The Railside Street Files: Sakt FGA-Graffiti Artist Interview

1) What name do you write, and where did it come from? 

I write, SAKT/SAKTO At one point I was putting up two-letter “SA” throw-ups, which eventually evolved into ESAE. I’ve written a few  different names throughout the years, but SAKT is the one that has always stuck with me.

The name originally came from my obsession with modifying cars. I used to lower every car I owned by pulling the springs out, and I was constantly drawing slammed cars with the number plate SAKT1, usually with graffiti in the background. I was never planning on writing the name seriously it just stuck.

If you ask my friend Cyren, though, he’ll probably tell you a different story. He’ll say it’s because I was writing VENDETTA all over our building site and got SACKED! I switched to SAKT shortly afterwards. Whether that’s true or not, it definitely became the name that stayed with me

2) Do you remember when you first started putting your name up? Where did it all begin for you? 

I first started tagging in Year 6 (Standard 4). My cousin Thomas gave me the name Magic. My sister was writing Creeper, my cousins were all into tagging, and we’d spend the school holidays hanging out at our uncle’s place. Being surrounded by it all, it was only a matter of time before I wanted to give it a go myself.

My very first tag was done with a paintbrush in the school tunnel. I even painted a cityscape above it. For months afterwards I was paranoid that I was going to get caught—looking back, it’s pretty funny.i was about 11 years old.

When I got to intermediate it was all about the straights , I started writing Raider, which eventually became Raid. I’d steal Magnum markers and head out tagging around town. We’d also sneak down to the old Hamilton railway platform to put up tags. It was a pretty eerie place back then because trains hardly ever came through. From memory, the only one was the service coming from Tauranga.

My obsession with graffiti actually started long before I ever picked up a marker. As a young kid visiting my nana’s house, I remember seeing an underpass with a B-boy character painted by one of Hamilton’s early graffiti pioneers, Texas. Seeing that piece in person left a huge impression on me, and I think that’s where it all really began.

3) What first pulled you into graffiti? Was it tags, throw-ups, pieces, freights, walls, or just seeing names around?

There was definitely a time when I was obsessed with tagging, but what really stood out to me were pieces. I grew up listening to New York hardcore bands like 25 Ta Life, and I loved the New York-style graffiti featured in their logos and artwork. That aesthetic had a huge influence on me.

One thing I’ll never forget was seeing the wall at the old Carlton Fish & Chip Shop in frankton ,Hamilton.I was blown away by it.

When I eventually started painting , I skipped the small stuff and went straight into painting illegal pieces. They were terrible by today’s standards, but I didn’t care—I was out there painting, and getting my name up. That’s where it all really started.

4) You’ve spent some time painting freights what is it about freights that stands out to you?

 Apparently I was the first writer to dedicate a lot of time to painting freights and coal wagons around the Tauranga region. But don’t get me wrong - I did it all. Stompers, throw-ups, rooftops, rollers on mesh, stickers, roll calls, pieces and tags. We were up everywhere back then, covering the city as well as the railway lines, tunnels and underpasses.

As much as I loved painting, I always enjoyed just being in the yard at night. There was something about the atmosphere—the sound of the shunters moving freight around, the cold night air, and the whole feeling of the place. I’d spend hours watching freight trains roll through covered in graffiti from all over the country. 

To be honest, I don’t know why it took me so long to paint my first passenger train. I think it was simply because we stayed focused on our own city but if we had of had a commuter rail network we would have painted that for sure ! My goal was to make sure I was everywhere back then but we never really ventured out of our city.

5) I remember meeting you on one of my first freight trips outside of Auckland. Do you remember much from that time, and what was the scene like then?

This is my interpretation and memory of this time .The Tauranga scene was active as and I would probably say it’s the most active it’s ever been ? Could be wrong … there was OA/FGA doing a lot of the illegal graffiti as well as ONC , RHK And more .Tauranga became a hot spot for a while there .I remember that time well. It was around the point when internet graffiti was really starting to take off in New Zealand. Writers from different cities were sharing photos online, and for the first time we could see what everyone else around Aotearoa was painting without having to travel the country.If you did travel around I would say Fasko was the most up back then Fasko was everywhere I went outside of Tauranga.

Not long before we linked up Berst had changed the direction of New Zealand graffiti by introducing a fresh style that I hadn’t seen before in NZ. It was an interesting period because everyone was influenced by it in one way or another. I know I was taking inspiration from other cities too, simply because we suddenly had access to work from all over the country.Im not talking a zine here or there with photos from the major city’s I’m talking access to all writers around the country.

When we first met, I am pretty sure you’d just painted your first EM/ET EMU passenger train with B in Welly and, if I remember correctly, you were on your way back to Auckland. You were painting a lot of panels back then, and we’d already been talking online, so it was great to finally meet in person. Back then, meeting writers you’d only known through the internet was a big deal to me.

At the time I was flatting with Gosep’s sister, and we took  Gosep out on his first freight mission. Those were good times. We painted a lot, although the weather was terrible. I still remember painting a trackside piece in absolutely pouring rain.
Looking back, some of the pieces I painted that trip were terrible , but painting alongside Berst and yourself pushed me to try things I wouldn’t normally have attempted and it didn't work out as I hoped haha I should of stuck to my style. It really felt like the beginning of a new era. Around that time there was a lot of linking up between TMD, GBAK, my crews OA, and FGA. It was a great period where crews from different parts of the country were connecting, painting together, and pushing each other to improve.

I look back at that time and I believe social media ruined graffiti for a bit there.It became all about how many people liked your photos .It went from getting up to how many people liked everyone’s photos .Fuck that shit !! I fell for it for a minute there back then !!! it's good to see people have gone back to not posting their photos as if you post everything you paint it takes away the feeling of stumbling across new spots and graffiti you have not seen before , as-well as leaving a trail online .One highlight for me is when I find random bridge spots Serge isn’t on ! Haha he knows exactly what I’m saying ! That mother fucker is under almost every bridge , under pass in NZ ! Haha 

6) How would you describe your letters and style to someone who hasn’t seen your work before?

That’s a hard one because I don’t think I’ve ever had just one style. I’m always experimenting and trying different letter structures rather than painting the same thing every time. But…..If I had to describe it, I’d probably say “sausages and mash.” My letters have all the fundamentals of traditional graffiti, but I try not to overdo them. My go-to style would probably be my own take on New York-influenced lettering, but with my own twist.

Don’t get me wrong though—when I want to, I can definitely turn up the heat. Most of the time, I was painting on a budget, and once I had kids my focus shifted to painting fast and making the most of the paint I had. That naturally shaped the way I painted. For me, it was always more about getting out there and painting than spending all day on one piece.

7) How do you think the New Zealand graffiti scene has changed since you first started painting? What has improved, and what would you like to see change?

I think we’re living in a different era now. Technology, way more CCTV, social media and better security make it much harder for young writers to get up without getting caught. But if I’m being honest, I also don’t think a lot of them have the same hunger we had.

Back then we dedicated ourselves to painting every part of the city. We made it our mission to be everywhere. We wanted our names seen, and we put countless hours into making that happen.

If I could say one thing to the younger generation, it’s this: it’s still possible to be up while painting quality work. A big shout-out to  Basko . I’m back based in Hamilton now, and that guy is a perfect example. He’s painting burners and characters in well-thought-out locations that stay running and actually get seen. It proves that you can still paint smart instead of just painting anything.

The economy isn’t great, and paint is expensive, but buff fills are cheap. We’ve all done them. Every writer has put in the time doing the basics. My advice would be to get up, smash your city, but make sure you’re also putting quality work out there. It feels like there’s a lot of average illegal graffiti around New Zealand these days, whereas years ago there seemed to be a lot more standout pieces.

Driving to Auckland, the SLEPT billboard and the WOL productions always catch my eye. Those are the kinds of pieces that make a difference. They’re memorable and show what quality graffiti can look like.

People can disagree with me if they want, but I stand by what I’m saying because I’ve lived it.

I’d just like to see more quality illegal graffiti.

8) Is there one piece, freight, wall, sketch, tattoo, trip, or flick that still stands out to you? What’s the story behind it?

I’ve got so many stories, but one of the funniest was when the bros Teror, Badie and Slyce came down to Hamilton to link up.

We painted the Te Huia, and to be honest we kind of took the piss. I think we spent about 10 or 11 minutes on it—I’m not exactly sure—but we were finished and standing back taking flicks when Badie accidentally triggered one of the sensors.

Next thing you know, the alarm is going off and this massive KiwiRail worker comes charging at us with a pole. He was yelling I’m gonna fuck you mother fuckers up 

We took off running towards “the hole”, but we could hear him on the radio telling everyone that’s where we were heading. We quickly changed direction and had to dodge rocks , we jumped a fence on the motorway side , and managed to get away.

After that the lads hid and I ran to the bro Ekost’s mum’s place. If you know her, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about—she’s absolutely hilarious.

She looked at me and said, “Sakto, you’re fucken oudda it, eh! What the fuck? You need to retire, eh! Fucken ouddddda it! I got you, brother. I’ll give you a ride back to your car, eh!”

So we all jumped into her family wagon. I thought we’d finally relaxed… but then she absolutely sent it. Instead of driving the speed limit, she was flying through Hamilton, throwing the family mover into corners like it was a stolen rally car. We were sliding around inside while she laughed her head off.

By the time she skidded to a stop and we jumped out, I was honestly more scared of her driving than I was of the KiwiRail worker chasing us with the pole.

I thanked her, shouted her some green for the favour, and she disappeared back into the darkness just as fast as she’d arrived.

The Aussie boys headed back to Tauranga before Teror’s curfew, and they definitely had a story to take home with them.

You probably had to be there, but at the time it was one of the funniest missions I’ve ever been on.

9) What’s next for you — more walls, freights, tattoos, travel, prints, collabs, merch, or anything else in the works?

To be honest, I don’t really have anything specific in the works. I’m just always creating, learning, and challenging myself.
When it comes to graffiti, I still paint, but it’s usually spontaneous. I might get a tattoo cancellation at work and decide to go paint a freight during the day , hit a wall, or do a random trackside. My days of trying to get up all over the streets are behind me though. I’m getting older, and after 19 graffiti charges and a burglary conviction related to graffiti, I’m not too keen on getting caught again at my age im just painting for fun
These days, if you see me painting, it’ll most likely be around railway tracks, bridges, tunnels, or trains.
If I’m not tattooing, I’m usually working on a zine, organising a hardcore punk show, drawing graffiti in a black book or throwing myself into another creative project. I always like to keep busy.
That said, my wife and kids will always come first. Finding a balance between family, work and creativity is the most important thing to me now. There have definitely been times where I’ve felt that fear of missing out, especially watching other people getting up while I couldn’t.
At the end of the day, I’ll always be a FOREVER GRAFF ADDICT!!!. I just can’t dedicate the same amount of time to it that I once did—and I’m okay with that.

10) Any writers, tattooers, crews, photographers, or people from the scene you want to shout out?

First of all, shout out to everyone who’s still kept in touch with me over the years—you know who you are.
Shout out to KREPTO. FREE MORPH, FREE LORE!
shout out FGA Crew, BCHC, TMHC, TSB, DTM and OCTDT.
A massive shout out to DACTYL Tattoos (Daks YTG). Go get tattooed by her she's rad !!!
And finally, shout out to all the up-and-coming writers holding it down and keeping the culture alive. Keep pushing, keep creating, and keep raising the standard.
Thanks for asking me to be a part of this. It’s been awesome looking back on the journey.