Submarine Channel
One of the surprises at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2006 was a documentary that explored the many different styles of global graffiti-based visual art called “NEXT, a Primer on Urban Painting”. The director, Pablo Aravena, spent several years travelling to all the hotspots of the world where this subculture is thriving, filming the artists on tour, in their studios and most importantly at work in the streets.. But the film does more than that. It shows that, since the seventies, urban painting has developed into a serious art form and it now has a big influence on contemporary popular culture. Today, more artists than ever before use the empty walls and streets of the cities as if they were big empty canvasses, at the risk of getting caught by the police. Pablo sheds his light on the urban painting phenomenon.
What made you decide to do a documentary about urban painting?
I was looking for an idea that I really believed in that was close to me somehow. I had been living the urban culture lifestyle since I was a kid so making a film exploring graffiti was a way to learn and contribute to the culture I grew up with and gave me so much.
Why do you prefer to use the term ‘urban painting’?
I chose to use the term urban painting to open up the debate on this art form. When you call it graffiti many people automatically assume you are talking about vandalism and messy tags. The artists I chose in the film do much more than that and I wanted to call it painting to change the perception of this, and for normal people who know nothing about this to open their eyes up to what amazing, beautiful things come from painting on the street. Since I have been screening the film, I have had a lot of older people come up to me and tell me that they never realized that the tag led to such amazing art and that the film had opened their eyes to what is on the walls of their cities.
You worked on the film on and off for over four years, which is quite long for a documentary. Did you seen any changes in the urban painting scene during that period?
In the time I made the film I saw this whole phenomenon or revival get bigger and more global. It really has matured into a sophisticated world art. There are so many cities and countries doing it and so many amazing artists everywhere doing great work. I was able to really meet many of the leading lights of the movement. It took me a long time to finish the film because I had to raise money. So I would raise some cash, go film a segment and then work on raising more funds. It’s not cheap to travel the world with a film crew and film equipment. In the end I am happy it took a while to make because I had time to speak with many different people around the world and reflect on the material I was gathering. We were really able to work the material in the editing as well to make the best film possible with our experience and the means we had. I really felt like I had a responsibility to make a decent film because so many artists opened themselves up and shared their life and work with me. Especially meeting some of the legends like Lee and Doze and getting archival footage from pioneers like Tracy 168, I felt I had to represent this culture properly.
Did your own focus change over the 4 years?
No, my own focus never really changed. There were many times where I had no money and it seemed like it was going to be hard to continue, but I stuck with it. I had a vision in my head that kept on pushing me to accomplish it as much as possible. After I had shot New York, Sao Paulo, and some cities in Europe, many people were telling me to finish the film. But I had to get Japan to meet certain key artists to really tell the story I wanted to tell. I guess I was hard headed but I am happy now because I made the film I had in my head.
How hard was it to track down all those artists and get them to speak in front of the camera?
I was able to enter this whole scene pretty easily since I had some friends that were doing it and were well connected. Through them I met some US artists and then I met legends right away like Lee Quinones. Once I was in the network, I stayed in. It is a tightknit community, so I would get the right references from one city to another.
A very important factor also was the Internet. I was able to create relationships very quickly and cheaply. Also it is easier to get emails than phone numbers of graffiti writers. It was great because I was able to create a rapport with the artists months in advance before I came to their city to film, so when we met there was already a relationship in place. It helped to get people to be loose and open in the interviews and also just to get great material.
What about the influence of urban painting on mainstream culture like fashion, art and design. Do you think it’s just another fad?
I think that there are some elements of urban painting influence in the mainstream that will be a fad, especially some of the more purely commercial manifestations, but in general I think that this art is here to stay. The form is mature and people are creating serious work with it.
Also there is a generation that grew up with this culture who now have jobs and are in a position to support it and nurture it financially. This generation wants to bring this art to their homes and include it in their life. They will buy toys, paintings, books, etc. that reflect their lifestyle and the culture they grew up with. They will not buy traditional “fine art” but art that reflects them.
The classic distinction between high and low art is no longer valid. Most street artists in your film are quite comfortable with showing their work in a gallery. At the same time, the established art institutes and museums are trying hard to get a grip on the urban culture phenomenon, but most of the time they don’t seem to get it. Why is that you think?
I think that it is a generational thing. A lot of baby boomers who are in positions of power in the institutional level kind of got stuck in the 60`s as their point of cultural reference. They did not get into punk and hip hop which are the cultural movements that pushed street art/graffiti. So they don’t understand the culture that this painting is reflecting. I think that some of the more open-minded people see their kids getting into those cultural movements and maybe are curious to learn about it more, but many do not make an effort and try to understand it from their antiquated point of view which doesn’t work. I think that punk and hip hop have a Do-It-Yourself ethos about them and certain codes that, if you do not live it or get to know the music, you will not get. Very different from previous cultural movements. Also you have to account that punk and hip hop are counter culture with new angles because they come from working class roots and from minorities. This is also something that is new.
You’ve mentioned Paul Gilroy’s concept of “planetary humanism”. What’s his theory and how does it relate to urban painting?
I took this idea from Paul Gilroy of “planetary humanism” because I believe that Hip Hop culture and by extension graffiti have created a new way for us to relate that breaks barriers of class, race and sex. If you think about the origins of this culture it was created by young people in New York who had no means to express themselves. They created their own tools (i.e. breakdancing, graffiti, mcing, DJ-ing) to express their situation and their lives and empower themselves in a society that did not validate their existence. Other people in different parts of the world, with different realities and problems, related to the original New York experience and then took these tools and strategies and started to use them to express their reality.
This culture has created a space where you can be yourself regardless of where you come from and where you are judged on your skills in the form. It has created a culture were many people from different cultures and backgrounds share a strong culture in common and can therefore understand each other and communicate with each other in an unprecedented manner in world history. It really is a multicultural, multiracial force that is incredible. I went to places like Japan were I had never been and had a totally different culture than my own and I had something in common with those people because we had this urban culture in common. I think this culture is the first truly international culture.
With Urban Painting, again, the people that do it are coming from so many different places and backgrounds, but the painting almost becomes a language they communicate in. In terms of styles, techniques and stories that are told in the painting they all mix and cross-pollinate with each other. That’s how I think the concept of “planetary humanism” comes into play with urban painting.
So what’s your next project? Will you continue to explore urban culture?
I am brewing some new ideas in my head which are definitely connected to urban culture. I really feel that this is the area that I want to explore as a filmmaker. I love the multi-faceted realities that happen in places were you mix different races, cultures and languages.
Will ‘NEXT’ be released on DVD?
Of course NEXT will be released on DVD. The DVD will have many other artists and goodies that are not in the film. Crossing my fingers but it definitely will be coming. Please check my website www.nextthemovie.com for info every once in a while. We will be posting info regularly about launches, screenings, events and DVD release.
