MontanaCans LOOKBOOK 2023 Issue #8
It's that time again to welcome the release of the Montana Cans Lookbook 2023 edition #8. 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".
www.montana-cans.blog
MC What was your
MC What was your favorite Montana BLACK Artist Edition can previous to your own? LAIA I don’t have a distinct favorite can because there are many that I like. Especially those where the design incorporates the bare metal of the can and the color is very metallic. I love those! I consider that they are all incredible, so I cannot say some names and forget others that also deserve it. MC You seem to have a healthy thirst for travel. In your opinion, are you running to something, or running away from something? What comes first, the destination, or the reason to go there? LAIA Traveling is my Number 1 passion! Well actually traveling and painting, so when the two things come together it is incredible. My parents have always loved to travel, so I started traveling when I was very young. They always took me with them everywhere they went in the world. It is like collecting, I need to collect memories of places that I have visited and after visiting one place, I need another, and another, and another. I also believe that it is a very healthy way to escape the monotony of day-to-day problems. And as a bonus, when I travel I feel that I enrich my head and my person with new experiences, cultures, smells, flavors, history, etc. It is super enriching, no matter destiny. It only matters to move my ass to the other side! I do not plan to leave this earth until I have traveled over all of it! MC Of all the commercial projects you have worked on that are graffiti based or related to graffiti, what were the best and the worse? I do not plan to leave this earth until I have traveled over all of it! LAIA I don’t know how to explain exactly which is the worst or best. Many people valuable the best because of the amount of money or fame they have gained. Or the jobs which made them the most famous within the game. For me, the best jobs are those where I have learned the most and was treated the best as a person. Even if I was painting a freebie for example. Sometimes the best jobs are the worst ones. And the worst the best. I value the human treatment and interaction behind each project and I have participated in other so-called incredible projects in which I was left feeling empty inside when they were over. There were other projects with very little to no budget that I would do again even now. MC Where do you see the commercialization of graffiti going? Do you think the artists are in control of their destinies or is business steering public art of this type in the direction they want it to go? In general, I think it’s great that everyone does what they want with their work, I’m not one of those writers who thinks that when you sell your work “you’re no longer real”. LAIA Well, I think the world is going a little crazy with this. I think businesses are running too much without knowing what they are doing. For example, they have managed to call anything “graffiti” now. There are too many “Graffiti” festivals where the artists are muralists who have never touched a spray can, and none of them say “Hey! We are muralists, not graffiti writers”, because it suits them. So it’s a cycle that doesn’t end and it is expanding. This often leaves the graffiti writer in a bad place because the world has now “learned” that graffiti is also a huge face painted on a building with brushes. So why hire a writer to draw some letters? In general, I think it’s great that everyone does what they want with their work, I’m not one of those writers who thinks that when you sell your work “you’re no longer real”. I don’t care, I sell my work and I’m doing projects, so I’m marketing the work and myself. But I’m never going to go away from my initial values and the great respect I have for all of this that the writers like myself call graffiti. I think you can have control of your work, it’s just about accepting or rejecting the right things. Even though businesses and institutions are directing this where they want. MC What is your favorite Montana Cap and can combination and why? LAIA I always paint with Black and I only use two Caps. The medium fat for filling, details, background, etc. And the standard cap on the can for outlines and highlights. Nothing more. When I started there was very little variety, and I got used to it. I grew up like this. I don’t need more. Some interesting perspectives and a lot to think about for any artists entering the commercial space with their artwork regardless of their gender. We can assume that more artistically innovative and classic works are going to come from the wonderful mind of LAIA. Will she ever embrace the bubble background, and how will she steer her passion and career from here? Watch this space… 26 Black Artist Edition/Interview Laia
Even though size isn’t everything, it does have its benefits if your an artist like LAIA and your work has to burn with only three contrasting colors. Black Artist Edition/Interview Laia 27
