Do Not Erase’s Graffiti Artists Talk Banksy, Police and Drawing on Breasts

Graffiti artists are kind of like ninjas. They wear hoods a lot and most of their missions involve getting a job done with no one noticing. The difference is that a graffiti artist leaves a mark. A very big mark.

G-Dot Art Space’s epic street art exhibit, "Do Not Erase," brings together the work of graffiti legends from Switzerland, Brazil, France and the US. It opened in June, but there are just about four weeks left for you to see their work before the show ends on August 18. So if you're a fan but haven't made it out there yet, start planning your trip to Songzhuang now.

We interviewed Binho, Ceet, Kongo, Noe 2, Toast and Tkid just as they were rolling into town. Check out some of their artwork here, and see what they had to say about how they got started, street art in China, and their favorite colors.

Binho, Brazil

Have you ever been arrested for your art?
Sometimes painting is prohibited in certain places, but in Brazil, graffiti art is highly respected so we do not have big problems with the law.

Describe your first encounter with street art and your emotional response.
In mid-1984 I was drawing, break-dancing and skateboarding, so for me it was natural to start doing this kind of art. It’s rebellious and unruly, something that fascinated me.

What do you think of Banksy? Overrated?
I think he is an artist of the Internet, highlighted by stencil artwork and marketing. Showing and enhancing still further the true street artists.

What movements besides street art do you want to be involved in?
Skateboarding and hip-hop forever!

Ceet, France

Have you ever been arrested for your art?
Yes. Many times. In Europe, the US ...

Do you do other types of art?
Yes. Collage, posters, painting, video, balloon…

What’s your favorite color? Why?
Blue. Because “I believe I can touch the sky.”

Where in Beijing would you like to see your own street art?
At the Great Wall.

Kongo, France

Besides graffiti, what other art movement would you have wanted to be involved in?
I love movements that push people up from the ghetto, like reggae and jazz.

Describe your first encounter with street art and your emotional response.
My first encounter was in Paris on 1986. I just came back from Africa and was really impressed by hip-hop, a movement with so much energy. Back in the day all my friends were doing break-dance, rap, graffiti.

Is there anywhere you draw the line – anything that’s not OK to write or draw on?
Painting is just painting. I don’t think it’s bad to paint anywhere. Of course the message can be really strong when you write it on the wall. This is why graffiti scares authorities and sometimes even friends. Nobody can control it.

What’s the graffiti culture like where you’re from?
Now graffiti in France, especially in Paris, is starting to be recognized. Galleries are interested in the culture, auction houses are starting to sell our art. Of course graffiti artists still paint in the streets, to keep the culture alive. It’s really important to keep the fire burning.

Noe 2, France

What are your thoughts about Chinese street art?
The kind that I have seen tells me street art is being born in China. It doesn’t have its own identity yet. We can feel the influence of European and American street art.

If you had to represent your city by drawing something unconventional (i.e. not a flag or typical symbol), what would it be?
I think I would draw “19,” the number of the district of Paris where I was born and discovered graffiti.

How do you make a living? Is street art your day job, or something else?
I live off my art. I stopped all my other businesses 4 years ago to concentrate on my artwork.

What's your favorite color? Why?
I like all colors, my work is based on the color. But I have a preference for purple which I think is the mixture of red and blue.

Toast, Switzerland

What’s the biggest misconception people have about street art?
Most people don’t know the history of street art, but it’s very important to judge a work of graffiti by examining the root of the piece.

Which dead artist do you think would totally be doing street art if he/she were alive today?
Keith Haring

What’s the strangest object you’ve ever written on?
A tree in a forest.

What’s your favorite color? Why?
“Toast Signal Black” by [street art company] Molotow. They dedicated it to me.

Tkid, USA:

When you look at someone else’s street art, how do you judge it?
I look for use of colors, fluidity, what message the artist is trying to tell and how long it took to make. I give more respect to the artist who takes longer, ‘cause expression of the soul can never be done in a microwave.

What do you think of Banksy? Overrated?
Ahh Banksy! The microwave artist!

What’s your favorite color? Why?
My favorite color is ocean green, ‘cause it’s wild and unwanted! Like me.

What’s the strangest object you’ve ever written on?
The strangest object I’ve painted on was a woman with three breasts … well worth the effort.

Photos: Courtesy of the artists and G-Dot Art Space