Obie Platon
Über den Künstler
Die Arbeiten des rumänischen Künstlers Obie Platon, der in Bucharest lebt und arbeitet, bewegen sich zwischen abstrakter Malerei und Graffiti, gemischt mit folkloristischen Stilelementen.
Artist Interview
Since when have you been creatively active?
Certainly every man is born with this, it is important for each of us to cultivate it. I used to express myself through dance and drawing since I was a child, then I became interested in architecture and at the same time discovered graffiti. These two passions resulted in what I do today.
How did you get in touch with art?
I was constantly surrounded by artists who inspired and supported me, and little by little I became aware of my skills. Graffiti was mainly fun until it turned into something serious and I set myself to take this phenomenon to a new level and leave my own mark with my personal techniques and ideologies.
What is the inspiration of your artworks?
I find inspiration at each step, what we experience and the times we live in are so complex that the subjects are endless. I believe that the most important thing for an artist of the present is to reflect the era in which he lives and convey the energy he received from those before him to future generations.
All pictures by courtesy of the artist
You have roots in graffiti-culture. What kinds of other styles and influences have inspired your work?
I had influences from many directions, I believe the most evident and important one is mathematics. Architecture offered the basis for proportions, geometrical constructions, and perspective. Graffiti inspired the idea of freedom of expression and, last but not least, the technique. You can paint this way only with the spray and its capacities of fast drawing and effects. Then, the society we live in I believe has been the starting point of my ideas, concepts and messages, it influenced me to paint directly on the street where you interact with people, and your message has more power than in a gallery.
It seems your work is influenced by some traditional elements. Is this true?
Each work is based on traditional and urban elements depending on the space or country where I am. I think it is important that when you paint in a certain place to take into account the surroundings, urban myths, what is specific about that society. Each community has a more or less traditional culture, and my goal is to connect in harmony the tradition of the place with my work.
