
greatest sources of inspiration. Walking<br />
paths he has never gone before translates<br />
to his creative goal of creating artwork<br />
that has never been seen or done<br />
before. In this article, we explore the world<br />
of BOND TRULUV from the comfort of<br />
his studio and watch as this dynamic artist<br />
creates his augmented reality artwork,<br />
with his trademark graffiti touch.<br />
46 Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv
There have been many references to the Germanborn<br />
artist BOND TRULUV throughout the<br />
Montana media platforms. Without a doubt, his<br />
unique artworks have caught not only our eye<br />
but also that of an international audience. Going beyond<br />
your classic graffiti style writing, BOND’s commitment<br />
to finding new ways to express his artwork and letters has<br />
taken him down a unique path. Born in 1981, since the<br />
2000s BOND’s roots in graffiti have guided him in a direction<br />
where graffiti meets fine art, stopping in the digital<br />
world and graphic design along the way. With a neverending<br />
thirst for travel, BOND’s adventures have not<br />
only taken him around the world for education and experience,<br />
but they have also enabled him to leave behind<br />
an international trail of artworks. He has exhibited and<br />
created murals all over Europe, Africa and Asia, including<br />
countries like India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia,<br />
and Myanmar.<br />
His constant experimentation<br />
of the digital world,<br />
long exposure photography,<br />
installations, and video<br />
mapping has resulted in him<br />
being the first graffiti artist<br />
to embed augmented reality<br />
into his artworks.<br />
↑ Layer upon layer,<br />
there is no easy way<br />
to get to perfection<br />
except with patience<br />
and passion.<br />
↓ From the outside<br />
looking in. The space<br />
where BOND’s studio<br />
work comes to life.<br />
To get a closer look at how BOND creates artworks<br />
on small scale, we were lucky enough to have<br />
a studio visit with this multi-media creator. Not only was<br />
his informed ease of use with Montana spray products<br />
such as Montana GOLD, BLACK, MARBLE, and<br />
VARNISH impressive, his instinctive incorporation<br />
of drawing by way of the ACRYLIC refills and Montana<br />
EMPTY markers, was equally as natural. Where<br />
BOND takes his art to a new level is his multi-media initiatives.<br />
His constant experimentation of the digital<br />
world, long exposure photography, installations, and<br />
video mapping has resulted in him being the first graffiti<br />
artist to embed augmented reality into his artworks.<br />
This extends both the visual content but also builds on<br />
digital transformations that are also site-specific.<br />
Constantly pushing the boundaries of contemporary<br />
urban art has made him a leader in his respective<br />
fields. On one hand, he has earned and maintained<br />
the respect of his peers in the hands-on analog world<br />
of graffiti writing, while on the other, creating a whole new<br />
way of making contemporary art that is compelling<br />
even for the ‘outsider’. Given that there are few innovators<br />
in this field such as BOND, while at his studio, we took<br />
the opportunity to ask him a few questions to hear his own<br />
perspectives on his work. This is what he had to say…<br />
Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv<br />
47
MONTANA CANS<br />
Before you started exploring the augmented reality<br />
aspect of your work, what was your focus when creating<br />
graffiti or murals?<br />
BOND TRULUV<br />
Well, I guess it’s safe to say that my focus changed every<br />
so often, finding so much inspiration from so many<br />
different sources. Looking back now, there are really a<br />
lot of different styles and approaches in my work.<br />
You have already mentioned a few in your intro. There<br />
were and still are times when I felt really confused<br />
about which path, or style, to follow. Waging economic,<br />
practical, personal, and even political aspects against<br />
each other. When you look at the popular and in other<br />
ways successful artists that emerged from the sea<br />
of writers, it seems that they all have this one signature<br />
style that they are known for and according to which<br />
parameters they work. Like a brand or consumer product,<br />
it almost seemed to me that most them have a<br />
certain type of “corporate identity”. Naturally, I thought<br />
that’s the recipe for success and was constantly<br />
confused about myself not being able to build up this<br />
solid body of coherent work. Nowadays I think that<br />
this ability to change and play with new influences is a<br />
strength and I try to embrace and welcome new and<br />
unusual ideas. The world we live in is too diverse for singular<br />
inspiration. Of course, the longer you work in a<br />
certain set of restraints, certain routines come with it.<br />
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it sure can<br />
be limiting at times.<br />
↑ Start at the beginning,<br />
no matter how<br />
far you delve into<br />
making art digitally,<br />
nothing substitutes<br />
a strong foundation<br />
in drawing by hand.<br />
I’m a self-taught person, not<br />
working in the industry or<br />
anything and I pretty much<br />
do everything myself.<br />
MC<br />
At what point in your career did the AR work start to enter<br />
your painting work? Was there any specific moment<br />
to this starting?<br />
BT<br />
One night about three years ago I had a couple of beers<br />
with some nerd friends of mine and we were deep in<br />
a discussion about technology stuff when the AR topic<br />
popped up. Pretty much the very next day I built my first<br />
AR app with Unity3D, and the help of a YouTube tutorial.<br />
MC<br />
Your affiliation to traveling must deeply inform your artwork,<br />
how do you practically manage this combination<br />
of analog and digital work? Is it as simple as bringing<br />
along a laptop with your cans, or do you need other<br />
special requirements?<br />
BT<br />
Unfortunately, the technical aspect of the more complex<br />
AR pieces is super time consuming and challenging.<br />
I’m a self-taught person, not working in the industry or<br />
anything and I pretty much do everything myself. So,<br />
most of the time, putting together the AR animations and<br />
whole infrastructure as well as conceiving and editing<br />
the whole show is more work than the actual painting of<br />
it. Also, the troubleshooting and researching for the<br />
best techniques takes its time. There is rarely a case when<br />
technology or software just work like that. Usually<br />
there are random errors and a blue screen that come<br />
with the piece.<br />
MC<br />
Has the development of digital work become more<br />
important to you than painting with cans?<br />
BT<br />
For me, the interesting and important part is the combination.<br />
There are way better digital artists out there<br />
and there are better graffiti writers and spray paint artists<br />
out there. But blending the different approaches to<br />
create something new and unique is what’s raising my<br />
curiosity.<br />
48 Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv
↑ From the hi-fi digital<br />
world to cardboard<br />
and wood lo-fi. BOND<br />
knows how to use<br />
any material to help<br />
him create.<br />
↑ Everything is there<br />
to inspire, for BOND,<br />
the real world is an<br />
invitation to conceive<br />
ideas.<br />
↓ Anything is possible,<br />
even Bart Simpson<br />
finds his way into<br />
a BOND TRULUV concept<br />
in epic proportions.<br />
The development of the digital aspects of my<br />
pieces surely take more time, though. But I enjoy<br />
the painting part a bit more. So, they always compliment<br />
and balance each other.<br />
MC<br />
Seeing you create in the studio is as if it is as natural to<br />
you as painting a wall. Do you prefer small studio<br />
work over working large scale?<br />
BT<br />
Honestly, I don’t like studio work too much. I like to move<br />
and climb and explore. Also working inside the studio<br />
with solvents, ventilation is always an issue, especially<br />
when it’s cold outside. And I love spray paint for its<br />
handling, even for very small pieces. It dries faster and<br />
covers so much better than any water-based acrylic.<br />
I am constantly astonished how far spray paint technology<br />
has evolved.<br />
MC<br />
Do you prefer incorporating the AR element into smaller<br />
or larger scale works?<br />
BT<br />
For me it’s the same.<br />
Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv<br />
49
MC<br />
Do you still have the classic graffiti urges to just “go and<br />
drop a piece”, or would you rather develop a larger scale<br />
work that takes longer and includes the AR integration?<br />
BT<br />
I try to keep the balance between fast and elaborate work.<br />
I really can’t work on a piece too long. Even on large<br />
scale murals I get bored after 3 days max. I have a couple<br />
of walls and abandoned spots around my house<br />
where I go regularly and do 1-3 hour freestyle pieces<br />
without much planning to blow off steam. Without<br />
those regular sessions I really get in a bad mood and I<br />
found out that I need those, just like a type of meditation.<br />
I have this abandoned complex a few miles away<br />
from me where I can paint in solitude and sometimes,<br />
I go there for a couple of days just sleeping in the<br />
ruins, painting 12 hours straight. Sometimes I paint<br />
10-15 pieces a day like that. It’s like a challenge for me<br />
to see how much I can do and to tick ideas off my<br />
list. I keep a long list with random ideas for pieces that I<br />
work from top to bottom. But it’s never over.<br />
BT<br />
Montana Black and the cap it comes with (black/pink<br />
fatcap). I rarely use anything else.<br />
MC<br />
What is the worst food experience you have had while<br />
traveling?<br />
BT<br />
Interesting last question! There are a few actually. New<br />
Year’s eve in Mumbai 2010, I ate some bad chicken<br />
that knocked me out for 10 days straight. Lost 8 kg and<br />
took me about three weeks to fully recover. In Indonesia<br />
I had some very spicy sauce that I rubbed in my<br />
eye by accident. I was sure that I’d go blind that<br />
evening. In Taipei, somebody served us cluttered duck<br />
blood in a very spicy sauce for breakfast after a<br />
drinking night…bahhh. And the goat brain curry in Delhi<br />
was tough as well…<br />
That place was so inspiring,<br />
and I have kept on painting<br />
according to my “Japan list”<br />
for almost two years now<br />
to get rid of all the ideas.<br />
↓ Art is BOND’s place<br />
where anything goes.<br />
His ability to translate<br />
ideas into artworks<br />
leads to a vast array<br />
of mark-making and<br />
compositional decisions.<br />
→ The studio perspective.<br />
Amazing<br />
art works complimented<br />
by amazing<br />
art making tools.<br />
Just one of the places<br />
where BOND pushes<br />
things forward.<br />
MC<br />
If you had to choose only one medium to work in, what<br />
would it be?<br />
BT<br />
Tough one. But spray paint wins. Sitting in front of a<br />
screen all day is not cool.<br />
MC<br />
Do you have a favorite country you like to visit, or would<br />
you prefer to keep visiting the ones you’ve never been<br />
to?<br />
BT<br />
I’d really like to go back to Japan. That place was so<br />
inspiring, and I have kept on painting according to my<br />
“Japan list” for almost two years now to get rid of all<br />
the ideas. Also, southeast Asia always has been a good<br />
place and I definitely always enjoy the US. But there<br />
is a bunch of interesting places and every country has<br />
its perks. I’m not picky about that. These days it’s<br />
hard to plan trips and think about traveling though!<br />
MC<br />
What’s your favorite Montana can and cap combination?<br />
50 Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv
Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv<br />
51
Stairway<br />
to Heaven<br />
by BOND TRULUV<br />
Location<br />
Mannheim, Germany<br />
Photography<br />
Alexander Krziwanie<br />
Profile<br />
@bondtruluv<br />
↑ Time to get down to<br />
business. The concentration<br />
is plain to<br />
see as BOND TRULUV<br />
prepares to lift off for<br />
higher levels.<br />
The SWK organization has been bringing<br />
amazing artists from all over the world<br />
to paint at its open-air art museum in Mannheim<br />
Germany, since 2013. For one of<br />
the 2020 murals, they called in the skills of<br />
German-born, Leipzig based artist BOND<br />
TRULUV.<br />
52 Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv
KKnown to his parents as Jonas Ihlenfeldt,<br />
there has not been much that is considered<br />
taboo by BOND in the exploration of his<br />
artwork. Although graffiti has remained a<br />
strong basis on which to explore, even elements like<br />
science-fiction and spirituality can be credited as ingredients<br />
to his unique style. All of which is fueled even<br />
more by the experience gained while using his wellstamped<br />
passport.<br />
During what little was the European 2020<br />
summer mural season, BOND also found his way to the<br />
German city Mannheim to participate in the renowned<br />
SWK mural festival. His mission: to create a next-level,<br />
jaw-dropping work, which he titled, “Stairway to<br />
Heaven”. And that is exactly what he did. His tools for the<br />
job were: A select color palette of Montana GOLD<br />
low-pressure cans, backed up by a popping array of<br />
Montana BLACK high-pressure 400ml spray paint.<br />
“Stairway to Heaven”, is a rewarding mural bringing<br />
together many elements from many visual<br />
sources. Graffiti art, typography, 3D illusions, futuristic<br />
realism, and even pixelated arrows that look like<br />
they have been lifted straight out of the 90s’, all come<br />
together in a beautiful four-story mural. Seamlessly,<br />
as no sign of error or hesitation can be seen as BOND<br />
proves his comfort in using many of the Montana<br />
GOLD and BLACK color ranges. The normally boring<br />
apartment block was transformed into an electrifying<br />
artwork, that will without a doubt will brighten<br />
many days of the residence within it.<br />
↑ Precision is paramount.<br />
Even when<br />
using the high pressure<br />
Montana BLACK<br />
with its original fat<br />
cap.<br />
↓ Piece by piece, step<br />
by step. The plotting of<br />
an image that is both<br />
analog and digital is<br />
no easy feat. That is<br />
unless your BOND.<br />
Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv<br />
53
The artwork is a gift that keeps on giving. As a<br />
finished piece, it is something special to look at. Both<br />
technically and aesthetically impressive. However the<br />
mural goes way beyond this. Working with augmented<br />
reality, BOND spends just as much, if not more time<br />
in the preparation of his murals than in the painting<br />
of them. In the case of “Stairway to Heaven”, if viewers<br />
scan the artwork with the Artivive app, or scan a<br />
photo of it, an animation created for the mural is activated.<br />
Taking the concept beyond just a painting on the<br />
streets – just try it!<br />
BOND has a rich history of combining art and<br />
travel. Apart from his homeland Germany and the<br />
surrounding countries of Europe, countries like Egypt,<br />
India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and<br />
Japan all belong to his list of countries he has painted<br />
in. And it shows in his diverse artwork. Take a moment<br />
for yourself to lose yourself in “The stairway to<br />
Heaven”. Using the app artivive while holding on the<br />
mural or even the photo of it will allow you to experience<br />
also the digital layers behind!<br />
↓ Due to being 4 stories<br />
up, few viewers<br />
will be able to appreciate<br />
the intricacy<br />
of the 8 spheres that<br />
make up the chrome<br />
arrow in “Stairway to<br />
Heaven”.<br />
Montana Cans<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
get to know:<br />
Bond<br />
Truluv<br />
The name conjures up many possibilities as<br />
to what the work of such a named artist<br />
could be like. But one thing it does capture<br />
is BOND’s love of what he does. Whether<br />
it be the love of detail, love of illusion, or even<br />
just the love of color. It is all there in a unique<br />
package that goes way beyond the norm.<br />
54 Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv
↓ Nothing short of<br />
captivating. BOND<br />
poses in front of this<br />
eye catching masterpiece<br />
which was<br />
warmly welcomed by<br />
the local Mannheim<br />
community.<br />
↖ Scan with the<br />
Artivive-App!<br />
Artist in focus / Interview bond truluv<br />
55
PICHIAVO<br />
for METROPOLINK<br />
At Heidelberg Central Station<br />
Location<br />
Heidelberg, Germany<br />
Photography<br />
Schreiber & Pötter<br />
Profile<br />
@ pichiavo, @metropolinkurbanartfestival<br />
The chances of residents, tourists, and commuters missing<br />
their trains at Heidelberg’s Central Station in Germany<br />
has just increased. Not because of trackwork, strikes, or<br />
god forbid it…vandalism! The reason is the amazing new<br />
head-turning mural by Spanish street art duo, PichiAvo.<br />
→ It doesn’t get any<br />
better. A café right<br />
under your piece for<br />
those hard earned<br />
coffee breaks.<br />
56 Production Pichiavo for Metropolink
↖ The weapons of<br />
choice, Montana<br />
BLACK, and GOLD<br />
cans lay at the ready<br />
as the artists prepare<br />
their materials.<br />
← The calm, before<br />
the storm, before the<br />
calm again. One of<br />
the many layers of<br />
what becomes a<br />
tapestry of graffiti<br />
iconography.<br />
↑ A very large, blank,<br />
white, indoor space<br />
ready to go. Right<br />
in the middle of<br />
Heidelberg’s main<br />
station.<br />
→ Up-close and personal.<br />
Not possible<br />
for most viewers considering<br />
the elevated<br />
nature of the work.<br />
As part of the METROPOLINK festival that<br />
takes part in the region of Heidelberg, the<br />
mural has found its new home on a large<br />
scale in the main terminal building of the<br />
station. A meeting point, food stop, and transport<br />
hub all in one, the station has now become home to a<br />
contemporary mix of graffiti, classical sculpture and<br />
street art. Starting with layers of graffiti fodder, their<br />
image forms as a transparent eagle, and a Romanesque<br />
statue figure emerge over the backdrop of vibrant,<br />
Montana BLACK and GOLD fueled graffiti mark-making.<br />
A meeting point, food stop, and transport<br />
hub all in one, the station has<br />
now become home to a contemporary<br />
mix of graffiti, classical sculpture<br />
and street art.<br />
The duo from Valencia Spain, formed in 2007<br />
after meeting in the graffiti scene and later studying<br />
Fine Art and Design together. Pichi born in 1977 and Avo<br />
born in 1985 abandoned the idea of individualism<br />
for a path of art-making that works best in pairs or more.<br />
Production Pichiavo for Metropolink<br />
57
58 Production Pichiavo for Metropolink
They abandoned the idea of individualism<br />
for a path of art-making<br />
that works best in pairs or more.<br />
Once all was said and done, the plastic dust covers<br />
removed, and the shops beneath the mural returned<br />
to business as usual, the mural leaves behind<br />
not only the traces of some other local graffiti greats,<br />
who stopped by as the scissor lift was in full extension<br />
but also a cultural story that connects many elements<br />
of historical and contemporary art, that will stay<br />
behind for years to come, filling in the gaps for all<br />
those who can spare a moment to look up and contemplate<br />
what they are seeing.<br />
The mural leaves behind not only the<br />
traces of some other local graffiti<br />
greats, who stopped by as the scissor<br />
lift was in full extension.<br />
← Just like the organic<br />
nature of any surface,<br />
the various elements<br />
of graffiti disciplines<br />
embellished the wall<br />
before the grand<br />
finale.<br />
↙ The contrast of red<br />
and yellow, one of<br />
many that will fill the<br />
space before the<br />
figurative elements<br />
are chiseled away.<br />
↗ A moment of contemplation<br />
amongst<br />
the hustle and bustle<br />
of commuters rushing<br />
to their destinations.<br />
↓ And then the magic<br />
starts to happen.<br />
Even spectators now<br />
see there is more<br />
than just graffiti<br />
going on.<br />
Production Pichiavo for Metropolink<br />
59
60 Production Pichiavo for Metropolink
Production Pichiavo for Metropolink<br />
61
MONTAna<br />
CaNs<br />
X<br />
NITRO<br />
Location<br />
Worldwide<br />
Photography<br />
Edward Nightingale<br />
Profile<br />
@nitrobags<br />
@montanacans<br />
Backpack<br />
Collabo<br />
The SPRAYCATION, a unique graffiti concept<br />
that combines the graffiti writer’s<br />
instinct for creation and travel. What once<br />
was “writing my name” while on holidays,<br />
has now become “going on holidays to write<br />
my name”.<br />
62 Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack
One thing is for sure, regardless of your motivation<br />
when you travel, you need a good<br />
backpack. In all its simple beauty, the backpack<br />
combines the strength of the human<br />
form, with the necessity for it to be able to carry things.<br />
For quite a while, Montana Cans has been exploring<br />
carrying solutions in the form of the Montana Bag range.<br />
We have created practical bags, cool bags, and environmentally<br />
friendly ones. All with the idea that if you have<br />
to part with it, it’s not the end of the world. But now<br />
and then, the need arises for something more. Something<br />
you will keep that will accompany you on your adventures,<br />
that could also see you through your daily routine.<br />
For the team at Montana Cans, this<br />
is a path that runs parallel to our<br />
quest to create the greatest urban<br />
art-making tools, that are durable,<br />
high performance, and with Made in<br />
Germany reliability.<br />
↓ Stylish, timeless,<br />
and in good taste. The<br />
NITRO backpack is<br />
the ideal companion<br />
for travel of any sort.<br />
→ Creativity on the run.<br />
Whether your planning<br />
your next piece or<br />
jotting down an idea,<br />
the NITRO SCRAMB-<br />
LER covers all bases.<br />
Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack<br />
63
The German NITRO Bag company has been<br />
combining function and style into their products since<br />
1990. As a company founded in the origin of lifestyle<br />
sports, its quest to combine urban elements with stateof-the-art<br />
technology plots their path to the pursuit of<br />
durability and reliability. For the team at Montana Cans,<br />
this is a path that runs parallel to our quest to create<br />
the greatest urban art-making tools, that are durable, high<br />
performance, and with Made in Germany reliability.<br />
The NITRO SCRAMBLER backpack could be considered<br />
a symbol of where these two innovative brands meet,<br />
which is where the Montana Cans x Nitro Backpack collabo,<br />
is now a reality.<br />
The hard-wearing outer material<br />
enables the removal of unwanted paint<br />
marks or accidental overspray.<br />
→ The contemporary<br />
citizen knows no<br />
boundaries between<br />
work and play.<br />
↓ Last call to board.<br />
Even if you are<br />
running late, it won’t<br />
be because of<br />
baggage issues.<br />
↘ Practical and<br />
functional. When it<br />
comes to cabin<br />
baggage, check it in,<br />
or carry it on.<br />
As a company founded in the origin<br />
of lifestyle sports, its quest to<br />
combine urban elements with stateof-the-art<br />
technology plots their<br />
path to the pursuit of durability and<br />
reliability.<br />
64 Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack
Ergonomic fitted straps result in secure<br />
comfortable wear regardless<br />
of how rigorous your daily routine is.<br />
Stylish, urban, and professional,<br />
this go-anywhere bag fits your 15″ laptop<br />
in a separate compartment for<br />
easy access even when the bag is full.<br />
The Montana x Nitro Scrambler backpack is the<br />
ultimate companion for creative adventures into<br />
unchartered terrains. This stunning black, 960g bag is<br />
47×30×12cm, for a perfect fit on any back. Whether<br />
you have planned your work meeting to precision or need<br />
to fill it in the last minute on the way to a spontaneous<br />
spraycation, the Montana x Nitro Scrambler allows you<br />
to carry 12 x 400ml cans in the main compartment.<br />
The hard-wearing outer material enables the removal<br />
of unwanted paint marks or accidental overspray.<br />
Ergonomic fitted straps result in secure comfortable<br />
wear regardless of how rigorous your daily routine<br />
is. Stylish, urban, and professional, this go-anywhere<br />
bag fits your 15″ laptop in a separate compartment<br />
for easy access even when the bag is full. And when required,<br />
the roll-top closure offers more space in the<br />
main compartment.<br />
www.nitrobags.com<br />
↑ Any color as long as<br />
it is black. This<br />
timeless backpack is<br />
as discrete as it is<br />
eye-catching.<br />
→ Sturdy and reliable,<br />
the NITRO backpack<br />
can be adjusted to<br />
your needs.<br />
→→ The Velcro strip<br />
along the front of the<br />
bag allows for easy<br />
attachment of all your<br />
favorite Spraycation<br />
patches.<br />
↘ Take a second look.<br />
Only upon a second<br />
glance is it clear that<br />
the MTA patch is the<br />
Montana Cans MTA<br />
patch.<br />
Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack<br />
65
SPRAY<br />
CATION<br />
More than just a vacation<br />
→ Collect them all. The<br />
Montana Cans Spraycation<br />
patches are the<br />
boy scout patches for<br />
graffiti writers.<br />
Location<br />
Worldwide<br />
Photography<br />
Edward Nightingale<br />
ProfileS<br />
@montanacans<br />
@matterof.online<br />
@sprayvacation<br />
In the early days of graffiti writing history,<br />
‘KINGing’ your city was the name of the<br />
game. Your checklist before every mission<br />
was simple and clear; cans, caps, bag,<br />
appropriate clothing... Check. What started<br />
out as a neighborhood-by-neighborhood<br />
conquest, soon spread to other boroughs,<br />
cities, and eventually the globe. With the<br />
world of the graffiti writer opening, traveling<br />
to make their art became a greater part<br />
of their everyday reality.<br />
66 Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack
STRAY CAT<br />
Leaving the safety and security of their homes,<br />
the STRAY CAT would rather explore its<br />
neighborhood to extend its turf and mark its<br />
new territory.<br />
GISELA<br />
The Berlin G series subway trains have lovingly<br />
acquired the nickname GISELA. With its<br />
corrugations, it is considered reminiscent of the<br />
Mother of all subway models, the New York<br />
Metro. Whether you are a train spotting nerd or<br />
a roughneck graffiti writer, getting one in<br />
front of your camera’s lens can make a visit to<br />
Berlin, unforgettable.<br />
TUNNEL RAT<br />
It doesn’t matter which subway tunnel you find<br />
yourself deep within, anywhere around the<br />
world. They always smell like home.<br />
FREIGHT TRAIN<br />
With no fixed address, but at home in every city,<br />
the freight train has not only been a means<br />
of movement for hobo’s and writers, but they<br />
have also become a much-loved surface<br />
for colors and burners. And it doesn’t matter if<br />
they have a little rust.<br />
GERMAN QUALITY<br />
The most loved quote, happily seen on any product<br />
the world over. Made in Germany is a<br />
symbol of reliability and quality that can see<br />
you through any of your adventures, regardless<br />
of the conditions.<br />
Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack<br />
67
SPRAY SAFE<br />
No matter how safe you think you are, it never<br />
hurts to remind yourself; “Don’t die today!”<br />
Don’t lose your concentration and keep away<br />
from the third rail.<br />
DON’T GET BUSTED!<br />
A situation nobody wishes upon anybody, not<br />
even your greatest enemies. Better peak<br />
around the corner one more time to ensure your<br />
sleeping position on your host’s warm couch,<br />
then to spend the night(s) on a cold cell floor.<br />
MONTANA CANS MTA<br />
Subway-Hunters will immediately catch the eyes<br />
of fellow colleagues on the hunt with this logo.<br />
An ode to the golden age and the origin of subway<br />
graffiti as we know it today.<br />
BIG APPLE<br />
In the BIG APPLE, there is always something to<br />
eat for a little worm. The same rules apply to<br />
traveling writers, on a pilgrimage to where it all<br />
began.<br />
LEAVE NO TRACE<br />
What is valid for hiking in the wild, also applies<br />
to the sustainable and responsible handling<br />
of your yard. Care for it, leave it (almost) as you<br />
found it, and above all, do not leave any traces<br />
in it that could lead back to you.<br />
68 Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack
Times have changed since those humble<br />
beginnings of this beautiful culture we call graffiti. But<br />
the urge to travel hasn’t. On the contrary, as the surfaces<br />
and motivations of graffiti writing have developed<br />
and increased, so have the places and contexts to do<br />
it. The new checklist looks like this; cans, gloves, mask,<br />
caps, backpack, appropriate clothing, camera and/or<br />
smartphone, PASSPORT, money... Check. And as a bonus<br />
(and if space permits), a change of socks and underwear<br />
are also welcomed.<br />
Like an unspoken code known only<br />
to graffiti artists, the SPRAYCATION<br />
patches capture the spirit of the<br />
graffiti brotherhood.<br />
To celebrate the condition of graffiti writing today<br />
as we know it, we have created the new Montana Cans,<br />
SPRAYCATION patches. Like an unspoken code known<br />
only to graffiti artists, the SPRAYCATION patches capture<br />
the spirit of the graffiti brotherhood. With a spotlight<br />
on some of the common elements of the SPRAY-<br />
CATION experience, each patch has a unique message<br />
connecting all those who are ‘in the know’.<br />
Collaboration Montana Cans x NITRO Backpack<br />
69
The 2020<br />
JBCB<br />
summer<br />
tour<br />
70 Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour
Tour de France<br />
Location<br />
France<br />
Photography<br />
Jukebox Cowboys<br />
Profile<br />
@graffitigruppe<br />
It’s springtime. Usually, the first signs of<br />
spring ensure that I think about where the<br />
upcoming summer will take me. The first<br />
e-mail to Rize and Skoe doesn’t need long<br />
for a reply and our thoughts start to turn<br />
into concrete ideas.<br />
Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour<br />
71
This is how almost every spraycation begins for<br />
me, with my now permanent travel comrades.<br />
The first ideas of possible travel destinations are<br />
exchanged. Fueled by photos found during<br />
internet research, which most show old train models<br />
chugging through picturesque landscapes. The goldrush<br />
mood begins to rise within us! Now the task is to<br />
find out where these old rail companions are still<br />
running.<br />
But this year everything is a little different. A pandemic<br />
is on its way. Like most, I first must figure out<br />
what the difference is to an epidemic, a term that has<br />
been heard quite often. But as almost always, everything<br />
extraordinary and terrible lies in the distance for<br />
my generation. War, emergency, and disaster. We<br />
are the children happily kissed by an affluent society,<br />
thanks to our economic miracle! In my case, my<br />
hobby is the result of luxury. Spraying paint onto trains.<br />
Money that ends up in the buffers bucket. Except for<br />
your own scene, nobody really cares, and it is completely<br />
irrelevant in the real world. It’s still fun though,<br />
and there is a little bit of adventure in it too.<br />
Things are beginning to return to<br />
normal, and hardly anyone is afraid<br />
of the situation anymore. We return<br />
to the thoughts of our annual trip.<br />
72 Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour
So, a trip is out of the question for now. Which is<br />
completely OK and necessary in this situation. Spring<br />
presents us with the best possible weather, even in northern<br />
Germany, and the German lockdown feels like<br />
most people are enjoying relaxed outdoor activities. Once<br />
again, we are lucky if you compare our situation with<br />
that in Lombardy.<br />
Then comes summer. The infection numbers<br />
are falling. Things are beginning to return to normal,<br />
and hardly anyone is afraid of the situation anymore. We<br />
return to the thoughts of our annual trip. With our own<br />
car, we are self-sufficient anyway and hardly exposed to<br />
other people. The first idea for the destination is Bilbao.<br />
Old Eusko is long gone and the situation of painting<br />
trains in Spain has become modest. But on the way there<br />
we would like to bag a few models in France. And on<br />
the way back, drive along the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean.<br />
The mountain panorama is already building<br />
up in my mind’s eye, but shortly before we depart, the<br />
beautiful picture disappears again into thin air. Northern<br />
Spain reports a rapidly increasing number of infections<br />
and most regions are declared high-risk areas.<br />
A new goal is urgently needed!<br />
← Idyllic landscapes,<br />
with blue skies,<br />
chirping birds, and<br />
plastic trains.<br />
↙ It’s the balance of<br />
action and tranquility<br />
that makes spraycations<br />
more special<br />
than standard tourism.<br />
↓ The trophies, color<br />
on steel regardless of<br />
if it’s old or new.<br />
Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour<br />
73
The images you show<br />
your mother, graffiti<br />
takes you to places<br />
that other people never<br />
reach.<br />
74 Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour
The alternative plan is France. From Freiburg, via<br />
Burgundy to Provence. If things go well, back up to<br />
the coast of the Mediterranean. As is so often the case<br />
on the way south, we make one of the first stops at<br />
Bay in Freiburg and spend a few nice days with him in<br />
Basel. It is now midsummer. We are on the banks of<br />
the Rhine. In order to not melt, we cool down in the stream<br />
on the hour. Bay shows us some interesting places on<br />
our route on a large map. As the founder of the Down By<br />
The River Crew, he is very familiar with the rivers in<br />
France. His tactic: always look for crossings of tracks<br />
and waterways! So, we shimmy along the rivers to<br />
the south according to his plan. In the depots, we almost<br />
only find plastic train models with rainbow decals,<br />
but the out of service trains from the last decades gather<br />
in many places. This year’s tour acquires the working<br />
title; “Tour de Trash” for a short time but is later named<br />
the Tour de France. Since we discover so many beautiful<br />
places and regions on the way, the Mediterranean<br />
Sea remains a long way off, and we say goodbye to<br />
the dream of again being able to bathe in saltwater.<br />
← Cooling off in regular<br />
intervals. The<br />
French summer in full<br />
swing, pool included.<br />
↓ Under a moonlit sky,<br />
night time is the right<br />
time.<br />
Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour<br />
75
Despite the circumstances that 2020 brought<br />
with it, we went on a wonderful tour together. With<br />
the usual ups, and downs. Tension, relaxation, exhaustion,<br />
euphoria, and so on. As always, a little bit of<br />
everything. Finding the right balancing act is a life skill.<br />
Once again, I return happy. Happy to have balanced<br />
the scales with my friends yet another time.<br />
Tension, relaxation, exhaustion,<br />
euphoria, and so on. As always, a<br />
little bit of everything. Finding<br />
the right balancing act is a life skill.<br />
↑ “Tour de Trash<br />
France”. Thankfully<br />
not all trains were<br />
trash and even some<br />
of the plastic models<br />
got a new lick of paint.<br />
→ Every splash of color<br />
counts. On a spraycation,<br />
there is no such<br />
thing as no space.<br />
76 Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour
A final glance at<br />
nature’s treasures<br />
before returning<br />
back to normal life.<br />
Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour<br />
77
Another magical moment<br />
in the middle<br />
of nowhere. Life is a<br />
whole lot more than<br />
just going to work.<br />
78 Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour
Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour<br />
79
Corona<br />
Dampf 2020<br />
Location<br />
Essen, Germany<br />
Profile<br />
@hafendampf_essen<br />
Photography<br />
@topnotch<br />
The (masked)<br />
show must<br />
go on<br />
→ The new location,<br />
not even a virus can<br />
stop the Dampf.<br />
80 Recap Corona Dampf 2020
For 8 consecutive years, the Hafen Dampf jam under the highway<br />
pillars of the A42 in Essen in Germany has been steaming<br />
away. Literally translated (Port Steam), the name and the<br />
location for the 2020 edition of the event needed a slight<br />
change, due to environmental conditions. This year for obvious<br />
reasons, Hafen Dampf made way for “Corona Dampf”<br />
← Nomad making<br />
light work of black<br />
and color.<br />
↙ Putting things into<br />
perspective, a passing<br />
shows how big the<br />
pieces really are.<br />
↓ From large to small,<br />
FNACK knows how to<br />
handle the wall.<br />
Recap corona Dampf 2020<br />
81
With yet another line-up of European graffiti<br />
stars, names like Rookie the Weird, Zay,<br />
Pout, Birne, Most, Mynt, Nomad, and Semor,<br />
could be seen painting the new underpass<br />
location, rocking in graffiti writing harmony. On this<br />
day, the term “LOCKDOWN” gained new meaning as<br />
each writer locked down their pieces in unprecedented<br />
graffiti stylewriting.<br />
↑ ZAY doing his part<br />
his part on the right<br />
with the Montana<br />
BLACK colors<br />
popping off the black<br />
background.<br />
↖ MOST taking the<br />
left in a concept<br />
piece with JBCB team<br />
member Zay.<br />
← Over, under,<br />
wherever. All space is<br />
used and filled with<br />
glorious color.<br />
↓ Pout shows that<br />
innovation is a must.<br />
82 Recap Corona Dampf 2020
Recap corona Dampf 2020<br />
83
MUSA.<br />
Frames<br />
Berlin from a different perspective<br />
Location<br />
Berlin, Germany<br />
Photography<br />
Musa<br />
Profile<br />
@MUSA.FRAMES<br />
When one thinks of cutting-edge contemporary graffiti<br />
documentation, the first place that comes to mind is not<br />
Israel. All the more reason why the images of Israeli born<br />
photographer Musa Agron aka @MUSA.FRAMES, offer a<br />
unique perspective on a past time that often goes unseen.<br />
84 Street Report Musa
Street Report MUSA<br />
85
For two years, the Tel Aviv native has changed residence<br />
to Berlin, not only the capital of Germany but also one<br />
of the epicenters of German and European graffiti culture.<br />
With an accompanying team member like MUSA, the<br />
underground graffiti scene of Berlin has not only won another<br />
pair of eyes to keep them safe but also a different<br />
creative perspective that helps solidify Berlin’s graffiti in<br />
the vaults of world graffiti history.<br />
86 Street Report Musa
Street Report MUSA<br />
87
88 Street Report Musa
Street Report MUSA<br />
89
90 Street Report Musa
Rolling with heavy-hitting crews like Berlin’s infamous 1UP<br />
crew, his breathtaking pictures can be found online<br />
on platforms like Instagram, as well as in print in graffiti<br />
publications like Stylefile. With a bright future ahead<br />
of him, we look forward to seeing the developments of<br />
MUSA.FRAMES’ documentation of his version of graffiti<br />
photographic history.<br />
Street Report MUSA<br />
91
92 Street Report Musa
Street Report MUSA<br />
93
94 Street Report Musa
Street Report MUSA<br />
95
Cloakwork<br />
Graffiti on a tourist cruise ship<br />
Making fast work for the sea<br />
The Malaysian graffiti artist Cloakwork was not exempt<br />
from the obligations and restrictions of Covid-19. As<br />
with many artists, during this time, many projects were<br />
either postponed or canceled altogether.<br />
Location<br />
Taiwan<br />
↓ Negotiating the curves<br />
of the bow of a<br />
ship, a different experience<br />
from painting<br />
walls on terra firma.<br />
ProfileS<br />
@cloakwork<br />
@bambooyang<br />
@jrt.artwork<br />
@montanacans_taiwan<br />
Photography<br />
@bambooyang<br />
96 Production Cloakwork
In 2020, for Cloakwork, there was one important project<br />
that almost slipped through his fingers. The<br />
painting of a large cruise ship in Taiwan. With a travel<br />
ban and lockdown in place, he assumed there<br />
was no way to get the project done on time. Even if he was<br />
soon able to travel to Taiwan and start his work. But<br />
where there is a will, there is a way.<br />
↓ Scaffolding in dry<br />
dock, just one of the<br />
hurdles that were<br />
faced and conquered<br />
by Cloakwork and<br />
his team.<br />
↑ A moment to think.<br />
Working on a job<br />
as big as a cruise ship<br />
with a closing deadline<br />
is no easy feat.<br />
Memories are the best souvenirs,<br />
we must not get<br />
so busy making a living that<br />
we forget to make a life.<br />
Production Cloakwork<br />
97
With the assistance of fellow artists @bambooyang,<br />
@jrt.artwork and @montanacans_taiwan the<br />
project was not only finished on time, but also with<br />
an amazing result. Scaffolding in epic proportions was<br />
built to give the artists safe passage many stories<br />
above the ground in dry dock, and an endless supply of<br />
Montana BLACK and GOLD cans assisted as well in<br />
making it all come true. And to the positive surprise of<br />
all involved, the boat made its ocean deadline.<br />
↑ There is no “I” in the<br />
word team. With the<br />
assistance of his team,<br />
Cloakwork takes his<br />
project to fruition within<br />
the deadline.<br />
↓ A look from above,<br />
there is little chance<br />
to stand back and gain<br />
perspective making<br />
the placement of every<br />
color crucial.<br />
With a travel ban and lockdown<br />
in place, he assumed<br />
there was no way to get<br />
the project done on time.<br />
98 Production Cloakwork
↑ Unmasked and in<br />
all its glory, the final<br />
product birthed at<br />
the dock with water<br />
under its feet.<br />
↓ Let the adventure<br />
begin. In traffic and<br />
ready to depart, sailing<br />
the seas of Asia.<br />
And traveling by boat certainly<br />
is a life experience<br />
that turns every adventure<br />
into a story!<br />
The work is not just aesthetic. There is also some<br />
deep thought behind its design. Cloakwork states,<br />
“Memories are the best souvenirs, we must not get so<br />
busy making a living that we forget to make a life”.<br />
His image a reminder to live, travel and keep having adventures<br />
to experience life to its fullest. And traveling<br />
by boat certainly is a life experience that turns every<br />
adventure into a story!<br />
Production Cloakwork<br />
99
A CloakWork<br />
Orange<br />
and blue, black, green, yellow,<br />
pink, red, white, gray, purple…<br />
When you think of the Malaysian capital city Kuala Lumpur,<br />
you don't exactly think of its world-renowned graffiti<br />
and thriving street culture. That is for now. But thanks to<br />
the Malaysian writer CLOAKWORK, a new reputation<br />
for the city as a creative hub is being created, and all with<br />
a healthy dosage of humor and skills.<br />
Location<br />
Kuala Lumpur,<br />
Malaysia<br />
ProfileS<br />
@cloakwork<br />
Photography<br />
Cloakwork<br />
↓ With the hairdressers<br />
closed in Lock -<br />
down, sometimes you<br />
must take matters<br />
into your own hands.<br />
100 Artists in Focus Cloakwork
The graffiti artist who also works prolifically as an<br />
illustrator, has been spreading his imagination<br />
on the through color since 2012, is no stranger to<br />
the benefits of his favorite Montana GOLD<br />
and BLACK can colors. The duality of the name CLOAK-<br />
WORK stands for CLOAK (representing being hidden,<br />
or stealth), and WORK (representing his ethic, motion, and<br />
action), is only the beginning of his invitation to explore<br />
his creativity. A prospect that is not easy to do growing<br />
up in a country like Malaysia, where the penalties or<br />
punishment for activities such as illegal graffiti are well<br />
beyond that of countries where it is taken relatively lightly.<br />
↑ Graffiti in progress.<br />
Only one love will<br />
get us through this<br />
difficult period.<br />
↓ Size doesn't matter.<br />
Even the smallest<br />
vans can support the<br />
biggest ideas.<br />
A prospect that is not<br />
easy to do growing up in a<br />
country like Malaysia,<br />
where the penalties or<br />
punishment for activities<br />
such as illegal graffiti<br />
are well beyond that of<br />
countries where it is taken<br />
relatively lightly.<br />
Artists in Focus Cloakwork<br />
101
↑ All dressed up and<br />
no place to dance.<br />
Regardless of the<br />
difficulties the local culture<br />
re presents for a keen<br />
graffiti artist, CLOAKWORK<br />
has managed to overcome<br />
diversities and remain<br />
positive.<br />
↑ "Awesome", like<br />
reading a CLOAK-<br />
WORK comic book,<br />
only it's on a wall.<br />
↓ Influenced by the<br />
iconic film "A<br />
Clockwork Orange",<br />
CLOAKWORK<br />
explores his own<br />
take on the concept.<br />
Regardless of the difficulties the local culture<br />
represents for a keen graffiti artist, CLOAKWORK has<br />
managed to overcome diversities and remain positive.<br />
A mindset that shows through in his work, which is<br />
nothing less than colorful, vibrant, inspiring, and of<br />
course, very aesthetic. Possibly this is the key to his success<br />
as he manages to bring a smile to viewers of all<br />
orientations. Whether they are young, old, open-minded,<br />
or other.<br />
102 Artists in Focus Cloakwork
With the skill of capturing a particular character<br />
in his artworks, CLOAKWORK takes his letters and<br />
figures to a varied assortment of surfaces, including<br />
walls, boats, cars, food trucks, or the digital realm. If he<br />
hasn't been on your radar until now, don't worry, on his<br />
side of the world he is well and truly on the radar having<br />
worked with clients such as Adidas, Volkswagen, BMW,<br />
Converse, Warner Music, Hypebeast, and Tiger Beer,<br />
just to name a few. Keep your eye out for more CLOAK-<br />
WORK pieces from now on.<br />
If he hasn't been on your<br />
radar until now, don't<br />
worry, on his side of the<br />
world he is well and truly<br />
on the radar.<br />
↑ CLOAK the masked<br />
writer, doing his bit<br />
for the pandemic.<br />
↓ Surfing the roof the<br />
relaxed way. CLOAK-<br />
WORK posing on<br />
his freshly finished<br />
van artwork.<br />
Artists in Focus Cloakwork<br />
103
N.O.<br />
MAD SKI<br />
Location<br />
Hamburg, Germany<br />
Profile<br />
@ n_o_madski<br />
Photography<br />
Nomad<br />
Balancing<br />
between the<br />
extremes<br />
The world<br />
according<br />
to<br />
The German city of Hamburg<br />
can lay claims on having<br />
some of the most innovative<br />
graffiti style writers from<br />
Germany as residents of the<br />
port city. But not all of them<br />
are born and bred there.<br />
N.O.MADSKI aka NOMAD is<br />
an example of one of these<br />
talented writers who now call<br />
the Hanseatic City home.<br />
104 Interview Nomad
Born in 1978, NOMAD’s graffiti journey started<br />
in the city of Bremerhaven where experienced<br />
his formative years. Although starting<br />
his graffiti path in 1993, it wasn’t till 1998–<br />
1999 till he took ownership of the name NOMAD while<br />
living in Nürnberg.<br />
Without his awareness, these 5 letters became<br />
the key to his pursuit for continual progression in<br />
the graffiti discipline of letter styles. NOMAD’s path took<br />
him on a style map that not even Google would be able<br />
to plot. With the vigor of the Berlin style writing movement,<br />
NOMAD took his skills, not to the nation’s capital,<br />
but rather, the port city of Hamburg. Which incidentally<br />
due to its strong graffiti community, plays a key<br />
role in the history and future of not only German graffiti<br />
but also, Europe and all over the globe.<br />
← A knowing nod to<br />
the history of graffiti,<br />
and a progressive<br />
need to keep pushing<br />
things forward.<br />
↓ Going from positive<br />
to negative, or negative<br />
to positive, NOMAD<br />
makes it look easy either<br />
way.<br />
↑ The hand and ductus<br />
of NOMAD are<br />
ever-present in his<br />
continually evolving<br />
practice. There is<br />
always a little more<br />
than mear perfection.<br />
Paying homage to those that came<br />
before him, many traditional graffiti<br />
elements such as arrows, clouds,<br />
3D, highlights, or horizontal (train<br />
panel) placement are present in<br />
many phases of his development.<br />
With rebellion at its core, NOMAD’s style is at<br />
times indescribable, and at other times the epidemy<br />
of graphic typography. An arena where graffiti abstraction<br />
meets head-on with some classic typographic<br />
heavyweights. Always heavily loaded with the key color<br />
ingredients of black and white, NOMAD can do with<br />
two cans which few can even conceive. What is for some<br />
a restriction, is to him a challenge. A challenge, that<br />
just like his style experiments, lead him down a road that<br />
can go in any direction. Paying homage to those that<br />
came before him, many traditional graffiti elements such<br />
as arrows, clouds, 3D, highlights, or horizontal (train<br />
panel) placement are present in many phases of his development.<br />
However even if you think you’ve seen it<br />
before, he manages to make it look like no other.<br />
Without his awareness, these 5<br />
letters became the key to his pursuit<br />
for continual progression in the<br />
graffiti discipline of letter styles.<br />
Interview Nomad<br />
105
↓ Another “why didn’t<br />
I think of that” moment<br />
as NOMAD pushes<br />
the envelope<br />
and keeps his peers<br />
on their toes.<br />
NOMAD’s path took him on a style<br />
map that not even Google would<br />
be able to plot.<br />
106 Interview Nomad
More recently, the re-addition of colors, and in<br />
some cases, mega amounts of color into his work<br />
have led to a luminosity that is reminiscent of retro computer<br />
and television graphics. The impeccable composition<br />
and placement of his letters with just the right<br />
amount of handmade spray paint grittiness makefor a<br />
mandatory second, third, and fourth look at every piece.<br />
“How does he do that”, the viewer asks themselves as<br />
the artist’s own ductus, an ever-present key characteristic<br />
of the work, which at a distance appears seamless.<br />
In some of his latest works, NOMAD has taken<br />
his visual language even further, bringing in the visually<br />
deceptive element of plastic film into his work. At a first<br />
glance from close range, a melting pot of lines and color<br />
create an abstract field that is not yet recognizable. As<br />
the viewer’s eye zoom’s out, slowly but surely the image<br />
starts to make more sense. With distance, the visual<br />
illusion happening within the fill-in of the letters exposes<br />
the clever crinkled plastic film effect. With shimmering<br />
light being represented by spray strokes and color<br />
shifts, the heavy use of black and white helps to stamp<br />
the graffiti authority back onto the piece in its entirety.<br />
Always with that unique and personal NOMAD touch.<br />
This is what still inspires me to this<br />
day. To take as much freedom as<br />
you want and to express yourself<br />
creatively.<br />
↙ A poignant statement<br />
that should<br />
never be forgotten;<br />
“Don’t forget the feeling”.<br />
↑ Never short of<br />
ideas, NOMAD doesn’t<br />
just paint graffiti,<br />
he creates new<br />
concepts.<br />
The intrigue was too much to hypothesize<br />
about how or why the works have become<br />
what they are. Instead, we chose to speak<br />
to the artist directly to see if he could unravel<br />
the code a little for us.<br />
MONTANA CANS<br />
In a post about your work on the Montana Blog, it was<br />
stated you thought that if graffiti and graffiti artists<br />
when you started were like they are today, you would<br />
have never started writing. With a little distance<br />
from that viewpoint, what things do you like about graffiti<br />
now? What are some inspirational aspects that inspire<br />
or motivate to keep innovating?<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
Sometimes Graffiti seems to be more conservative and<br />
boring nowadays than in the early days as I remember.<br />
But if you take a close look, it only appears that way.<br />
There is still the opportunity to express yourself<br />
freely. This is what still inspires me to this day. To take<br />
as much freedom as you want and to express yourself<br />
creatively. And there is still the opportunity to take<br />
my inspirations, which sometimes come from totally<br />
different worlds, and to implement these in my way of<br />
expression: Graffiti Writing. I think Graffiti only gets<br />
boring if you don’t set yourself new challenges. Unfortunately,<br />
I always get bored quickly when I do the same<br />
things for too long, so I’m forced to innovate the way I<br />
do Graffiti.<br />
“How does he do that”, the viewer<br />
asks themselves as the artist’s<br />
own ductus, an ever-present key<br />
characteristic of the work, which<br />
at a distance appears seamless.<br />
Interview Nomad<br />
107
Ultimately, in the last few years, I<br />
have increasingly enjoyed painting<br />
quickly and freely. If everything is<br />
planned concretely, and it is all about<br />
the technical implementation, I<br />
also get bored with that after a while.<br />
← The start of a new<br />
era. Holographic plastic<br />
film fill-ins, inspired<br />
by holographic<br />
stickers. There is a<br />
first for everything.<br />
↓ Color, color, color.<br />
But there is never too<br />
much black and white<br />
to go with that.<br />
MC<br />
In what kind of frequency do you paint your graffiti, and<br />
about how long do you like to invest in each piece?<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
There are times in which I paint or sketch daily. But there<br />
is sometimes a week or two in which nothing happens.<br />
It all depends on what else is going on in my life. The time<br />
I spend painting a piece depends on what I want to<br />
achieve. Sometimes I’m more into quick actions of 2–3<br />
hours. When it comes to more laborious projects, a<br />
painting could last a couple of days. Ultimately, in the<br />
last few years, I have increasingly enjoyed painting<br />
quickly and freely. If everything is planned concretely,<br />
and it is all about the technical implementation, I also<br />
get bored with that after a while.<br />
MC<br />
Other than Hamburg, are there any other cities or different<br />
countries you could imaging moving to, to continue<br />
your creative path?<br />
MC<br />
Do you feel a sense of competition in Hamburg within<br />
graffiti writing circles? Or does the graffiti/art community<br />
help you to get to where you want to be?<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
Competition is more of a topic for younger writers, and I<br />
don’t think Hamburg really stands out in that respect.<br />
There is competition in every scene. Often when there<br />
are several different generations of writers, or when it<br />
is of a certain size. As for the older, longer active writers,<br />
we know each other, more closely networked, and are<br />
not opposed to exchanging ideas. There is instead no<br />
competition, especially because our demands on<br />
ourselves are usually very different. And when it comes<br />
to the inner circle, there is a lot of support for new<br />
projects.<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
I’ve been traveling a lot and I’ve met a lot of great people<br />
to paint with everywhere. Every country or city has<br />
got a special history and development when it comes to<br />
Graffiti. Discovering and experiencing the differences<br />
is practically a science within itself. From this perspective,<br />
I could think of a lot of countries and cities to live<br />
and work in. But what I really love in this regard are the<br />
countries in which graffiti started completely from<br />
scratch. Like for example some of the countries in Eastern<br />
Europe after the collapse of the USSR. It seems to me<br />
that the residents of these countries are often as openminded<br />
as the artists when it comes to graffiti. I have<br />
spent a lot of time traveling in Greece. This is due to both<br />
the interesting graffiti history they have, and the lively<br />
scene that produces great artists. Who knows, perhaps<br />
one day I’ll stay there for a longer period.<br />
108 Interview Nomad
↑ You can’t get to where<br />
you need to be if<br />
you don’t leave behind<br />
where you were. When<br />
it comes to style writing,<br />
there is no idea<br />
too confronting for<br />
NOMAD.<br />
↓ Next stop... Who<br />
knows? As long as<br />
there are innovative<br />
and quality materials,<br />
NOMAD will not stay<br />
standing still.<br />
I have always lived by the claim: Not<br />
just to paint for fun, but also to<br />
stand out and show everyone what<br />
ideas and skills you have.<br />
MC<br />
Does having such talented peers in your city function as a<br />
motivating aspect, or can it sometimes just be draining?<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
The competition today is more international, especially<br />
since Graffiti nowadays predominantly takes place<br />
in social media where you want to attract attention. Personally,<br />
I have always lived by the claim: Not just to<br />
paint for fun, but also to stand out and show everyone<br />
what ideas and skills you have. Maybe, I am still a<br />
little bit influenced by the Hip Hop history of German<br />
graffiti, but this claim still motivates me until this day.<br />
The total digitization of graffiti publications that have<br />
taken place in recent years, unfortunately, from my<br />
perspective, also shifts the consideration and evaluation<br />
of Graffiti. Thus, changing the notion of competition,<br />
a lot. For example, a writer in his hometown could be “all<br />
city” with bombings in the streets, have the most<br />
trains running, or have an extremely good style. If pictures<br />
of his work do not appear on social media, he<br />
hardly exists. Conversely, the artist who is most conspicuously<br />
and staged on social media becomes<br />
known quickly. The result is that some of the best and<br />
most influential graffiti artists from Germany in my<br />
eyes are increasingly being forgotten just because they<br />
do not take place on social media. This competition,<br />
which is about likes or clicks, hardly interests me, and<br />
sometimes demotivates me. Especially since artistic<br />
aspirations hardly play a role there, but often only the<br />
attitude of pleasing the anonymous audience.<br />
Interview Nomad<br />
109
MC<br />
There was a while there where your pieces were predominantly<br />
black and white, or at least monochrome (e.g.,<br />
black & silver). Were you also doing color pieces at the<br />
time, or was it a conscious act to return to basics?<br />
And when you did do color pieces, was there a greater<br />
sense of satisfaction with those as opposed to the<br />
monochrome works?<br />
← Context can be<br />
everything. In NO-<br />
MAD’s case, there<br />
never seems to be<br />
a wrong context<br />
for his work.<br />
↑ Less is more. Finding<br />
the balance between<br />
curved shapes<br />
and geometry is hard<br />
to do when you mainly<br />
use black and white<br />
and have nowhere<br />
to hide your errors.<br />
↓ A great quality of<br />
NOMAD’s work is<br />
knowing how to exploit<br />
context. Something<br />
abandoned<br />
spaces offer plentifully.<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
For a long time, I had always painted very large and<br />
elaborate concept walls. But it always bothered me that<br />
both writers and ordinary viewers only praised the<br />
colors or the figures. The styles were usually not looked<br />
at properly at all. That made me very frustrated because<br />
painting styles and evolving my writing has been<br />
my focus for over 25 years. This situation was so<br />
unsatisfactory, that I decided to totally rely on my roots.<br />
If the style of writing is so important to me, I must<br />
put it in the foreground. And above all, I wanted to show<br />
the ordinary viewer that you can also transport things<br />
through the style of writing alone. That was where the<br />
idea that I call KRYPTOGRAFF got started. Colors<br />
are secondary here; this is all about the style of writing<br />
as a means of artistic expression. This step was<br />
really liberating. I am sure that graffiti can also convince<br />
without requiring any illustrative accessories, or<br />
elements of graphic design. In my own opinion, the core<br />
of graffiti remains to be the writing, even if you can<br />
get more attention nowadays (apparently), with illustrative<br />
decoration. In the end, I understand this path as<br />
one series of my work. In between this series I have also<br />
painted other pieces naturally. As a rule, I always act<br />
according to the motto of doing what I feel like doing.<br />
MC<br />
How did your interest in your new “plastic film” series<br />
arise? Did it come from experiments you made within<br />
other paintings, or did you see something that made you<br />
want to try and create that effect?<br />
Colors are secondary here; this is all<br />
about the style of writing as a<br />
means of artistic expression. This<br />
step was really liberating.<br />
110 Interview Nomad
→ Just as progressive<br />
in the studio,<br />
NOMAD’s work<br />
takes us to graffiti<br />
and beyond.<br />
Interview Nomad<br />
111
N.O.MADSKI<br />
For a long time, I had the vision that the lettering should<br />
come to life. More should happen than just good<br />
design. I was certainly inspired by digital animation as<br />
in movies or 3D animation. I tried a lot with various<br />
effect colors to achieve something like a metal effect,<br />
or flip-flop paint that appears to change depending<br />
where you look at it from. But the effect was barely visible.<br />
The idea of gluing plastic foil sheets was ultimately<br />
inspired by holographic stickers. Why not do<br />
something like that as a piece? As there are many<br />
different plastic effect foil sheets to stick around, I then<br />
tried different things. Such as mirror foil. Unfortunately,<br />
the pieces are always short-lived. Walls at Halls<br />
of Fame are destroyed if they are pasted and painted<br />
over.Therefore, I needed to remove the foil after documentation.<br />
From my point of view, it takes an<br />
artist a lifetime to put their rationality<br />
aside and put their emotions<br />
first when creating artwork. When<br />
it comes to Graffiti writing, I think<br />
it is the same situation.<br />
MC<br />
Do you approach your graffiti writing pragmatically<br />
and rationally, or does your emotional state feed your<br />
creative process and affect the artworks you make?<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
From my point of view, it takes an artist a lifetime to put<br />
their rationality aside and put their emotions first<br />
when creating artwork. When it comes to Graffiti writing,<br />
I think it is the same situation. In the beginning, most<br />
writers start with a completely rational attitude. Only after<br />
they have understood the letters and the aesthetics,<br />
can they develop their personality freely. When it comes<br />
to me: I’m somewhere in the middle of that!<br />
MC<br />
Which way do you prefer to go, Montana GOLD or<br />
Montana BLACK?<br />
Montana Cans<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
get to know:<br />
↑ It’s easy to pack<br />
your bag when your<br />
pieces are in black<br />
and white. Resulting<br />
in more time for actual<br />
painting.<br />
→ It only needs a<br />
soundtrack. This colorful<br />
burner takes<br />
us back to the glorious<br />
days of arcade<br />
games, joysticks, and<br />
buttons to press.<br />
N.O.<br />
MADSKI<br />
N.O.MADSKI<br />
Both – depends on what task I need to use them for. I have<br />
come to appreciate the Montana Black can as one of<br />
the best cans for filling in and I use Montana Gold for the<br />
detailed works, for example, my outlines.<br />
We look forward to seeing where the<br />
creative path of NOMAD leads. As one of<br />
the world’s great innovative writers, we<br />
are left with no other option than to say,<br />
“watch this space”.<br />
Where there is destruction, you will find cre -<br />
ation. For NOMAD, destroying classic<br />
graffiti confines is as rewarding as re-creating<br />
his own perception of what graffiti<br />
can be. Equally as at home in a delapitated<br />
building, or the clean white cube of the<br />
gallery, NOMAD can create or destroy at will.<br />
112
Interview Nomad<br />
113
Keno<br />
wAs<br />
Here<br />
Paris is a tough city if you<br />
are a graffiti artist that<br />
wants to stand out amongst<br />
the crowd. Why? Because<br />
the crowd is big, the quality<br />
is high, and the physical<br />
height of which the streets<br />
are already bombed is<br />
even higher.<br />
Location<br />
Paris, France<br />
Photography<br />
Keno<br />
Profile<br />
@kenowashere<br />
GRAFFTI from Paris –<br />
Redefining the streets<br />
114 Street Report Keno
One prolific artist that doesn’t seem to have<br />
a problem rising to the top of the melting<br />
pot is KENO. We are not saying he can<br />
leap over tall buildings in a single bound,<br />
but his hard work proves that he can<br />
find the right spots on those tall buildings and cover them<br />
with stylish tags, pieces, throw-ups, and stickers.<br />
With a style that oozes with flow, you can only<br />
come to the conclusion that he writes his name a lot.<br />
Dripping Montana BOLD tags, strategically placed in the<br />
streets like arrows on bullseyes, flared fat cap Montana<br />
BLACK tags that appear to have a history of thousands<br />
before them. Or awkward, yet very cool pieces, vibrating<br />
with Montana BLACK and GOLD colors with letters<br />
that embrace his inner child while flexing his knowledge<br />
of all the graffiti that came before him.<br />
Taking a walk down the streets of Paris a much<br />
more colorful experience as KENO has all angles<br />
covered. Reminding those “who know” to look up, and<br />
down, as they walk through his world. If you can’t<br />
make it to his world, take a moment here to check some<br />
of it out yourself.<br />
Street Report Keno<br />
115
116 Street Report Keno
Street Report Keno<br />
117
118 Street Report Keno
Street Report Keno<br />
119
AKUT<br />
Studio Insights –<br />
“Masquerade”<br />
Location<br />
Berlin, Germany<br />
Photography<br />
@akut_herakut<br />
Profile<br />
@akut_herakut<br />
The pace of today’s society is often hard to<br />
keep up with. In a world filled with wannabes<br />
and ladder climbers, everyone is doing<br />
their bit to save face and play the role<br />
that is expected of them to get to where<br />
they want to go.<br />
120 Studio Insight Akut
But is it where they need to be, or even who they<br />
really are? Even for kids, the value of a perfect<br />
selfie on social media now has more value<br />
than the actual content of their true personality.<br />
And what personalities do they even have, at least<br />
outside of their digital ones? The German artist Falk<br />
Lehmann aka AKUT has been observing this social condition<br />
with concern for the destination it is taking our<br />
society. For the exhibition “Réalités” at Galerie Mathgoth<br />
focussing on the work of hyper realistic artists, in<br />
January 2020, AKUT created the painting “MASQUERADE“.<br />
↓ As if from another<br />
time still to come,<br />
AKUT’s rendition of<br />
the chrome face<br />
reminds us of science<br />
fiction films and<br />
robotic technologies.<br />
→ Within every<br />
element of the human<br />
skin is a broad spectrum<br />
of color and<br />
tones. Making AKUT’s<br />
ability to convey<br />
them all in his art even<br />
more impressive.<br />
The 80 × 100cm work started<br />
its journey as a soft<br />
charcoal sketch on the canvas.<br />
The image of a girl,<br />
removing her face as a mask<br />
which doubles as that<br />
which society sees as her<br />
‘real’ face.<br />
Studio Insight Akut<br />
121
The process of the painting’s creation was a magical<br />
one, that took us right to the pulse of what makes<br />
AKUT’s work so impressive. The 80cm x 100cm work<br />
started its journey as a soft charcoal sketch on the<br />
canvas. The image of a girl, removing her face as a mask<br />
which doubles as that which society sees as her ‘real’<br />
face. Under it, a chrome face, lifeless, smooth, and void<br />
of personality. Only her eyes (a trademark talent<br />
showcasing AKUT’s abilities), seem to be real, however<br />
void of any emotions other than shame and regret.<br />
↑ Intricate details, the<br />
tip of the Montana<br />
FINE ACRYLIC marker<br />
gives AKUT a broad<br />
range of marks and<br />
precision for greater<br />
depth and intimacy.<br />
→ Despite its relatively<br />
small size, MAS-<br />
QUERADE is a haunting<br />
yet enchanting<br />
depiction of life for a<br />
modern-day young<br />
person.<br />
Although the message a hard<br />
pill to swallow, the image<br />
itself a mystical interpretation<br />
of the modern lay<br />
life of our youth and young<br />
people.<br />
The background, a connection to AKUT’s<br />
graffiti roots, is a dirty, earthy texture of tags and dark<br />
color, straight from his Montana GOLD cans and<br />
Montana ACRYLIC markers. Layers of acrylic paint are<br />
then converted into three-dimensional form by<br />
fine coats of paint mist from an array of colors from the<br />
Montana GOLD range. AKUT then adds the final<br />
touches to the hyper-real image by way of precision line<br />
work from his Montana ACRYLIC FINE and EXTRA<br />
FINE markers. Even elements of the chrome face are<br />
brought to life by perfectly placed colors applied in<br />
distinct marker generated lines. Although the message<br />
a hard pill to swallow, the image itself a mystical<br />
interpretation of the modern lay life of our youth and<br />
young people. No wonder the image sold at the exhibition.<br />
Take off your own mask in the privacy of your<br />
own home and be amazed by MASQUERADE.<br />
122 Studio Insight Akut
Studio Insight Akut<br />
123
Sister<br />
hood<br />
A ‘SISTERHOOD’ in graffiti culture<br />
Location<br />
worldwide<br />
Photography<br />
Sisterhood<br />
Profile<br />
@sisterhood.graffiti<br />
Even if graffiti is the thread that connects<br />
all writers, we can all agree that it makes<br />
things even easier if whoever you are painting<br />
with speaks the same language as<br />
you do. This is not a concept that needs<br />
more explanation for the SISTERHOOD.<br />
Brought together by their common passion<br />
for graffiti, being all-female is yet another<br />
thread that takes the group further and<br />
makes their experience even more fulfilling.<br />
Since the beginning of Hip Hop culture<br />
as we know it, girls have been an integral<br />
part of graffiti writing culture. Not on the peripheral,<br />
not on the side-lines, and definitely<br />
not as understudies to the male-dominated<br />
head figures that later rose to<br />
prominence as the ‘originators’ of the culture.<br />
→ On the lines at night,<br />
a previously maledominated<br />
world. However,<br />
making art<br />
and emptying cans is<br />
not a gender dependent<br />
topic.<br />
124 Street Report / Interview Sisterhood
Street Report / Interview Sisterhood<br />
125
Possibly, the biggest mistake one can make is<br />
to start justifying, comparing, creating a<br />
mental list of names, or trying to compensate<br />
against their male counterparts. But let’s<br />
make a short roll call just to put it into perspective that<br />
women are and were there in Hip Hop culture from<br />
the beginning. Lady Pink, Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifa,<br />
Monie Love, Martha Cooper, Cora E, Musa, Utah,<br />
Merlot, Mad C, just to name a very few. It is important to<br />
acknowledge that in every town, city, country and<br />
continent, there is a massive unwritten list of female talent<br />
just waiting to have a light shone upon them.<br />
And therein lies the concept for the German allfemale<br />
group, “SISTERHOOD” (Girls Go Graffiti). To<br />
shine the light on their fellow creators of female orientation<br />
who are equally as talented and productive as<br />
any other male creators in the media spotlight.<br />
In their own words, “Graffiti is rebellion, perfection,<br />
thrill seeking, expression and much more: for<br />
example, male-dominated. Still, women are part of this<br />
subculture”. Which is exactly what their mission is<br />
in their self-funded, self-created, and self-organized<br />
exhibition concept of the same name; “SISTERHOOD<br />
Girls Go Graffiti”. To put the spotlight on their fellow female<br />
creative achievers and bridge the gender gaps<br />
in a male-dominated culture that they too are an important<br />
part of.<br />
Active on bricks, streets, and steel,<br />
the girls make art that not only<br />
catches the eye but engages the<br />
brain as well.<br />
↓ No different from<br />
their male colleagues,<br />
the girls in the SIS-<br />
TERHOOD are active<br />
in all disciplines of<br />
graffiti.<br />
↑ Creeping, watching,<br />
and waiting. The SIS-<br />
TERHOOD knows how<br />
the game works, and<br />
above all they know<br />
how to play it.<br />
To be more exact, the names behind the masks<br />
are Antje, Amrei, Alva and Katje. With a network spanning<br />
over the whole globe, with just a small reach out to<br />
the next sister, the endless pool of available skill<br />
sets enables them to achieve a multi-facet of creative<br />
activities. Some of them including film making, sound<br />
production, product creation and sales, musical event<br />
organization, graphic design, artwork, and of course,<br />
all disciplines of graffiti.<br />
But let’s get back to the important part that connects<br />
us all, GRAFFITI. No strangers to a Montana<br />
BLACK or GOLD can, SISTERHOOD has all the bases<br />
covered in the disciplines of graffiti. Active on bricks,<br />
streets, and steel, the girls make art that not only catches<br />
the eye but engages the brain as well. And if the<br />
viewer is female, then the value is heightened as selfconfidence,<br />
self-reflection, and positive messages<br />
of self-acceptance are always on offer.<br />
With the number or size of the female writing<br />
community uncertain, we took the opportunity to speak<br />
to the SISTERHOOD to try and see if they could school<br />
us some more. Here is what they had to say:<br />
126 Street Report / Interview Sisterhood
MONTANA-CANS<br />
Most, if not all of you have been active writers so long that<br />
you would be judged by your peers on the quality of<br />
your work, and not your gender (we hope). Were there any<br />
specific moments or turning points that made your<br />
creative focus have a feminist tendency, or do you feel<br />
like it was a topic from the beginning you have been<br />
tackling all the way?<br />
SISTERHOOD<br />
The backgrounds and creative careers of the women in<br />
our group vary. Some of us have already dealt with<br />
feminism before we even started painting and sometimes<br />
started from concrete political contexts. Others were<br />
involved with graffiti first. Over time, we have all understood<br />
the importance of networking with other women<br />
to approach the societal phenomenon of sexism in<br />
solidarity.<br />
Graffiti and the accompanying play<br />
with letters is always a guideline<br />
for us. Which we accept and is inevitable<br />
if we want to paint graffiti.<br />
MC<br />
Do you all cross over into the other disciplines of graffiti,<br />
or do the members of your collective all have certain<br />
avenues they specialize in? (e.g. street bombing, pieces,<br />
trains, freights etc.)<br />
SH<br />
We all have different paths and all of us have our disciplines<br />
within graffiti where it is the most fun. We live out<br />
most of our creativity on the rails and in the streets.<br />
But graffiti is more than just that as it is so diverse. Therefore,<br />
we also networked with women from different<br />
disciplines for the exhibition.<br />
MC<br />
Is classic style writing and street graffiti as we see<br />
it online (dominated by the exposure of male artists) inspirational<br />
for you? Or do you go to other sources for<br />
your own inspiration? Is it even relavent if a male did or<br />
did not create something you like?<br />
SH<br />
For us, it is irrelevant who created the picture. People’s<br />
pictures, regardless of female or male, who we know<br />
or like due to their attitude, we celebrate the most. In the<br />
beginning, we had mostly male role models when it<br />
came to style, but also because in the beginning you<br />
never knew for sure whether an artist was male or<br />
female. Today we are even more inspired by women<br />
who have managed to push their way through.<br />
↑ More than just a<br />
graffiti crew, the<br />
SISTERHOOD is also<br />
involved with the<br />
development of varying<br />
forms of art and<br />
creativity and the<br />
making of their own<br />
products.<br />
MC<br />
Is the topic of feminism, or developing the female status<br />
within creative culture the most important aspect<br />
in the creation of your artworks, or does ‘graffiti’ and its<br />
unwritten agenda (style, letters, innovation, competition<br />
etc.) come first however offering you an outlet to<br />
convey other messages?<br />
SH<br />
Graffiti and the accompanying play with letters is always<br />
a guideline for us. Which we accept and is inevitable<br />
if we want to paint graffiti. After some of us had only<br />
painted our alter ego names for several years, the<br />
combination of political and feminist messages as a<br />
group, brought us important new input and energy.<br />
This is how we want to reach other people and try to<br />
make them think.<br />
MC<br />
Does your group reach out to other female artists<br />
who are not yet involved to broaden the network? Or do<br />
the other female artists come to you to be part of it?<br />
Street Report / Interview Sisterhood<br />
127
SH<br />
We ask female writers if they would like to be interviewed.<br />
Sometimes we also get tips or suggestions that we<br />
followed and included. Some collectives or individuals<br />
also approached us and want to connect or paint together.<br />
But due to our time restrictions and for security<br />
reasons, we normally don’t do that though. Nevertheless,<br />
we network automatically in all directions.<br />
MC<br />
How do female artists who are not active femists<br />
respond to your work or your cause?<br />
SH<br />
Since we do not have feminism as an explicit topic and<br />
just want to celebrate women in graffiti, the resistance<br />
is limited. Feminism should not be the sole focus for us,<br />
it’s primarily about graffiti. Every now and then some<br />
people find it senseless that it is about women in graffiti<br />
because they want to get away from the stereotype.<br />
The worst is when guys think that something is being<br />
taken away from them, or who are afraid that they<br />
will all be branded as fools. However, the street bombers<br />
don’t complain when a film like “Unlike U” is released,<br />
and it only focuses on train painters.<br />
MC<br />
To broaden the greater public’s awareness of female<br />
writers, who are your heroes, and was there anyone that<br />
inspired you to follow your paths?<br />
SH<br />
There are many writers, female crews, and supporters who<br />
have been part of graffiti from the start. If you don’t<br />
know the synonyms of women, of course, you won’t notice<br />
them in public either. But women like Lady Pink, Sany<br />
from the “Girl Power” movie, or Martha Cooper, who have<br />
been documenting the graffiti scene since the beginning,<br />
are of course icons. But there are also many others<br />
who are not in the public eye that have not come out<br />
publicly as “woman” to be judged differently or torn down.<br />
With the support of some male<br />
friends, we started our project in the<br />
first place and many thought it was<br />
very cool that there are women who<br />
paint.<br />
MC<br />
When you are out in the ‘field’, do you think fellow male<br />
artists treat you any differently to their male counterparts?<br />
SH<br />
Yes and no. We have all had different experiences, and<br />
definitely not only negative ones. With the support<br />
of some male friends, we started our project in the first<br />
128 Street Report / Interview Sisterhood
Additionally, that as many people as possible hear about<br />
the exhibition and see it. Just so that people understand<br />
the message, celebrate, and respect women in<br />
graffiti. Not forgetting that we manage to give girls a<br />
stage and encourage them to do their thing.<br />
MC<br />
If your whole crew had only one Montana Cans cap and<br />
can combination to use, which one would it be?<br />
SH<br />
Black-orange dot! Lavender, Royal Purple, Nappies,<br />
True Yellow, Black, and White!<br />
The worst is when guys think that<br />
something is being taken awayfrom<br />
them, or who are afraid that they<br />
will all be branded as fools.<br />
↑ In the end, it’s all about<br />
graffiti. And the<br />
playing rules for girls<br />
are no different to that<br />
of the boys. So in the<br />
end, graffiti wins.<br />
Montana Cans<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
get to know:<br />
Sister<br />
hood<br />
place and many thought it was very cool that there are<br />
women who paint. But also, something like being<br />
treated very nicely, or that people want to take care of<br />
you was part of it, which was kind of patronizing.<br />
We also know what it is like to be not taken seriously or<br />
reduced to how we look. Unfortunately, often our<br />
gender is automatically their first point of attack when<br />
they are aware that we are female. And for many, it<br />
becomes an issue as they start to find you somehow<br />
attractive, or interesting. This sometimes makes<br />
things complicated. We can understand that women are<br />
celebrated by men who do atypical things, and with<br />
whom they share their own passion. But there have also<br />
been some very unpleasant interactions where personal<br />
boundaries have been crossed. These are the types<br />
of guys that are unlikely to be respectful to women<br />
outside of graffiti. It’s a societal problem.<br />
MC<br />
If you could achieve one major achievement as a collective,<br />
what would that be?<br />
SH<br />
The first thing would be to encourage other women to<br />
continue doing what they love and not to be belittled!<br />
Pooling skills, strengths, and resources are<br />
no secret for success in whatever endeavors<br />
you choose to do. So why should it<br />
be any different for female writers? The<br />
SISTERHOOD is here to stay, so stayed tuned<br />
for the artworks, events, and colors that<br />
this group is destined to spread across the<br />
globe.<br />
Street Report / Interview Sisterhood<br />
129
german quality spray paint since 1996<br />
Latest<br />
Products<br />
1<br />
MONTANA ULTRA WIDE 750ML<br />
Light Blue / Power Green<br />
The name says it all. The Montana ULTRA WIDE is the ultimate contemporary<br />
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Montana 3D Hologram<br />
Eggshell Sticker<br />
The new Montana 3D Hologram Sticker pack takes eggshell stickers to the<br />
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130 Products Montana-cans.com
3<br />
Montana Empty Marker<br />
8mm Chisel Tip<br />
The Montana EMPTY Marker 8mm Chisel is the shorter hybrid of the larger EMPTY marker assortment.<br />
Also featuring the specially optimized valve system for best flow control, the refillable empty<br />
body of the 8mm CHISEL holds 14ml of liquid and is slightly shorter for easy use and fast stowing.<br />
Suitable for all Montana inks and paints, the marker is supplied empty with mixing balls included.<br />
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Rust and oxidization illusion<br />
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5<br />
Montana SCHWARZ 500ml<br />
High Pressure Graffiti Spray Paint<br />
Montana SCHWARZ 500ml is a recycled BLACK formula for more paint, less waste and a one-off<br />
production at a reduced price. Don’t sleep on this and get them while theyre available. We won’t produce<br />
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With every production of the Montana BLACK spraypaint, there is a small surplus of<br />
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standards of the Montana BLACK BLK9001 Black. Usually this surplus ends up being trashed.<br />
After playing around with this remains we believe that they still can be used for painting, so we<br />
decided to collect them and put them into a spraycan. We created the new Montana SCHWARZ<br />
which is an budget-friendly version of the Montana BLACK BLK9001 Black, in a similar quality. The<br />
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Products montana-cans.com<br />
131
6<br />
MONTANA NEEDLe<br />
Fine Liner<br />
The NEEDLE FINE LINER (Purple) is the little sibling of the original Needle Cap. Its average spray width<br />
is 2mm-10mm (0,08" to 0,39″) making it a finer version. It achieves sketchy rough lines that<br />
are ideal for highlights, small details or rendering. The spray width changes with the used distance<br />
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The NEEDLE CAP series earn their names due to there unique appearance. Unlike the dots<br />
that designate the spray trajectory in standard caps, the needle cap has a hollow plastic tube<br />
extruding from its round body form, that offers a paint trajectory in squirting output as if the paint<br />
was being sprayed through a needle. With an average spray width of 2mm to 10mm, the line<br />
the NEEDLE FINE LINER (Purple) produces is similar to the STANDARD Cap with its dirty and raw<br />
characteristics. Often used by street artists, urban artists and studio artists to achieve splatter<br />
like application on small scales, the needle cap fits on all-female valve caps like Montana GOLD,<br />
Montana BLACK and Montana WHITE. The spray width changes subject to the distance it is<br />
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Best results are achieved with Montana GOLD cans.<br />
7<br />
Montana HELLO-GRAM Sticker<br />
Non-eggshell<br />
The phrase “Hello My Name Is”, is all too familiar with the modern-day<br />
graffiti sticker bomber. This humble sticker transformed from a simple<br />
tool to help people remember each other’s names, to becoming an<br />
iconic graffiti tool to help graffiti writers tell the world what their names<br />
are. The new Montana HELLO-GRAM stickers take sticker bombing to<br />
a new level. The 12cm x 9cm sticker base features the traditional Montana<br />
Cans “Hello My Name Is” design and places it on a new holographic<br />
(non-eggshell) adhesive film. Sold in packs of 50, stand out from the crowd<br />
with a galactic touch on the new Montana HELLO-GRAM sticker.<br />
8<br />
"Spraycation"<br />
Montana Sticker Set #2<br />
No longer is painting a secondary thought while<br />
on vacation, these days we travel to paint.<br />
To celebrate the Spraycation way of life, we<br />
have created the new Montana Cans STICKER<br />
SET #2 "SPRAYCATION". Like their patch<br />
equivalents, the SPRAYCATION stickers capture<br />
the spirit of the graffiti brotherhood.<br />
132 Products Montana-cans.com
9<br />
MONTANA MARBLE 400ML<br />
Pastel Green<br />
High-covering spray paint for a deceivingly realistic marble effect. Can be<br />
used on many different surfaces such as paper, cardboard, primed canvas,<br />
wood, glass, metal, ceramics, porcelain, stone, acrylic and other<br />
paintable materials. The marble effect is formed by very fine colored<br />
paint strands on the surface area of the object in question. The area which<br />
is to be sprayed is not entirely covered and will stay partially visible.<br />
Can be top-coated with many common lacquer types once thoroughly<br />
dry. MARBLE Effect can be combined with Montana GOLD, Montana<br />
ACRYLIC markers and customary acrylic paints. The Marble Effect can<br />
comes standard with a calligraphy that can be adjusted to create spray output<br />
lines in vertical, horizontal or variations there of.<br />
10<br />
Montana PRIMER 400ml<br />
Aluminium<br />
The Montana ALUMINIUM Primer is a quick-drying primer for the optimal<br />
pretreatment of aluminium surfaces to increase protection against flaking<br />
and cracking. The primer is ideal for use on aluminium. In limited<br />
conditions can be used on copper and zinc. Montana Aluminium<br />
Primer can be coated with Montana GOLD, Montana BLACK, Montana<br />
WHITE, Montana TECH, EFFECT range colors. Always test before<br />
using on a non-visible area of the object. Available as 400ml.<br />
11<br />
10-years CANPIRE<br />
Anniversary Can<br />
2020 saw the ten-year anniversary of the beloved<br />
„CANPIRE“ (The Montana Store Frankfurt).<br />
With a litho image that pays homage to the tradi -<br />
tional „Geripptes“ glass, a lozenge cut glass<br />
used for drinking the region‘s favorite beverage<br />
Apfelwein, this Montana BLACK black, took<br />
on yet another personality as the store‘s own<br />
birthday icon.<br />
Products montana-cans.com<br />
133
→ The new Montana<br />
Ultra Wide Power<br />
Green. The new generation<br />
of vibrant colors<br />
for the artists that<br />
love spontaneity.<br />
Gamechanger<br />
Text<br />
Team Flight Mode<br />
Photography<br />
Edward Nightingale<br />
Emanuel Batali<br />
Usually, circumstances dictate possibilities in our game.<br />
Surface, timeframe, visibility, light, third-party work<br />
routines, and weather are just some of the crucial external<br />
factors that influence outcomes. Of course, some<br />
of these elements can be modified to even play in one’s<br />
favor. Especially when things do not look promising,<br />
creativity is vital, and one must not underestimate the<br />
factor of motivation. Writers are a flexible crowd. The<br />
history of Graffiti constantly shows signs of adaptation.<br />
New approaches, new techniques - and new materials.<br />
134 Products Montana-cans.com
After all, Graffiti means competition.<br />
The inner pressure to achieve adequate<br />
results, the external pressure<br />
to perform yet get away with it.<br />
→ Second to none<br />
coverage at an application<br />
rate that is at<br />
the top of its game.<br />
We have come a long way from repurposing<br />
hardware supplies. In the 1980s, enamel paints and ovencleaner<br />
nozzles were our most advanced tools. Fast<br />
forward twenty years later: a broad range of colors and<br />
numerous caps can be ordered online – designer<br />
paints with shorter drying times, better coverage, new<br />
valves, and more pressure. Pressure surrounds us.<br />
After all, Graffiti means competition. The inner pressure<br />
to achieve adequate results, the external pressure<br />
to perform yet get away with it. Translating these underlying<br />
patterns of culture into a product is a reasonable<br />
conclusion.<br />
↓ The sky is the limit<br />
both literally and<br />
symbolically with the<br />
new Montana Ultra<br />
Wide Light Blue.<br />
In 2012, a new player entered the<br />
game: the Montana Ultra Wide.<br />
A high-pressure can with a unique<br />
valve enables it to cover bigger<br />
spaces in significantly less time.<br />
In 2012, a new player entered the game: the<br />
Montana Ultra Wide. A high-pressure can with a<br />
unique valve enables it to cover bigger spaces in significantly<br />
less time. There is no need to imagine a<br />
boost through a double-handed use. For a real-time de -<br />
monstration, watch any recent video. Numerous<br />
clips showcase how boundaries can be pushed. Since<br />
the launch, the game has been changed. Backjump<br />
windows of three minutes all of a sudden offered valid<br />
options. Palanca gained a new catalyst to race the clock.<br />
Products montana-cans.com<br />
135
↑ A David von Bahr<br />
work, in the still<br />
of winter. Is it aggressive,<br />
or is it spontaneous?<br />
With the<br />
Ultra Wide cans, the<br />
lack of friction during<br />
application leaves<br />
the viewer guessing.<br />
Go big or go home, right?<br />
Not exactly. Any new medium is<br />
essentially no more than a tool.<br />
Go big or go home, right? Not exactly. Any<br />
new medium is essentially no more than a tool. However,<br />
a particular use case may be intended during the<br />
development. Artists, on the other hand, like to play with<br />
ideas. Thus, there has been an extreme countertrend.<br />
Instead of strict outdoor use, Ultra Wide has been<br />
introduced to the studios, too. Think of works by<br />
David von Bahr, for instance. Stark contrasts dominate<br />
his paintings which exude impulsivity, spontaneity,<br />
and even hints of aggression. All facilitated by the<br />
frictionless paint application. Ultra Wide is an instrument<br />
that can create a distinct look. The outcome,<br />
nonetheless, depends on the specific context. Whether<br />
these aesthetics are consciously highlighted or just<br />
a by product is up to the artist. No loose ends!<br />
← A ductus that is<br />
as chaotic as it is<br />
beautiful. The marks<br />
of the Ultra Wide<br />
cans bring the streets<br />
to the studio and<br />
beyond.<br />
→ Abstract markmaking<br />
or palm trees<br />
in black? With the<br />
Ultra Wide can, the<br />
viewer's interpretation<br />
is as open as the<br />
tool that created it.<br />
136 Products Montana-cans.com
Products montana-cans.com<br />
137
1<br />
2<br />
5<br />
138 BLACKBOOK
3<br />
4<br />
6<br />
1 ATOM ONE<br />
2 LA FRANZ<br />
3 HORST<br />
4 NOID<br />
5 HOT DOG<br />
6 TWIGS<br />
7 FRESH<br />
7<br />
Blackbook<br />
139
8<br />
11<br />
8 AMUSE126<br />
9 CAN2<br />
10 SMASH137<br />
11 SWEET<br />
12 CAN2<br />
13 MOST<br />
140 BLACKBOOK
9<br />
10<br />
12<br />
13<br />
Blackbook<br />
141
photography by edward nightingale
Montana-Cans Ultrawide #GAMECHANGER
Montana-Cans Ultrawide #GAMECHANGER
Imprint<br />
<strong>LOOKBOOK</strong><br />
021<br />
Media owner and publisher:<br />
MONTANA-CANS<br />
Editorial Staff:<br />
MONTANA-CANS<br />
Editorial design & Art direction:<br />
Matter Of (MO-P-126)<br />
Alexander Krziwanie (MONTANA-CANS)<br />
Nico Gnad (MONTANA-CANS)<br />
Texts:<br />
René Van Kan<br />
Flightmode<br />
Special thanks to all contributing artists & partners!<br />
Cover Photo:<br />
Montana Cans<br />
Cover Illustrations:<br />
Lugosis & Strato200´s<br />
© <strong>2021</strong>, MONTANA-CANS<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
Reprinting, even in part, only with the approval of the<br />
publisher. No liability can be accepted for unsolicited<br />
photos, slides, films or manuscripts received.<br />
MONTANA-CANS<br />
Häusserstraße 36<br />
69115 Heidelberg<br />
Deutschland<br />
Ph: +49 (0) 6221 36 333 0<br />
info@montana-cans.com<br />
WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM<br />
WWW.MONTANA-CANS.BLOG<br />
148 Imprint
#<strong>MontanaCans</strong> #GermanSpraypaint<br />
WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM
<strong>LOOKBOOK</strong> / EDITION #06 / <strong>2021</strong><br />
WWW.MONTANA-CANS.COM<br />
TNR 447181