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| Feature by Dom Murphy :: Friday, September 05, 2003 |
| Several weeks back on the Wooster site we caught the recent action of artist Abe Lincoln Jr. in the Apple Store in NYC. Since then Abe's been sending us pics of his work and we thought it best to run a feature on the man. Read on... |
| Introduce yo'bad self... Name: Abe Lincoln Jr. Location: Brooklyn NY Occupation: Stay@HomeDad / Vandal How long have you been an art terrorist? I started out as a Skate Punk/Vandal in the SF Bay Area back around 82'. Basically throwing up stickers, skate team tags, and doing big graffiti pieces (punk rock style). I just started doing street art again after a long hiatus. Your bird - explain more... The bird is named CHAR! CHAR! Means: I was going to go on about how CHAR! was this or that (followed by a long winded Art School rationalization of how CHAR! is shrewd social commentary). But suffice to say CHAR! is thumbing his nose at society in grand old school punk rock fashion. He’s my way of sticking my tongue out at the world. The thing I really like about him is that half the people who I’ve shown him to go “Awww… he’s really cute!” and they don’t even notice that he’s shitting. What about that hit in the Apple Store? (See photos on the right) The Apple store hit looked really nice on a small scale, but I haven’t been able to go down there again to do a storewide hit up. I got the idea from a friend at my old job to go swap the desktops. I just made a desktop pattern and then I uploaded it to a tripod site and went around to the computers and downloaded the pic. It's actually pretty easy. The Apple Store is kinda like a hippie school, you can do whatever you want, no one hassles you. I liked the way it came out because it was subtle. But some big tag/piece in contrasting colors would be rad too. Anywhere else similar stunts could be performed? I think any place with computer screens and an internet connection could be done if you have it up on some free site. I think a more interesting concept would be going to a big TV outlet like Circuit City and see if you can find the master VCR/DVD for the big wall of TV’s (if there is one…I can’t say for sure). Drop in your VCR and have your tag on all the TV screens. Is coverage or location more important for you? Coverage was most important to me at first. Inkjet stickers can get expensive after awhile so I like to make sure that every one counts and can attract the eye of the passerby. Also I like to see my stickers in places that are interesting visually either that or put BIG stickers in phone booths where the caller can’t ignore it. Phone booths are pretty good shelter from the elements to boot. In my experience so far the better the placement the longer it stays up. Who / what inspired you back in the day, who / what inspires you now and who / what will inspire you in the future? As a kid it was all about Saturday Morning cartoons and the Captain Crunch. As a teenager my perceptions of what art was changed completely by artists like Pushead, Marc Rude, Winston Smith, and Raymond Pettibon. I rode Zorlac skateboards until they made those whack Metallica decks. The Big Boys’board is my favorite deck of all time. Now-a-days, what has really got me hyped lately is children’s book artists. Check out Ed Emberley’s drawing books for kids, Yves Got, Richard Scarry (SN: Yeah man!), David Kirk, P.D. Eastman and Roy McClure (the “second stringers” for Doctor Seuss). And Gyo Fujilkawa is really incredible. Also Pete Fowler, James Jarvis and Jim Woodring and all the HK Urban Vinyl guys are insanely inspiring. As far as street artists I cover them down the page a bit. In the future? Who knows? I am trying to do other things with CHAR! besides just stickers. I am hammering out some details for hand-screened tees, and a few other things in the same vein. That’s going to be under a different banner so CHAR! can stay CHAR! and I can throw up his stickers all the same. Right now what's New York like for street art? MECCA. New York laid the groundwork for graffiti during the 1970's and 1980's do you think the place is still as influential? Absolutely. NYC is the birthplace of modern graffiti. The artistic styles might change but it’ll always be on the forefront. Even though you can’t bomb trains anymore, I’ll wager there’s some 8 year old out there who’s going to be the greatest key scratcher of all time. Who's doing it over there right now? And where's the best places to go and check it? Who? (in no particular order) SWOON, BAST, P.S, STARK, VINNIE RAY, FLOWER GUY, The guy who puts empty word bubbles on all the ads, NECKFACE, & WOBBLY BUTTHOLE. Where? SOHO is great, Lower East Side always has tons of stickers/graff/etc. And although I never go there, Williamsburg is probably crawling with stuff. Wherever there be youngsters / skaters / bands there’s gonna be killer street art. Any shout outs & last words? Shout outs to: Baba-ji, Elizabeth, L. Evelyn, Marc from Wooster Collective, Mary, Marlene, RLM, Faith, Keshav, CHAR510 and CHAR415 (my West Coast sleeper agents). Last Words? I’ll save em’ for my death bed. Cheers Abe! |
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