New York based artist and owner of the worlds fastest growing art supply line, KRINK, the story of KR is about improvisation, trial, error and perfection.
KRs continuing array of internationally acclaimed projects and his signature style have made him one of the most innovative abstract artists of our time.
KR is one of 26 artists in the the exhibition of the English Alphabet, LTRHDS.
Launching this Friday, check the rest of the lineup and details at www.ltrhds.com
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I read that you were formally educated in conceptual art and photography. What do you think you drew from this experience?
Exposure to different ideas and processes. Learning about art and art history. A lot of the stuff I studied in photography was technical: exposure, printing etc. Conceptual art is based more in ideas, which is very interesting as it can be applied to so many things.
Do you believe there are theoretical tenants that underpin ‘great’ or ‘fine’ art? Or is art a more flukey and fluid notion?
Art has a very clear history. There are also so many interpretations of good art. You can’t please everyone. I feel that the majority of fine art that exists in galleries today is made by educated and intelligent individuals that know exactly what they are doing. It is all very precise and intentional. There is not a lot of room for “flukes”.
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How did the idea for KRINK develop? Was developing the product and the brand a highly calculated process, or did one thing just sporadically lead to another?
KRINK started in the street as something I used for graffiti. It grew into a brand much later. There were no plans or calculated efforts. It’s really crazy how far it has come. Now there is more planning and ideas, but in the beginning it was all about just doing for the sake of doing.
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ou have grown your business and developed your own profile as an artist during a period when other ‘street’ entrepreneurs have stumbled across hard times. How would you sum up your approach to the business of being an artist?
It’s very hard. I stay positive, put my head down and move forward, don’t get caught up in nonsense and bullshit, there is so much of that out there, so many setbacks, so many hurdles. I stay focused and handle biz.
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Can you still make it purely on hustle alone? Or does being an art entrepreneur demand a more strategic mind set?
It’s never just one thing. Everyone I know who is an artist or small business owner with any success is a hustler and they work very, very hard to get it done.
Everyone else who is not getting it done generally has a drug problem or some other obvious shortcoming that is very easy to pick up on. In the professional world, being professional, on time and being able to deliver is essential.
Otherwise people see you as a part-timer, a hobbyist, and in NYC there’s very little time to fuck around.
You will fall down and fail, it’s all about how you get up and keep it moving. If people see you handling, they respect you. Everyone makes mistakes, it’s getting past it.
Strategy is difficult because things are always changing. Strategy comes later when things are more established. In the beginning you just have to make it happen and make a name for yourself, no one cares who you are or what you do until you actually do something.
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What artists and traditions do you identify with from beyond the ‘street art’/graffiti niche? What artistic lineage does your work follow?
I’m a big fan of photography, sculpture, and painting. I like creativity in general, Music art etc.
Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread, Wolfgang Tillmans, John Balderssari, Chris Burden, Ellsworth Kelly, Cy Twombly, the list goes on and on.
How expressive or personally revealing do you consider your art to be? Is there a theme or idea that you attempt to explore through your work, or is it nothing but pure unspoiled KRINK?
Whenever someone creates something I feel their personality is reflected somehow. My work is not only about me, but of course I am a part of it. Right now I’m interested in color, mood, shape. Formal things.
KRINK is many things, a business, a style, an idea, I feel I have built a lot through my brand, and that in many ways the brand itself is one big art project. I want to continue to grow all aspects of the brand and tie it back into the art itself.
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Some of your works feature large neutral areas where you have buffed over your ink drips. Tell us a bit about the thought behind these compositions… What does this masking represent?
Minimalism is an influence in a lot of what I do. I am very interested in shape, design, and form. Early Brice Marden, Yves Klein Monochromes, Mark Rothko, John McCraken, Joseph Marioni and many others.
I am also influenced by what I see on the streets and due to the recent real estate boom in NYC almost every wall in the city has been painted over or power washed. Only small remnants of color or shape remain and it is just another layer in the history of the city.
I find the large solid colours with just a bit of colour on the bottom are a nice balance of colour and composition.
Letterheads will launch 26th of February in Melbourne. www.LTRHDS.com for details.
Interview by Anthony Costa
