↓ Another “why didn’t I think of that” moment as NOMAD pushes the envelope and keeps his peers on their toes. NOMAD’s path took him on a style map that not even Google would be able to plot. 106 Interview Nomad
More recently, the re-addition of colors, and in some cases, mega amounts of color into his work have led to a luminosity that is reminiscent of retro computer and television graphics. The impeccable composition and placement of his letters with just the right amount of handmade spray paint grittiness makefor a mandatory second, third, and fourth look at every piece. “How does he do that”, the viewer asks themselves as the artist’s own ductus, an ever-present key characteristic of the work, which at a distance appears seamless. In some of his latest works, NOMAD has taken his visual language even further, bringing in the visually deceptive element of plastic film into his work. At a first glance from close range, a melting pot of lines and color create an abstract field that is not yet recognizable. As the viewer’s eye zoom’s out, slowly but surely the image starts to make more sense. With distance, the visual illusion happening within the fill-in of the letters exposes the clever crinkled plastic film effect. With shimmering light being represented by spray strokes and color shifts, the heavy use of black and white helps to stamp the graffiti authority back onto the piece in its entirety. Always with that unique and personal NOMAD touch. This is what still inspires me to this day. To take as much freedom as you want and to express yourself creatively. ↙ A poignant statement that should never be forgotten; “Don’t forget the feeling”. ↑ Never short of ideas, NOMAD doesn’t just paint graffiti, he creates new concepts. The intrigue was too much to hypothesize about how or why the works have become what they are. Instead, we chose to speak to the artist directly to see if he could unravel the code a little for us. MONTANA CANS In a post about your work on the Montana Blog, it was stated you thought that if graffiti and graffiti artists when you started were like they are today, you would have never started writing. With a little distance from that viewpoint, what things do you like about graffiti now? What are some inspirational aspects that inspire or motivate to keep innovating? N.O.MADSKI Sometimes Graffiti seems to be more conservative and boring nowadays than in the early days as I remember. But if you take a close look, it only appears that way. There is still the opportunity to express yourself freely. This is what still inspires me to this day. To take as much freedom as you want and to express yourself creatively. And there is still the opportunity to take my inspirations, which sometimes come from totally different worlds, and to implement these in my way of expression: Graffiti Writing. I think Graffiti only gets boring if you don’t set yourself new challenges. Unfortunately, I always get bored quickly when I do the same things for too long, so I’m forced to innovate the way I do Graffiti. “How does he do that”, the viewer asks themselves as the artist’s own ductus, an ever-present key characteristic of the work, which at a distance appears seamless. Interview Nomad 107
