Kill Pixie Unmasked

After stealing their contributors we thought it only natural to pilfer Time Out Sydney’s content too. We’re bros so don’t worry, it’s consented stealing like an insurance scam with intellectual property in place of stereos and televisions. Anyway in his first major interview since emerging from behind the Kill Pixie alias, Sydney’s answer to Banksy, Mark Whalen, exhibits an elusiveness befitting of a cop-dodging street artist. This is Kill Pixie unmasked…

What was your childhood like? I grew up out west in Bankstown. It was different out there than living in the city. I got into skateboarding at a really young age. I wanted to be a professional skateboarder.

Most people would think that only rebellious kids would get into graffiti. Were you at all rebellious? I guess so. I definitely wasn’t staying home playing the piano and doing my homework. A lot of kids that were skating got into graffiti. I didn’t do anything at school really. I tried for a while but interests in drawing, skating and graffiti took over really fast and that’s what I focused on.

What influenced you? My first big influence was a trip to Barcelona about seven years ago. The whole city was annihilated with graffiti and so many styles. I was really into it and it all started from there.

Some people refer to you as the Sydney Banksy. What do you make of that title? In terms of the fact that we both made a career in the arts out of a graffiti background, sure. However, we both have very different aesthetics and in really different places of our career.

Do you like the comparison? It doesn’t really bother me at all. You could compare a bunch of Australian artists to a similar Banksy success story if you really wanted to: Anthony Lister, Dmote, Rhys Lee to name a few.

Banksy has never officially revealed his true identity. Do you think that has made his name more mythical and his work more valuable as a result? I think it has an appealing element to it and I can see why it attracts so many people. Everyone loves the bad boy right? Everyone is different and everyone has their own approach, execution and method of practice. Of course it’s made the work mythical but if you want to compare, look at Blek le Rat, he’s just as successful and everyone knows who he is.

Can fame/notoriety become detrimental for the kind of work you do? I guess fame can bring you all sorts of paths that you don’t expect. With any career, the more you get out there the more people are going to try to take you out.

When did you first start realising that you had a following? I’m not really sure. I had my first ever opening at Sydney gallery China Heights. The turnout on that night was insane. I guess I started noticing then.

Is it true that you started to take graffiti more seriously getting caught at the wrong end of an armed robbery? Yeah. I used to work in a bar. After a few years of that I was held up in an armed robbery and that was it for me. That experience actually pushed me to go do something with myself so I studied design and started working for skate companies. I then moved into making my own work. I’ve been making a proper living out of my work for the last few years.

I gather you got in some trouble in Tokyo for graffiti. And the fine was so big that you were forced to sell some work to pay it off. What’s the full story there? I really can’t answer that question. I’ve been in enough dramas over the years and don’t really want any more. Someone in my position can get made an example of.

OK, but did having to sell all that artwork to pay the fine help kickstart your career as an artist in the more traditional sense? Yeah it did. After that I definitely started taking my career a lot more seriously and started practising in the studio a lot more.

Last time Time Out attempted to interview you – about 18 months ago – you refused to give anything away. Why have you started to use your real name? I’m really focusing on work in my studio now and all my time is going into the work I’m making. I’m not doing much graffiti at all so it makes sense to use my real name.

Was it hard to give up your anonymity? For me it was a relief. It’s the next step in my career. My interests in art and what I’m doing with it have headed far away from anything graffiti related. I still love graffiti and try to do it whenever I get a chance but I’m working in the gallery full time.

How have other urban artists reacted to you ‘coming out’, so to speak? I think you’ll find it’s a pretty common occurrence; a lot of people do it.

How would you respond to those who say you have ‘sold out’? I wouldn’t.

Do you get upset when councils paint over your work? I don’t really care. It is what it is. It’s just a part of working publicly. I think a lot of people have left my work up in the past because they liked it.

What would you say to those who argue that urban art is vandalism? Vandalism? Yeah sure, you can call it that. Who cares? But you have to admit that most graffiti is found on dilapidated buildings and walls anyway. You can’t really be vandalising something that’s already destroyed right? There’s always going to be a flip side to the coin on both sides with that one.

Why did you decide to move to LA? To be more in touch with the art scene. I began showing in LA a while back now and it’s just easier to be here for what I’m doing. I’ll be back in Sydney at some point.

Now that you have moved away and have the perspective that distance gives you, what do you think of Sydney’s urban art? There’s a lot of great stuff in Sydney for sure. But to tell you the truth, I think Sydney’s not built for graffiti, and anything that’s good or that has been a historical contribution to ‘street art’ in Sydney has either been cleaned off or destroyed.

There is a Kill Pixie wheelie bin in my street. If I steal that do you think it might be worth a lot of money one day? It could be, but if you stole it that would be illegal.

What is your favourite gallery in Sydney? Monster Children. They show so many established and emerging talents from overseas and Australia. The artists and work they show don’t really make it down to Australia that often so I think they create a really exciting energy for Sydney.

What is your favourite creative space in Sydney? China Heights run by Ed Woodley and Mark Drew. The space is great and the turnover of projects in that studio is amazing.

Life & Times
1982 Born in Sydney, raised in Bankstown
1995 Starts experimenting with graffiti
2000 Held up in an armed robbery while working in a Sydney bar; decides to pursue art and design as a direct result
2002 Graduates from design course at Martin College in Darlinghurst
2003 Begins spraying a name for himself around Sydney as Kill Pixie; later exhibits at China Heights and Monster Children
2008 Moves to LA; wins a SMAC Award
2009 Wins Creative Catalyst Award

Interview by Dan Rookwood

To read the full version of this interview plus a guide to Sydney’s best graffiti and best urban art galleries, check out the new issue of Time Out Sydney, on sale in newsagents from today. Click here for a six month subscription for $6

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