What is there to say about Chris RWK that hasn’t been said already. He has done more interviews than most celebrities. That is one reason why I was hesitant to approach him for one but how could I interview creatives (especially from Staten Island in hopes of breaking some island stereotypes) without asking him. You have undoubtedly seen some of his iconic images in some of the craziest places. Read on as he sheds some light on how it all began and what creating means to him.
- You've been involved in the art scene for a long time. Can you just give us a little history on how this started and tie in a little about Robots Will Kill and the philosophy behind that.
Well I won’t bore you with the “I grew up drawing” story cause pretty much every kid does. But when my friends moved on to team sports, I kept drawing. Went to FIT then Hunter and got my BFA. I started showing when I was around 18. Small bar shows and coffee places and group shows. Around 2000 I was going to galleries in Soho with my slides and info and a few galleries said to me, “How old are you?” I said what does that matter?!? They just said “come back when you’re older.” This hurt me. They didn’t even look at my work.
So, I decided I wanted to build a space for people to show their work and not get rejected because of age, education, etc. So I spoke to my friend Kevin who was a computer genius. I told him I wanted to start a website to show people from all over and people who use overlooked mediums. Stuff like graffiti, stickers, wheat paste, etc. Back then there weren't many sites and the term street art wasn’t used. Kevin was into it, so we started working on the site.
The name comes from this time I was doing a fellowship in Vermont and my friend Chris Rini was doing a painting. I was making stickers and he said what do you think? He was working on this painting of a cellphone dressed as a businessman and he was holding a little person up to what would be his ear. So I just laughed and said “Robots will kill.” I started writing it on all the stickers that night. I mainly held it in my back pocket because I knew it would be better for a future project.
So Kevin asked, ``Do you have a name for the site. I just said Robotswillkill.com,” he loved it. We went on the motto, you wouldn’t give us a space, so we built one.
The name comes from a few places but for me it always had to do with doing the same thing over and over and it becoming robotic and killing off the reason you did it in the first place.
- I met you from going to hardcore shows and you obviously have a background in graffiti. How do these two worlds connect?
Both are scenes for people who felt like outcasts. Both are the underdogs that want to have their say.
- How important were they to you? How do you think they affected your outlook on life?
Extremely. Graffiti is an outlet. Hardcore is an outlet. I remember when I was younger and realized how many graffiti guys went to hardcore shows. You’d see a tag at a venue and be like “Ohhh man they're here or were here.” Both create this weird loner attitude yet a brotherhood at the same time. It’s like skateboarding in many ways. All three kind of go hand in hand in many ways.
- How do you think they shaped your work and affected your creativity?
Well, music definitely has a big influence on me and my work. Punk and hardcore have always been the soundtrack to the underdogs and hopeful.
- How do you come up with new ideas or designs? What would you say is your creative process?
Life, family, friends, strangers. Life in general. Seeing what’s going on. Music too.
- How do you discover new artists or approach someone for a collaboration?
Keeping an eye out on the streets, social media and word of mouth. There’s really no sure fire way. Especially nowadays.
Back in the 90’s you had to be outside your house to find new artists.
Collaborations kind of come naturally. You talk with someone about each other’s work and it grows from there. I have a lot of people just message me “Wanna collab?” and to me that's kind of odd.
- Does your artwork help you in dealing with life and the world?
Absolutely. Like I mentioned, it's an outlet. Whether it’s creating it or getting the satisfaction of hearing “Your work made me smile, your work makes me happy.” The world is full of so much anger, especially now. So knowing I helped someone even for a second helps me. Art is a very selfish thing to be honest.
- How do you think creativity can help the world today?
Well, I think someone feels better when they see something colorful instead of a blank wall. I think it creates emotions and makes the person think, which is always good.
- Do you think being from NY and particularly Staten Island had a strong influence on you?
Well it’s back to the underdog thing. NY has always been the make it here you can make it anywhere state. Staten Island is the underdog borough. We have a small community of outsiders inside a borough that has always been looked down at.
- Do you think there is a stigma attached to being from this borough?
Absolutely. We’re assumed to be guidos, mobsters, certain political parties, rich, not cultured, etc. We have more to offer than pizza. We’ve had great bands and musicians come from here, great artists, great parks, great shops. Who would think David Johansen, the singer for the NY Dolls still lives here (aka Buster Poindexter, aka the ghost of Christmas past in Scrooged). And shops like Richmond Hood and Milk and Honey Tattoo.
It’s always funny when people finally visit here and they see stuff like Snug Harbor and these small shops and they say to me “I had no clue this was here.”
- How would you pass on the lessons you learned to an aspiring artist
Get out there and do it. Do it because you want to. Do what you want. Don’t follow trends. Don’t copy what you see. Things like social media are people's highlight reels. My dad said something to me a long long time ago. We were watching Public Domain and he said “Remember these are their best tricks. You don’t see the failed attempts.''
Find out more -
www.ChrisRWK.com
www.RobotsWillKill.com
www.RWKshop.com
www.twitter.com/chrisrwk
www.Instagram.com/ChrisRWK
RWK/CC
P.O. Box 90373
Staten Island, NY
10309
USA
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