Interview with Arofish

Arofish, How did you choose that name?

I don't remember. Daft, isn't it? Too long and full of rubbish letters. But now I'm stuck with it. "Marry in haste, repent at leisure "



Where are you from? Can you introduce yourself in 3 words?

3 words? Dull-witted, repetitive and unhygeinic. And innumerate.



When did you start your trade? Evening courses?

I was in Iraq in 2003 (for no good reason) and it just sort of started. I carried it on into Palestine which appears to have started a bit of a ball rolling. Which is good.



Don't know if you read the stories on my site, but I was arrested in Baghdad and detained by the US army for 3 days for trying to graff up one of their compounds. They put me in a cage with about 15 Arab guys. Everyone had a sticker on their chest with personal details and circumstances of arrest written on. Theirs all said things like "I.E.D. material." Mine said "anti-coalition graffiti". I kept it - see below.



Why are you painting on the street? Do you work on other medium?

I've never been remotely inspired to create any kind of art until I came to London and was blown away by what I saw on the walls. I sort couldn't not have a try at it, if that makes sense. Now it comes and goes, but I doubt it'll ever completely disappear. I do paint on other things like canvasses and any old bits of tat I find in the street. The street stuff is fun to do, but when you've got time and space (and light) to work on something without keeping your ears open for the police, you can often produce a higher standard of work.



What/who inspires you and how do you choose the pieces you will paint?

Individual artists don't really inspire me that much nowadays - in the sense that I don't directly take ideas from them. Like a lot of today's stencilists, I used to emulate Blek's stuff when I first started out. Now I'm more inspired by an environment or area with a powerful ambience that's unfamiliar to me. I can sit around for months in London without getting a single new idea, but then go somewhere like Lebanon in 2006 and just have a rush of them.



5 Essentials for painting outside?

Prepare, prepare, prepare. Check and test everything you can.



Do you work in solo, are you part of a crew?

Always solo. Nobody loves me.



What are your plans for the coming months?

I've got this little show coming up in South London, so I'm currently working my ass off on that. Afterwards, we'll see. Get away somewhere interesting, hopefully.



See Arofish's web site at http://www.arofish.org.uk

Exhibition at New Cross Gallery 6th- 31st March 2008
http://www.newcrossgallery.com/