Kid Cash interviewed by Widewalls ahead of his solo show
- Mar 22, 2017
Kid Cash was interviewed by Widewalls ahead of his solo show "Very Necessary" at Urban Spree.
Widewalls: Let’s start with the title of the show at Urban Spree, “Very Necessary”. It points out the necessity of showing street artworks in a gallery context: what can you tell us about this necessity?
KID CASH: At the end of the 1970s, the works of graffiti artists like Dondi, Lady Pink and Futura were exhibited in galleries. From today’s perspective it seems that the undertaking didn’t work. Around 2005 there was a veritable street art boom and again, there was the will to bring art from the streets into galleries. This development is still going on. Some artists have managed to exhibit their works regularly in white-cube galleries. But in my view, their reputation as „being authentic“ results from their work in public spaces. One fundamental finding is for me that it’s hardly possible to bring authenticity from the streets into the gallery. The reason for this is that is very simple: The space is just different. That’s why the artworks in galleries differ so much from those in the streets. I chose this simple fact to become the theme of my exhibition.
I want to describe an example: When I paint on a wall in the street, the wall tells me some stories. It is full of traces and has different surfaces. It is raw, full of holes, rock-hard, sprayed, and also full of insects. On the streets, people just take a glimpse at walls. The viewers pass by quickly and therefore the murals are quickly recognisable. They were painted to be seen from a distance or sometimes only for being photographed only. That’s why they tend to be relatively rough.
In contrast, when I paint on a canvas in my studio, the canvas is usually smaller than the walls outside in the streets. The surface of the canvas is smooth and it gives way. The fine structure is perceptible. At an artwork hanging in a gallery can be looked at from very close and intensively. The exhibition visitors can take a lot of time to look at the artworks.
For me it’s clear that my artworks on canvases differ from those I paint on walls in public spaces. In a gallery context, I just can’t do the same that I do on the streets! But both approaches get mutually inspired. That’s how I came to the title which became at the same time my topic. (...)
Read the full interview on Widewalls here.
Widewalls: Let’s start with the title of the show at Urban Spree, “Very Necessary”. It points out the necessity of showing street artworks in a gallery context: what can you tell us about this necessity?
KID CASH: At the end of the 1970s, the works of graffiti artists like Dondi, Lady Pink and Futura were exhibited in galleries. From today’s perspective it seems that the undertaking didn’t work. Around 2005 there was a veritable street art boom and again, there was the will to bring art from the streets into galleries. This development is still going on. Some artists have managed to exhibit their works regularly in white-cube galleries. But in my view, their reputation as „being authentic“ results from their work in public spaces. One fundamental finding is for me that it’s hardly possible to bring authenticity from the streets into the gallery. The reason for this is that is very simple: The space is just different. That’s why the artworks in galleries differ so much from those in the streets. I chose this simple fact to become the theme of my exhibition.
I want to describe an example: When I paint on a wall in the street, the wall tells me some stories. It is full of traces and has different surfaces. It is raw, full of holes, rock-hard, sprayed, and also full of insects. On the streets, people just take a glimpse at walls. The viewers pass by quickly and therefore the murals are quickly recognisable. They were painted to be seen from a distance or sometimes only for being photographed only. That’s why they tend to be relatively rough.
In contrast, when I paint on a canvas in my studio, the canvas is usually smaller than the walls outside in the streets. The surface of the canvas is smooth and it gives way. The fine structure is perceptible. At an artwork hanging in a gallery can be looked at from very close and intensively. The exhibition visitors can take a lot of time to look at the artworks.
For me it’s clear that my artworks on canvases differ from those I paint on walls in public spaces. In a gallery context, I just can’t do the same that I do on the streets! But both approaches get mutually inspired. That’s how I came to the title which became at the same time my topic. (...)
Read the full interview on Widewalls here.