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kasso
hometown: trenton, nj
website: myspace/sagecollection
Albus Cavus: How long have you been painting?
Kasso: Well, at the level I'm painting now for about 4 years. I
started painting with traditional paints (oils, acrylics, watercolors)
when I was 14. I got serious about aerosol around 2004-05.
AC: Have you always lived in Trenton? How did the area influence you as
an artist?
K: Yes, born and raised in Trenton, NJ. As far as influences, my first
influence was my older brother. He was, and still is one hell of an
artist, and he pretty much schooled me in my early years. I picked up
my passion for portraits from him. Also, during the early 80s, cats
from Paterson, NJ and NYC were coming down to Trenton and doing
productions on a few of the corner stores. There were only a few done,
but I remember them very well. Those productions started my love
affair with graff. Sadly, they were all removed by the late 80s early
90s, and graff pretty much died out in the hoods of Trenton, but I
always said to myself I was going to do it on some level.
AC: How did it come back? What is the scene in Trenton like now?
K: The scene started its resurgence through the VS crew that includes myself, RAIN, PRO, MEK, AZMA, and PLAN. Before we established the crew, we were all doing our thing individually. I linked up with RAIN and PLAN through a workshop in Philly run by POSE 2. I met PRO through a friend of mine that I used to bomb with, and through PRO I met MEK. We met AZMA at a piecing spot in Camden, NJ. We started the crew in 06 officially and been off and running ever since! We host jams annually in Trenton at TerraCycle warehouse and travel to as many jams collectively as possible, reppin' Jersey and Trenton along the way. Myself, MEK and PRO are all originally from Trenton. RAIN is from Trenton as well by way of San Jose, CA. PLAN and AZMA are from Philly and South Jersey, but all of our major piecing spots are in Trenton, so we tend to rep it more so than the other cities. The scene in Trenton now is still young, but it rings bells in the graff community; mainly because of our legal walls and piecing spots. They are a few bombers doin' their thing, but its nowhere near the levels of cities like Philly and NY. It takes years to build a solid scene, but I know we have solidified a strong foundation already... In a few year or so, it's going to be crazy!
AC: Your daughter or your art?
K: They both go hand and hand because I would not be pursuing a career
in art if not for my lil' girl. Before she came along, I wasn't too
serious about my art. I was way more interested in partying and
bullshitting, but when she came, it was time to put things into
perspective, ya know? That's when I got focused and decided to take
this art thing as serious as a heart attack and I started going hard
at it! I was determined to make it no matter what, because now, I
have someone who's depending on me to make it!
AC: Does she paint with you?
K: As far as spray paint... Nah, not yet. She's still too young (she's 6). Her hands aren't strong enough to press the spray nozzles. I do draw and paint with washable paints with her though.
AC: You are a great portrait artist. Who are your favorite subjects?
K: Well, I try to be as unique as possible when doin' a portrait.
Early on, I looked at a lot of impressionist artists. I love the way
they mixed their colors and the action of their pieces. They were
really controversial for their time, and they reminded me of
graff/aerosol artist today. Then I started doing what I call
"character burners";
using fills like you would see in burners and transposing them into
characters/portraits... That's what really got me noticed! I always try
to represent graff in whatever I do because that was my first
influence. So when I'm doing a portrait that's going be perceived as
"traditional" art. I flip it and put graff elements all through it and
make something new and fresh. My favorite subjects are generally
people I know or respect on some level. I tend to paint many people
I'm related too. For example, I painted a 20 foot geisha for an
Asian themed production and my sister modeled for it and its one of my
favorite pieces to date. I love to paint interesting faces as well.
What I mean by that is faces with a lot of character, like old people
with heavy wrinkles or people from different cultures, specifically
those from non-western societies.
AC: One of your latest portraits is Gandhi. Why?
K: Well, Gandhi was a great human being. His contribution to society,
the world for that matter, is undeniable. He directly influenced Dr.
Martin Luther King, jr. and a host of others for positive change. So
when I decided to do the wall, I wanted to paint
someone that ignited change, since aerosol artist are the most
misunderstood and stereotyped artists on this planet.
AC: Was that wall commissioned?
K: No, I did it without permission, broad daylight, out in the open.
AC: You think it was the subject that helped you finish it without any trouble?
K: Yes, I believe so. The area where the image is located is known as
Heron Alley in North Trenton. All the buildings back there are
abandoned and the fallen apart. The image of Gandhi is on the side of
one of the abandon buildings. The area is a big time drug spot...fiends
and hustlers all over the place. It's really a sad sight. I noticed
the wall because I used to rent a studio space in the area, and I
figured it'd be ill to paint something positive in an area that needed
some uplifting. When I decided to make it happen, I knew there was a
good chance I'd get arrested, but I didn't care because I was doing
something I believed in. The cops rolled on me a few times, but I
talked my way out of each situation. I guess they figured this guy
couldn't be painting a portrait of one most peaceful persons that ever
lived illegally, in broad daylight... little did they know.
AC: I guess if you do it for the right reasons and for nothing
selfish. Is your art for the audience? How do they respond to it?
K: Yes, I make it specifically for my audience... I want to stir some sort of reaction. I think all graff writers/artist do on some level. I tend to get good responses for my work. I think part of that is because my work is easier to relate to by those who know nothing about the culture of graff/aerosol art because I paint more figuratively than letter based. My subject matter has warranted some adverse reactions though; like the time i painted a portrait of Charlie Chaplin and everyone thought it was Hitler. Also, the time i painted a voodoo priestess and this one lady told me i was going to hell for painting a symbol of "witchcraft". I thought both situations were hilarious! I never purposely try to offended anyone, but I do like to challenge what is perceived as appropriate.
AC: Who do you like to paint with? Who are your inspirations?
K: I like to paint with people that are serious about what they do. I
have no preference on your style or subject matter...just cats that are
cool to vibe with and don't mind going all out on a wall. Also, those
are the same type of people that inspire to keep doing what I do.
AC: Anything you'd like to add?
K: Must respect to the city of Trenton! We're still making it and the
world is still taking it! And to all those who continue to push the
limits of this art form and to those who have
supported me over the years... one love.
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