Railside x Tawck interview
We sat down for a korero with TAWCK who is a member of GBAK, Ta Moko artist at Ngā Manu A Toi, muralist, and crafter of cool objects. He recently created a design for our Railside merch. Check out what he had to say about his roots in graffiti and concept for his design.
RS: How did you first get into graffiti, and what attracted you to it?
T: One of my friends from Kelston boys high school did a 3d piece in my school book and that was the beginning of everything after that moment and my younger brother Haser was also tagging at the time. The thing that caught my eye the most back then was how much graffiti there was at the time and once I noticed it the more I saw it everywhere so my interest into the graffiti world became endless.
RS: Who are three writers that have influenced your style and why?
T: Hero, Totem, and Revok. I don’t think style wise I’m influenced because they are all weapons of their craft but I was always in ore of their mindset for why they do what they do and that really inspired me with how I approached my graffiti. My favourite thing to do is handstyles and all 3 are absolute beasts at it and as a writer we all know that’s hands down the fundamentals to everything.
RS: How has your style changed since you started?
T: My journey has always been about understanding something, developing it and pushing it as far as I can. I’ve touched on so many styles from letters, realism, characters, sculptures you name it and now integrating graffiti into our Toi Māori practices sharing our urban culture through a Māori lens which has allowed me to have a strong visual voice that is unique to Aotearoa in the communities we come from inspired by NYC, LA, and Auckland graffiti.
RS: Who are three writers or artists that are creating interesting work?
T: The first one might be biased because he’s in my crew but hands down Onsie from Perth is fire. When I look at his letters it isn’t anything I’ve already seen before but the way he executes letters and the subtle intentional things he does from handstyles to pieces and everything in between blows my mind. Roids is another one, does everything with so much style and really executes the details. Revok probably my last pick, I don’t need to explain why he’s a veteran and his work speaks for itself.
RS: What motivates you to keep creating after all these years?
T: To be honest it’s the people around me. Me and my brother Haser push each other constantly and the crew I paint for have carried a strong mindset since we started and that has been a pivotal driving force I think for myself and the boys knowing we are all trying to push our limits just makes me want to keep levelling up. Also, the studio I tattoo at Ngā Manu A Toi which specialise in Ta Moko are the same they live and breathe the art form and are constantly pushing boundaries so I’m really fortunate to be a part of both and its definitely reflecting more and more through my current works.
RS: What are some attributes of great and innovative graffiti?
T: I think people that can do something so simple yet so burner and unique are things that catch my eye. I also like how guys like Rams have really taken it to another level with the amount of buildings he’s hung off and the scale he’s going is crazy. The man is popping the sides of buildings worldwide like it’s nothing and I respect that. When it comes to innovation I think the way graffiti can be done now with so many different tools and mediums, makes anything feel possible.
RS: What role does urban art play in society and why?
T: I think its massive, it’s become more acceptable, it’s a community visual voice from the streets and allows artists to really activate colour into communities.
RS: How could we build a stronger and more impactful graffiti community?
T: I’m pretty old school with things and the only way to build a strong graffiti community is to be out there pushing yourself and connecting with like-minded writers. When someone sets the bar high you either strive to surpass it or you live in someone else’s shadow. When I went to Indonesia last year I was blown away with how burner the Indonesian writers were, they put so much effort into everything from backgrounds to letters, characters you name it. Kind of reminded me of the TATS Crew productions which got me hooked in the first place. They also dedicated a whole factory to the culture of graffiti. That there is how you nurture and grow a community that attracts worldwide graffiti artists and inspire local communities. Shout outs to all the writers from Indonesia they really looked after us.
RS: What advice would you give to an emerging writer?
T: Research the history of graffiti so you understand where it comes from and the unwritten rules that are out there lol, find your community and just draw constantly. When the times right get out there and rip in.
RS: What is the inspiration for your T Shirt design?
T: My design is inspired by handstyles, calligraphy and Home. The Manaia at the top is known as a guardian, it carries the same significance as a battle arrow or the writers before you,, and the Manu that sits either side of the Railside represent migration where as a writer we tend to venture outside our communities with the plan to return home. I wanted to incorporate these Māori motifs into this T Shirt design because these designs are unique to Aotearoa and it was an absolute honour to make one for Railside so thanks again for the opportunity and equipping our graffiti community with everything they need.
Link to Railside x Tawck shirt here.
