Five questions for five flicks 

Featured artist - KEWL

Kewl is a graffiti writer from Sydney and he gets seriously busy. Over the years we've seen his pieces pop up on trains and walls all over the world! Recently he grabbed our attention with his witty Instagram posts before he disappeared again to please the Graff Gods. We asked him to do a quick interview and ask for his five favourite flicks.

1. What got you into graffiti?

I think the Graffiti Gods chose me, they knew I had OCD and a good work ethic. I can’t seem to get them off my back, they are constantly urging me to write. I treat Writing as a religion. I try to make offerings to the Graffiti Gods every day, even small ones like stickers. I like to go on sacred pilgrimages to far off lands to make offerings at auspicious places in Graffiti’s History.

I think trains are the highest offering, I’m not much of a train guy anymore, I think I have found my calling in the streets. I don’t think the Graffiti Gods mind too much as I have appeased them with many train offerings in the past.

2. You don't limit yourself to just the traditional spray can, could you tell us about the other methods you use to get up?

I enjoy using rollers and roller paint. The paint covers large areas, doesn’t smell too bad and is mostly free! The team I roll with get the job done fast and are all certified professionals. I’m also a sticker addict,

I’ve been making stickers since I started graffiti, there’s a similar tradition in Japan called Senja Fuda, dating back to the EDO period. They use to travel all over EDO (Tokyo) on pilgrimages to put stickers up using extendable Bamboo poles! I’ve recently tried to use social media to “get up” with advertising spam, it was a fun social experiment.

3. We've seen KEWL pieces popping up in some crazy places, what countries have you visited to leave your mark and which is your favourite place?

I have painted on 5 out of the 7 continents, 2 continents to go and a lot of countries! The game is real! Earth is a crazy place, there are adventures to be had everywhere, even in the western Sydney suburbs!

4. Do you have a good chase story?

Back in around 04 Loper, Fibro, Ikan, Moisto and I took a greyhound bus to Melbourne for a train mission. We arrived in the evening met up with Tekno, Sireps & Inka (RIP). We sussed out the yard and jumped in, all was good we pulled off 2 e2e’s on a Harry, everyone had colours and I had chrome so I finished a bit earlier than the rest.

I popped under the train into the next isle and was pumping out a few throwies… Next minute we’re getting rushed from police with torches, we all scattered, all I remember is goose stepping my way outta there through a park. I hid on a fire station roof for a few hours watching the dog squad below.

After I thought it was safe I ducked into a local servo, the attendant was bugging out asking what happened, he said ”your friends were here earlier covered in blood”( he must have recognised our matching striped Polo shirts and athletic attire)After I explained we were just painting and it wasn’t a robbery he let me chill there until a taxi came! I got back to the hostel and everyone had similar stories, and we all got away! I’m sure we got really drunk after that and went bombing. Shouts to Tekno and Sireps, Rip Inka!

5. What motivates you to keep painting?

I can’t forsake the God’s; they have given me so much! I love this shit man!

Rest in peace 12, Flaps, Banish, Real, Leak. Nofun, Risk and Cake.

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