Ahh - missed this too - nice one fragile!

gutted. nice work for doing this though. should have got up earlier :-(

Another interview! This time from the 'londonist':

londonist.com/2011/10/interview-sickboy-street-artist.php?showpage=1#gallery-1

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Interview: Sickboy, Street Artist

Surreal street artist Sickboy is back with a brand new exhibition. We last spoke to him in 2008 before his Stay Free installation featuring balaclava-clad Oompa-Loompas running around a transformed Victorian tram shed while a 14-foot factory installation churned out art.

This time around, the “neo-psychedelic-cosmic-abstract-expressionist” artist takes a metaphysical journey with his latest creation “Heaven and Earth” combining spraypaint sonatas inspired by renaissance paintings with physical pieces like a confession booth. The online version has already attracted over 1,000 uncensored soulbearings; if you have something to get off your chest, now may be the time.

What’s the thinking behind your next exhibition?

I’ve been exploring and pushing my figurative and landscape work through a broad spectrum of sources such as renaissance masterpieces to surrealist art. I wanted to represent my version of heaven and earth. I’m not religious, but at the same time, I’m fascinated by religion and its effect on art over the years.

You studied fine art and have said that you were influenced by Picasso, Hundertwasser and architectural artists like Gaudi. What were the formative events that led you to become a professional graffiti artist?

I wouldn’t call myself a professional graffiti artist. Things evolve naturally. Graffiti is my favourite pastime and the biggest subcultural influence to have graced my life since an early age. I’ve always painted on canvas alongside graffiti and I’ve been doing exhibitions throughout my career. I felt that to only paint walls, or to only paint canvas, was too stifling. I just go with whatever comes next and try to pull towards it from the heart.

Are you affiliated with any London crews? Are there any crews you rate?

I think it’s good to have people who are associated by style and ethos. I’ve always liked the history behind legendary London crews such as D.D.S – they are people I’ve seen up since I was young. Old crews like The Chrome Angels still fill my brain with reminiscent glee, and the continuity in T.F.W as repeat style offenders. Some crews are a strong part of London’s history and make-up whether you write or not.

How would you compare the current London graffiti scene to that elsewhere in the UK?

I think it’s always been more cut throat, and more active than anywhere else. This means that you’re less likely to see full colour productions and more likely to see chrome and black tracksides and shutters – it makes for an interesting bus or train ride.

What do you think about organised graffiti events like The Battle Of Waterloo 2?

I think graf jams are okay. The atmosphere is always a bit ego-driven. It’s cool to get everyone in the same place, but competition comes to the forefront and sometimes, it’s better to just get on with your own thing.

You’ve had great success with both letter-based works and symbols (e.g. the Temple). What’s your preference nowadays?

Any of the above. Emptying spray cans is where it’s at; emptying spray paint while drunk is even better.

How has the London graffiti scene changed over the course of your career?

Graffiti is back in control. Street art half stepped into a historical landmine and got its leg blown off.

Given legal carte blanche, what would be your ultimate place to paint and what would you draw?

I think legal carte blanche removes a lot of the point for me. If I was God, I’d paint some trees back into the city.

I think it means that you have 'Unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion; unconditional authority'.Ie:he likes to paint illegal walls,for the 'buzz'.There's no point in doing it if you have pemission.

Not the best interview (the interviewer is really annoying!).

But I guess it's worth a watch.

Another interview! ;D

www.zeitgeistmagazine.com/#/sickboy-interview/4556979267

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Sickboy's last London show 'Stay Free' saw the transformation of a Victorian tram shed into a 3D Willy Wonka-esque playground, with balaclava-clad Oompa Loompas running amok, and a 14 foot factory installation churning out art. Three years on, and with a line-up of artists that reads like a who's who of the street art world, Sickboy's back with new show 'Heaven & Earth', and after his last outing it's no surprise that there's quite a bit of anticipation building around a show that has the potential to deliver an experience far beyond the conventional art show format.

Sickboy is to many "the man who who paints the temples", and chances are if you've spent much time in London's East End over the past few years you'll have spotted the instantly recognisable onion dome temple, painted in bold and bright yellow and red. Sickboy the artist though is far more multi-dimensional than his now eponymous dome logo tag.

With temples and now 'Heaven & Earth', we sat down for a chat with Sickboy about religion and his new show, and found his answers to be very different to the one's that we were expecting.

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How did the concept for 'Heaven & Earth' come about?

Two years ago I started getting into Gospel music and the spiritual side of that, and at the same time I was looking at Renaissance painting and the composition of old religious paintings. I started playing around with the idea of manipulating composition but using my own subject matter; subject matter that was personal to me rather than pushing Catholic notions or anything like that, so I just developed it from there really.

I spent a lot of time going to churches and looking at stained glass windows, and also had this spate of maybe a year when I was painting caravans in Gypsy yards, applying phrases from Gospel records mixed with imagery from stained glass windows. All this naturally evolved into a new style of painting I had developed myself, and I wanted the moniker 'Heaven & Earth' as the show title.

The artists you've chosen to collaborate with are among the biggest and best names out there in the world of graffiti and street art. What are you hoping to get out of each collaboration? Are you hoping to push their buttons a little, or is this supposed to be a cathartic process for them?

To be honest we're a bit like a family as we've painted on walls together anyway. A lot of the people I've met are from Australia and America, either they come over here or I've been over there, and I just thought it'd be nice for us to all do something together.

This show feels like I'm confessing myself through my paintings and I thought I'd like to get some other artists involved, so I propositioned these people and they were like "yeah great". I can't really reveal what the format of the art in the show is, but it was an interesting brief for them. I think I managed to get them challenging themselves somewhat, and it definitely feels like a coherent body of work that's been produced.

Tell us a little about what else you've got in store for those coming to the show.

Well, I've been taking public confessions on the website. I was a bit unsure on how that was going to go but there's been a massive response, so I've taken them and put them into an installation format within the show. Anyone who participated will be able to come down and see it as part of a piece of art now.

There's also going to be a confession booth that I've spent the last six months working on which houses art by the 10 other artists, then I've got my complete new body of art work alongside that. There's also one extra surprise installation that kind of brings the stuff I've done outside into the gallery. It's going to be quite an experience - hopefully.

Have some of the confessions actually inspired your work for the show?

The work was well under way by the time I took the confessions, but it's inspired the way I built the installation and it's become an intrinsic part of the show.

Would you say this show is about your guilty conscience coming out?

I think all of my paintings are, they've always had a personal narrative. I'm not like a pop artist, I don't do much social commentary, I don't attack politics so much, I just try and create a landscape that tells a story about me and how I view the world around me. To a certain extent some things do come through in the paintings, but I think everyone's got a slightly guilty conscience - yeah some of it's definitely that.

You've always avoided gallery representation and chosen to put on shows off your own back. Do you still feel just as strongly about working this way?

Yeah totally, I'm proud of the position I'm in at the moment. I probably wouldn't have been able to get these artists on board if it wasn't an independent venture, and I'm glad that I can always play by my own rules.

As difficult as it's been, I've always funded from my art sales. It allows me complete freedom in terms of the location, how the exhibition is put across and how big it becomes, so I'm really really happy that I don't work with any galleries and it's all an in-house independent thing. I've always had a sort of underdog, independent fanzine type mentality.

How do you feel about graffiti and street art crossing over into galleries and the mainstream?

There's obviously a lot of people out there who say "you sell out, you're this, you're that" to people who cross into the gallery when you're supposed to be a grass roots graffiti artist, but for me, I think you're creative no matter what you apply that creativity to; it doesn't matter as long as you're doing it earnestly and from the heart.

I keep the same values I would if I was painting outside and apply them inside, so I think that perhaps separates the work I do to the contemporary artist who doesn't paint outside, and also separates me slightly from the graffiti artist who only paints outside.

With your temple and new religious themed show, is religion a big inspiration to you?

For me the temple is not supposed to be a religious icon, it's an architectural based form. The onion dome is the most beautiful and difficult piece of architecture that you can make, and when I first saw Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona I thought I'd like to paint a really beautiful form of architecture on a really nasty form of it, that's why I painted it on car parks, city blocks and so on. I like that juxtaposition. People have always been like "so is he Muslim? What's this temple deal all about?" It's purely about the architectural silhouette and that particular shape.

Obviously there are religious foundations to this show, but I've tried to steer it down my own sort of cosmic, psychedelic, surrealist route which pulls it away from that. I just used it as a starting point.

I know you've talked in the past about music greatly inspiring you, with your 'Save The Youth' slogan being taken from a Mellow Madness track. What's inspiring you musically these days?

There are some pieces in the show which are directly linked to some lesser known New York musicians from the 70's. I try to broaden my horizons somewhat to stay away from pinning myself to musical quotes, but it's obviously been such a big influence that it's still relevant to me.

I'm from Manchester, so my Mum and Dad loved Northern Soul, and right now in London there's this massive disco scene, and all these other things going on. I'm just getting into this old sort of psychedelic disco, cosmic disco Italian stuff - you've got to be different.

What's next for Sickboy? Is it back to the streets, the studio or a bit of both?

I'm going to be travelling. I've got a show in San Francisco at the end of spring next year, and I'm going to be making a touring art extravaganza in the form of a truck, but I'll reveal more details about that nearer the time. So basically a lot of travelling and a lot of painting. I've been stuck inside the studio for I don't even want to know how long, so I need to get back out there and breathe in some fresh air, get a sun tan and paint some buildings.

he had the chance to give us the best video interview ever, never a chance with sickboy and he blew it imo. least we got to hear some of answers and a nice tag at the end.

Thanks Fragile.

Wish I could go to this - looking forward to some pics please.

cheers fragile arived this morn nice little package

I walked past the Cross Bones graveyward everyday and i did not see this piece go up , ITs long gone now just checked incase it went up recently and i had not noticed

Looking forward to seeing this show... I'm sure it won't be disappointing.

yea, loved it! great pieces and i believe everything for everyone, very well priced imo..

Great photos - thanks Sand. Very impressed by the show - some great work and something for every budget.

Very nice Sand.


Look forward to seeing this show. The detail from the pictures I've seen is amazing.