ZBIOK / ZBK - strange figures and monsters in naïve style and short phrase puns made by a marker on paper or on a building wall.








ZBIOK / ZBK - interview
©namesfest.net



1. Please, inroduce yourself and tell us a bit about your first couch with graffiti.

Hello, Im ZBK from Poland. Originally im from Zielona Gora, right now i live paint and work in Wroclaw.
My first steps into the fascinating world of graffiti was around 97. It was a really specific time, few years ago the communist system gave his last breath, and it was of the time hip-hop started for serious in Poland. That time I was a 15 year old kid playing in a metal band hehe called Phantasmagoria. First time I met quality graffiti was like a punch in the face. I couldn’t belive that people can do things like this, fuckin amazing. At this time a skate magazine called Slizg was publishing first pieces from the stars of new born Polish graff scene, that time connection between Warsaw and Praha was runing 100% and it gave birth to most sick styles and personalities on Polish graff scene, like Pantal. I went through all steps in graff experience, next big step was my art studies. I realized that I can paint not only (for) myself, but I can paint everything around me.

2. You mostly paint characters. If I look more closely I find something what evoke letters. Could you tell us something about this relation between your characters and letters?

Characters that I paint have a high level of symbolic meaning. They are not just funny or atractive looking illustrations. The message is what counts for me. I´m not going the easy way, every element has a symbolic meaning. The same goes with letters. Of course doing the in an interesting way, is important. I use my experience in designing graff letters, and I am also a big fan of typo, particularly old school one`s.

3. You also paint on canvases. Are your themes different when you paint on the wall or on the canvas?

For me there is no difference beetween an outdoor surface and a canvas. I´m addicted to painting, it’s a form of expression of my opinion, it’s a reaction to things happening around me, it is what I love and what I hate. It is no important which surface I paint, whats matters is the fact, that I can paint it.

4. You already did pretty big paintings in Poland. How hard is to get nice big mural over there?

Yes, I try to focus on large murals, that’s my aim.Of course, it is not so easy to make large scale paintings, mostly of the bureaucracy and the cost of such projects. I hate to waste my time, trying to convince some clerks, so most of the murals are illegal, on abandoned or squatted spots. Last month I and Asia Stembaska have organized a large exhibition of urban art called Out of Sth. We had a pretty nice budget so we could afford platform lifts and surprisingly the city was really openminded, and gave us a few nice stations to paint. Artists like Blu, Remed, 108, Joe83 and me made 9 big murals. The exhibition was a succes, I think it will help us it the future to gain back OUR space it the city for art activities.

5. You have been in Praha. What do you like on our city? Is here any place you want to go again?

Yeah, I visited Praha many times. What I like about the city? Haha, probably everything. The stunning architecture, people, the urban scene, drinking beer on the streets (yes, it is illegal in Poland), and getting fuckin´ drunk with Tron hehe.
I don’t think I got some special favorites in Praha, I like the whole city in general. It´s really cool to be here chill and feel the good vibe, and paint something.



Links:
http://www.zbkool.com
http://flickr.com/zbiokosky