Rad Dad Collective: Off The Wall

Meet Wesr

A View from Peru

We first clamped our eyes on Wesr's work while reviewing Issue 14 of Graffiti Art Magazine. This got us so excited that we had to track him down and tempt him to have a coffee and a chat with us...

RDC: Hey Wesr great to meet you finally, could you tell us where you're from and where you live now please.

I am from Peru and live in Berlin, Germany since 2008.

RDC: Could you describe your style for us, and what are the influences for that style?

My style is a mix of some kind of cultural homsickness, memories and fantasies which I attempt to portray based on fine or rough lines, depending on my communication needs. My artwork is influenced by Japanese manga and iconographic elements of Peruvian folklore.

RDC: What media are your favourite and which ones have you tried?

Nowadays, I am working with ink on paper but I am a graffiti writer since 1996 so I still love painting with spray on the streets.

RDC: You started writing in 1996. Graffiti has undergone a few changes over the years, what changes do you think are beneficial for the scene and what changes do you wish hadn´t taken place?

Well absolutely, there have been changes. Those who have been persistants have got interesting results, others live by their talent and that is great. I think that people feel attracted by our work and that interest is increasing as the time passes by so that allows us to have new venues opened, venues for us, the artists who come from the outside (the street). There are now more festivals and cultural projects being promoted and where the urban artist can show its talent and also earn some money for it. I think the negative side is that some companies try to explode this street art boom for commercial purposes.

RDC: Your name Wesr, has it got a meaning – an abbreviation for something perhaps?

Well, no... nothing in particular. I have painting under the name Wezos for a long time, after that, I changed it into Wes and to be honest, I suddenly got bored so I decided to add the “R“... I just like as it is right now.

RDC: We know you do a lot of work indoors these days, do you manage to get out on the streets and spray much – If so, which city do you like the best for this?

Well, as previous years, the last year it was kind of difficult to paint in the streets. Fortunately, I usually find the way to do it and enjoy it. That is something I really love because I feel that it inspires me and feeds my imagination to keep on creating. To paint, I like all the cities I have been to, such as Berlin, Paris, Gap, etc. All these have given me something beyond descriptions. I want to paint in those places again and again. I am now in Lima, the place where I grew up, taking pleasure in painting once more with people I started this „madness“ with. I am very happy to do it, no matter if it is for a short time.