When you think of New York, as we
have in this issue of Erb, an almost never-ending list of cultural institutions
come to mind. There’s Times Square, the Yankees, the Empire State Building,
Broadway and, of course, the Wu-Tang Clan.
Also high on the list for anybody
with a mind for hip-hop and artistic mind? Graffiti.
The aerosol art has seen its
share of changes over the years, but New York has always been regarded as its
birthplace and, generally, its epicenter. Graffiti went from underground to
outlawed to commercially viable. It’s changed, evolved, morphed and,
eventually, became an in-demand artistic commodity.
So when we wanted to talk New
York City graffiti, we looked to Cope2, a tried and true legend of NYC’s scene.
As he’ll tell you, he’s grown up and moved on, taken the style he learned on
subway cars in the early ’80s and honed it for the fine art and commercial
world of 2012.
Now in his mid-40s, he’s shown
his work at galleries in New York, Tokyo, Paris and is gearing up for a show in
San Francisco later this year. He’s been in a video game, created his own shoe,
worked with Time Magazine and much more. And it all started from painting his
name on trains.
“Graffiti is pretty much done for
me,” Cope2 says from his home in upstate New York. “But it’s always in my
blood.”
In a candid interview, we talked
to Cope2 about the New York City graffiti scene he grew up in, how it’s changed
over the years, his transition into the art world and more.
First and foremost, Cope2,
thanks for taking the time to talk to us. How's 2012 been treating you thus
far?
So far, it's been a blessed year,
considering my art has gone to another level. At the beginning of the year, I
had a solo exhibition in Paris called Cope2 “Defiance.” It was a pretty amazing
turnout. We had a private reception and everything sold out. The paintings I do
are totally different than the normal Cope2 burners and the Cope2 bubble
letters. I still keep my traditional style that I’ve been doing for 30-plus
years, but it's more mixed-media painting. I guess the French loved the show.
That was a good way to start the year. I've got another show coming up in
October. So 2012 has been pretty good -- artistically and personally. I can’t
complain. God has been good.
For any of our readers who
might not be familiar with your work -- we're not a graf mag, after all --
please give us a brief introduction?
I would introduce myself as a
Bronx graffiti legend. I started writing graffiti in the late '70s and early
'80s in the New York subways, watching the legends before me like Comet, Blade,
Mitch 77 and Pnut2. Watching them inspired me to write on subway cars.
Throughout the years, around 1988 and 1989, the subway graffiti era died. I
moved onto bombing the streets. Through all five boroughs, I was bombing everything.
I would just do my name everywhere. Through the ’90s, we used to do more
burners, production walls, honor walls. We’d get together with graffiti writers
from all around the world. When they came to New York, we'd get together and
paint. That's how I made a name for myself: from the subway cars into into the
streets and now I’ve transitioned into art galleries, auctions and museums all
around the world.
Looking back at the legendary
career you've had, what are some of the most memorable moments?
Stealing the spray paint and then
going right to the train yard to paint. That was the ultimate thing. Being in
the train yard for hours. Then the next day waiting for the trains to roll by
and your name would roll by. That was the exciting. People who lived it, know
what I’m talking about. It’s an electrifying feeling.
Anything more current?
When I did something for Time
Magazine, back in 2005, which was huge. A lot of people were talking about it.
It was all over the news. My Adidas collection also, which came out in 2007.
I've done a lot of other things, but those were pretty big. Also the Marc Ecko
video game, “Getting Up.” That was huge.
In recent years, your work has
transferred into the art realm, with shows in places such as Europe, Tokyo and
Hollywood in addition to New York. Does the fine art world give you the same
satisfaction as the graffiti scene?
The graffiti world is just done.
It was great in the early ’80s. Today, it’s just terrible. The young kids have
no respect. You have the Internet now and people come on there and label you
something you're not. They'll disrespect you. You don't know who these kids are
because they're posting under fake names. It’s not the same and it's not even
worth it. Today, if I paint, if I do a piece, I do it for me, because I love
it. Today, in my mid-40s, I love doing the paintings and exhibiting in an art
gallery or museum. People come and appreciate it. They can purchase it and put
it their house and it's forever. Graffiti in the streets, it gets painted over
or it gets crossed out.
Back when you were younger and
bombing trains, did you think there was even a possibility this is where you'd
end up?
Oh, hell no, I would have never
imagined this. You think the subways will be like that forever when you're young.
As the years go on, it’s kind of amazing how you transition. I remember writers
back in the ’90s doing gallery shows. I didn’t understand how they were
painting on canvas and selling it. It was kinda weird. I was like “Uhh, that's
not me.’ I always kept it hood and kept it in the streets. But as time went by,
things changed. In life you have to look at changes. There's a graffiti task
force in New York City now. You can't just paint on anything. I don't need
those headaches anymore.
Given your place as a legend
in the NYC graffiti, how have you seen the city's scene change over the years
-- for better or worse?
It’s definitely changed for the
worse. I’m sure it’s the same everywhere, but New York is just too much. The
writers can’t get along. This one hates on that one. Back in the ’90s, it was
easier to get a big wall and paint it. But I’ve noticed it's starting to get
better. So let's see. Give it a couple of years. It might get good again.
Graffiti as a whole is
something that's changed immensely since you started out. It's embraced more
commercially and artistically. What's your take on whether this is good or bad
for the graffiti community?
It’s good for graffiti artists,
especially some graffiti artists like me who have a family and children to take
care of and bills to pay. If you get a gig, you do something with Adidas or
Converse, and you get paid 20 grand to do it, you're gonna do it. It's good
money. Some of these graffiti artists, they can't even find a job. If a
corporate company comes up to them and wants to pay them 10 or 15 thousand, why
not? Who's not going to do it? It doesn't mean you're selling out. You’ve got
to live. How long can you keep going illegal graffiti? It just don’t pay after
a while.
You've had the opportunity to
create with people who are legends in the street and people who highly revered
into the art and business communities. Is there anyone or anything -- a real
person, a brand, etc. -- you'd want to collaborate with in the future?
Ahh yeah, definitely, I'd like to
do something with Hennessy. They did limited edition bottles with Kaw and
Futura. They looks really great. That's something I’d like to do. Who know.
It's all in God's plan. I’m pretty much down to do anything that's cool. I’m
hopefully doing a collaboration with Shepard Fairey and his clothing line. We
did a print together. That was amazing. I’d like to do something with Nike. Any
company that comes at me with a great deal, I’m always open.
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