Five question interview with Thomas who started TagsAndThrows. Today focus on his own work as OKOK and just arrived from exhibition in NYC at restaurant Red Roaster in Harlem.
1. How did you come up with the idea TagsAndThrows on Instagram?
I have been into graff
since I was a little kid. When I was in New York I began suddenly shoot tags. I came to
Stockholm with a few hundred photos on Guns, Malvo, Adek, Gusto and others.
These photos I showed up for a friend as we sat and drank beer. He loved them
and to see things not circulate as much online. He loved that I just
photographed tags and not only paintings. I was thinking about that more people
must be interested and I decided to start TagsAndThrows.
2. When?
This was a little more
than two years ago.
3. What did TagsAndThrows taught and gave you?
I love tags and
working with TagsAndThrows. It give me inspiration for the rest of my life.
To walk around town and take pictures of tags makes life more fun. It's like a
big art exhibition or series that I follow. To see who has been out in the weekend
in Stockholm or who is the King of a city you just landed in is exciting. I
have learned to enjoy the new, in my world, different styles, and I'm learning
every day to be a better photographer.
4. What are your thoughts about Stockholm and zero tolerance
for graffiti and activities who can make any interests of graffiti?
It's idiotic and
undemocratic. The debate and the whole environment is skewed. That people can
express themselves makes people not bubbling over and gets mad.
5. What do you think is the most important work to affect
that zero tolerance scrappes?
That people in
positions of action that reaches people dare to come out and say that they bear
the color of the walls. More people venture onto the streets to paint even
though they risk a fine. That we work together to influence society to a more
accepting places, not just when it comes to decorate public spaces. It is WE
who live here - we should get to choose how it will look.
THANK YOU Thomas for
the interview and your beautiful work with TagsAndThrows. It makes people
in Sweden understand the big interest of this artwork and communicating. We think TagsAndThrows are an important
part of changing the zero tolerance in
Stockholm.
We wish you great luck with TagsAndThrows and also with your
own artwork by OKOK.
Be sure you follow tagsandthrows and artbyokok on IG!
