Views
1 year ago

Montana Cans LOOKBOOK 2022

  • Text
  • Wwwmontanacanscom
  • Writers
  • Cloakwork
  • Sicoer
  • Spray
  • Edition
  • Artists
  • Mural
  • Cans
  • Montana
  • Graffiti
Montana Cans LOOKBOOK 2022 Edition #7 It's that time again to welcome the release of the Montana Cans Lookbook 2022 edition #7. There is no rewind button on life, making it all the more important to reflect on the year that was, and the things that happened during that period. The Montana-Cans Lookbook does just that and reflects on some of the highlights from the year prior. A moment to reflect on those things that may not have received as much shine as they deserved while being "in the moment". The 2021/2022 period was a particularly unique period not only for Montana Cans but for the world as a whole. Mankind arrived at what we hope is the end of the Coronavirus pandemic, there was turbulence in many regions, and the global population started to come to terms with the new financial challenges of life. But apart from increasing prices and challenging health/social situations, there were also many positive moments that brought innovation, fun, color, and creativity back into our lives. The Montana Cans collaborations continued with our many partners, artistic friends, and organizations within the creative world, including a vast array of amazing limited-edition cans, cool collectible products, and new innovations that make painting and creating even more enjoyable than before. Countless brave event organizers pushed forward with their dreams and their world-class events, with Montana Cans as partners on board regardless of the social and political hurdles put in place in the name of health and safety. And off the radar, the global graffiti community kept on creating and pushing our culture forward despite the challenges put in place around them. Regardless of where you were in 2021/2022, steel, bricks, canvas, furniture, and even clothing all got a special creative touch that Montana Cans was proud to be part of. With this in mind, we present to you the Montana-Cans Lookbook 2022 Edition #7 for your enjoyment. Available here digitally and in limited amounts in print at selected Montana Cans partners and resellers.

cap twice. Maybe it’s

cap twice. Maybe it’s me rejecting it because I can’t really participate the way I used to. Perhaps that’s my wrath as an old Graffiti writer, you know? Haha. MC So, would you consider graffiti still a fragment of your personality? It sounds like, by your definition, graffiti has to be illegal. Are you doing something different now? CM Well, I am always tipping my hat to graffiti, and I still have a significant role in NYC with my crew wreaking havoc on its walls. I am an ambassador of this culture, and I take that very seriously. It would be fun to go out at night, get that adrenaline and then drive around and look at your stuff. I love that; it’s so fun. Real graffiti to me is illegal, and that’s what I’m a real fan of. ↑ Who said outlines need to be black? Sometimes, a nice pastel palette can do the job. ↓ Memorial portrait on a storefront. I’m in this business realm where I deal with people who would never paint graffiti MC Isn’t that argument more or less an external attribution? Obviously, circumstances create different parameters for painting. CM Apparently, the audience senses a throwback when they see my stuff. Responses are often, “Oh, I remember when I was a kid, I used to see that everywhere.” But is it graffiti? No. Not if I’m standing out there, on a ladder, two o’clock in the afternoon with an assistant. 46 Artist in focus / Interview CLAWMONEY

legal. I don’t think it’s right. MC Kind of a luxury you can afford to say no to these kinds of jobs. Where does this integrity come from? What’s your view on the scene as a New Yorker, being from the birthplace of the culture? ↑ Outlaws can wear crowns, too. ↘ That’s right! Miss 17 and Claw, an infamous duo in the streets of New York City. All street art comes from graffiti. Street art owes everything to graffiti, let’s face it. MC Sure. At what point did you recognize a transition into the art realm? CM Probably when Graffiti used to be sold in galleries from the 1980s on but for myself, officially when I was invited to Art Basel the first time, graffiti was dominating again in the early 2000s. Years later, I realized that street art had taken over the popularity in its vast expanses in murals in Miami. Graffiti brought everyone’s focus there. Then street art came, which was more illustrative. People shifted away from letters because it is an ask. When you are writing, you’re asking the audience to read something. In contrast, street art has a lot of illustrations and iconography that might be quickly processed. I think that’s one reason why street art dominates in Miami. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an art lover, and there’s a lot of skill involved. I have my role, but I’m always giving a big nod to graffiti — the mother of this mural culture. CM New York’s the best! Writers from here are the best: the mothers and fathers, the innovators, the architects. I hate to say it; in a way, it’s not true. Technically, European writers are some of the most advanced. But, New York makes you very aggressive as a person because you have to live here. So, of course, graffiti is the perfect sport for this type of competitiveness. There’s competition in business; there’s competition everywhere. This is the New York ethos. If I wasn’t from New York, I don’t know if I would be painting graffiti. Everybody from here used to write at some point in their childhood. It’s rooted within the youth culture. But it is universal. Let’s say you go upstate New York for a hike, and once you reach the top of the mountain, there are a million people who carved their names into the rock in 1896. Pointing at your mere existence is a very human experience.“I was here.” Spray painting your name on a fire hydrant is all the same thing. Often, street artists, would see graffiti on a wall and then wheat paste right on top of the work MC I think many writers hated street art due to a feeling of cultural appropriation. CM Often, street artists, would see graffiti on a wall and then wheat paste right on top of the work. Initially, they’d be like, Oh, this is a good wall. We can paint on it because nobody’s cleaned this up yet. They’re not respecting what’s on the wall, whereas Graffiti writers know the rules. You don’t just come in to take the space unless you are prepared to have some sort of battle. That’s a reason why a lot of the street art walls get capped immediately. And that’s why I often decline when people offer me to paint their storefronts. There’s already a big throw-up on there; I can’t go over that for a Artist in focus / Interview CLAWMONEY 47

MONTANA-CANS | Copyright © 2022 | all rights reserved