Five questions for five flicks 

Featured artist - ELUDE

ELUDE is a graffiti writer from Wollongong a small city just outside of Sydney. He reps LSK CREW and has been painting for over 16 years. We caught up with him to find out what graffiti is like in Wollongong, hear about some recent travelling abroad and asked for his favourite five flicks.

1. What got you into graffiti?

I was exposed to graff while skateboarding and catching trains back while i was in high school. I Started painting in 01 and after getting my hands on All stations mag and the dirty hands VHS it opened up a world i never knew existed. From that time on i started waging school to bench at central station and racking paint.

2. How would you describe your style?

I guess it is what it is, people who know me have seen it evolve over time. My biggest influences are public style writers but I'm never satisfied to do it myself and always try to tech it up.

3. Do you have a good chase story?

Man there has been a lot of close calls over the years. When the GTF first came to Wollongong i had a few encounters but they weren't organized enough to be much of a problem. This changed pretty quickly over the next few years and it became stressful to stay active being such a small town. If they had the spot set up you were as good as done. One time we received information that there was to be something at a old spot that didn't layup anymore. Being a one off time we assumed everything would be sweet so we gave it a go.

Everything went to plan and we pumped out two e2e's but on the way out the shit hit the fan. Exiting back onto the street we were approached by two plain clothed officers. GTF GET ON THE GROUND! and the first two got grabbed. We were surrounded from both sides so i jumped back on to the lines with a officer so close behind me i could feel the air of his hands swiping. There was no chance of out running him so i chucked my bag to buy me a second and frantically started jumping back fences.Luckily he didn't follow and i came out of a yard that conveniently had a sewer tunnel next to it. I dived in and headed downstream which turned out to come out at the near by beach. Soaking wet i ran and lay in the rocks of the headlands for a few hours and later bumped into Floss who had also gotten away and was hiding in the same spot. Unfortunately the rest got pinched.

4. Looks like you have done a lot of travelling, can you tell us about a crazy mission abroad?

Yeah I try to travel as much as i can. The craziest mission has to be my first time to Stockholm. Its always a struggle to get over there, and the action is fast and intense. This visit i went to meet a local friend and he took me an a bunch of other guys to a hanger spot to try and get the old blue subway model. Just on finishing we received a call from the spotter to say the CSG had arrived. We could see them waiting for us on the other side of the hanger door so we legged it down and out through a sneaky side door. They had guys at our hole so we launched the bags and threw ourselves over the two barbed yard fences into the surrounding factory.

Chaos broke out as cop cars screeched up and the CSG let the dogs go. People where running everywhere and i decided to split and go my own way. I started climbing a 6m high gate into a neighbouring factory and as i got to the top the cops shook it and i fell head over to the other side landing on my face and dislocating my thumb. I managed to get over the next few fences and hid under a half meter high hedge.I lay there for 5 hours while the cops searched the area and still to today i don't know how they didn't find me! The shock look from a local girl was priceless when i stopped her to ask which way to the nearest train station with my mangled hand and blood stained ripped clothing haha .

5. What motivates you to keep painting?

I continue to paint for the experiences it brings. I love the artistic side but its mainly the action and good times that drives me now.