The work of BERST has been making heads turn everywhere lately. His developments recently caught the attentions of Spraybeast for this interview:
Recently, Berst has been KILLING it. His style, process and technique seems to be evolving with every piece, and his in depth documentation makes for very interesting viewing. Spray Beast asked him some questions about what he’s up to at the moment.
Please Introduce yourself?
BERST x GBAK x TMD
Where are you from?
Hong Kong but i reside in Auckland, New Zealand.
How long have you been writing and how did you get into it?
I’ve been writing for 10 years now and i mainly got into it from my friends at high school.
Recently you’ve been painting a lot of different peoples names, can you tell me a little about why you’re on this vibe at the moment?
To be absolutely honest i’m pretty sick of painting my own name so the next best thing is to paint other peoples names that i am either friends with, respect, in my crew etc. It also gives that other person a good buzz when they get to see their name painted by somebody else especially if its on the other side of the world.
What’s been the biggest influence on your work over the last year?
Dialogue with askew and collaborating with other artists or writers. Talking about graffiti all the time and how to approach it and not just whos up etc. How often do you paint these days, seems like you have a never ending supply of burners! This year is a good year, i’ve got a lot less commitments so i really have the chance to focus in on what i love doing the most. Recently I have also become part of the Ironlak Extended Family in New Zealand so they help me out a fair bit with my paint supply.
How would you describe your style?
I find this an extremely weird question these days. I’m actually just working on my website right now and i’ve categorized my pieces into different series of works. Style, Netch, Style smasher, and Typography. I guess what im trying to do essentially is make it look wildstyle and crazy.
You’ve travelled all over the shop, what’s the best trip you’ve had so far?
Best place i’ve been is Koln, such a nice little town, awesome people, great place to do graffiti. On the other hand i could definately picture myself living in San Francisco, Kind of reminds of wellington in New Zealand.
Who is your favourite writer and why?
Writers: Askew, Revok, Rime, and Sofles.
I am sure these names are on most of the writers top 10 lists. These guys are an inspiration to all for their work that they have put in, continue to put in and the level they continue to push the bar. I think these guys really inspire me because everything they do is always the best they can without going into too much detail.
Ever eaten chicken feet?
Yes, everybody hates it but if you go to yum cha at lunchtime at an asian restaurant its actually extremely delicious but i can never get my girlfriend to try some.
A good piece of advice?
Start simple, get up, put in the work and know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
A bad piece of advice?
Smoke Crack and shoot people.
If you could only use 1 cap for the rest of your spraying career? Astro. LOL. That answer was probably expected.
Weirdest thing that’s happened when out painting?
I dont have that many weird things that happen to me to be honest but Askew just told me he slipt on some human shit last night so thats pretty gross lol
1 day to spend 100 grand, what would you do?
Donate it all to christchurch, New Zealand.
Best thing you’ve ever found?
$100 note.
Nike or Adidas?
Nike all the way, I hate that shell thing that adidas has on the front of their shoes but Hey, if adidas approached me i wouldnt hate. lol
I heard that instead of arms and hands, everyone in GBAK has giant extendable rollers coming out the shoulders, can you confirm this?
The giant extendable rollers comes out of their eyes, thats how we get the detail on the rollers so clean.
3 of your favourite pieces of graffiti, or if that’s too hard to choose, just 3 good ones
Askew:
Revok:
Rime:
If you could have any super power what would it be?
Either flying or going invisible would be pretty sweet. I’d probably stick to flying.
3 things you couldn’t live with out?
Girlfriend, Family, and Friends.
Biggest gripe?
I have no idea what a gripe is. lol
If you could go back and see one gig in history what would it be?
Michael Jackson. I think he did some history tour in New Zealand, would of been pretty awesome to check that out.
Tell me a film i should see before i die?
Battle Royal. Its a japanese film, always been a big fan of it. Definately worth checking out.
Favourite album?
Kanye west- Late Registration
Have you got any plans for travelling/painting this year?
Later on this year im planning to travel more around New Zealand, do a trip to Australia, and also tour asia towards the end of the year. Should be a good year ahead of me
Thanks Berst!
More info:
– SprayBeast.com
– Berst1.tumblr.com
– flickr.com/photos/berstgbak