Cept

UK Graffiti Trail Blazer

Cept's pieces have consistently been appearing on the streets of East London for as long as I can remember. With a long history steeped in graffiti, it was only natural that he started exploring other creative avenues, like fine art and prints. His colour choices and letter techniques are second to none and more often than not, his work is accompanied by a playful message. His style has always been one step ahead of the rest and for that reason, it has been one of my goals to track down and interview him.

Cept Interview

- For the readers who don't already know you, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

C: I started writing in 1986, when graffiti was still hated. Golden years. I like painting, sex, swimming, drinking, smoking straight west coasting, I like old videos and records and books. I don't like rice pudding, in fact I've never eaten more than one mouth full of it in my life.
Rice is for curries and risottos and stuff like that, it doesn't compute with me that you can eat rice for pudding, it's a texture thing..it don't feel right, I'd rather an angel delight whip or ice cream for afters. I don't like aviaries, or zoo's, or people who front.

I'm allergic to cats and penicillin. I like laughing so much that you can't move and have to crouch down, when it takes over your whole body and tears are streaming down your cheeks as your mind keeps running over what it is that's made you laugh in the first place, I love that feeling of uncontrollable laughter, so much that snot comes out your nose a bit, but you don't care and it makes you laugh more.

- What Crews are you affiliated with?

C: I write with The Rolling People and Burning Candy. Also, Justice n Crime from Belgium.
These are my good friends, people I trust, and would put myself out for.

- When looking at alot of your pieces, it's easy to see a direct influence from Lichtenstein. What do you like about this artist?

C: Yeah I've painted quite a few Lichtenstien-esque pieces. I love comic book art anyway and he is the man when it comes to that type of pop art stuff. I like the simplicity of the characters and that whole silver age comic book look.

- It seemed that you managed to hold a 'residency' on one of the Sclater St walls….How did you manage to keep it all yours for so many years?

C: Yeah, Sclater St. That place was empty of any painting until 1999, and most of the east end for that matter.

I started painting over Shoreditch and Hackney sides around 96, with Eine, Tase, way before Shoreditch disappeared up it's own arse, when rents there were still cheap and it wasn't full of cunts wearing tinfoil tophats and rollerboots.

I went and asked Dublin Jim if we could paint the whole wall down there, there was no graffiti around Brick Lane then except for stuff by Snoe, Seks, Spie, myself and Tek.

He said it was fine, so we started painting there. No one was really painting over these sides for years, so it was all good and we had that wall as a TRP TFW hall of fame for years, with guests such as Supe, Seb, Egs, Wufc, Recto, Busk,

I got sick of doing pieces in other halls of fame that would last for about 2 days. So I was into getting new spots to paint. London has a lazy graffiti scene and a lot of peeps can't be arsed putting in some leg work and getting new spots themselves.

Jim used to stop people painting there, that is why we held it down for nearly ten years. Jim is the man, but when he moved it became impossible to control who painted there. But that's fair enough, there are a lot of people painting there now with some good pieces now and then, but still nothing lasts there unless it's a memorial piece, this is why I hate halls of fame and go looking for new legal walls and shutters, so when you do a good piece it's gonna stay up for a while and not be dogged over by some chief who wasn't born when I started writing.

Before Sclater street we were painting in what is now the Tottenham hall of fame, for years TRP and TFW had burners in this place, then like always, word spreads and more people come down to paint there and it just ends up looking like some pikey jumble sale table, with people going over everything and doing generic stuff you've seen a million times.

- How do you think the London graffiti scene has changed over the years?

C: It hasn't changed, it mutates with each new generation coming up. I think a lot of people paint generic looking graffiti, when you've been into this for over 20 years and seen so much graffiti all over the world, it's hard to get really moved and to see something original. Especially in London. I think there are only a handful of writers who's stuff really moves me and that I really rate. The majority of graffiti in London makes my eyes bleed with boredom.

- You have been very prolific in London. What keeps you motivated to keep getting up as much as you do? Is there an overall message you are trying to achieve?

C: I don't know how I stay motivated, I don't think about it really, I just do what I want and try to go to where I'm happiest. I have really quiet times of not painting out that much, then other times when I'll do a load of stuff. I'm inbetween times at the moment. The message is CEPT, life, love, mystery, time, space, ownership, temporality, sick, venial, overwhelming joy.

- Do you think it's more important to have one style that you are very well known for or to be able to dabble in all kinds of graff styles?

C: Versatility and variety. It's all good having a signature style, but I like to move across lots of different styles and mediums. Painting, video, assemblage and installations.

- What kinds of music are you listening to?

C: I'm listening to a lot of Madlib, Jaydilla and Doom stuff. MF Doom is without doubt the best MC ever, his lyrics are mental, very clever. I also listen to lots of other stuff except hip hop like:

Fever Ray, The Verve, Isaac Hayes, 60's pysch bands, folk stuff, pentangle, fleet foxes,The Long Range Desert Group,Tantric camel, Rubber Cave, Moon dog.

- Are there any projects you have planned?

C: I've got a lot of stuff planned, I'm working on some new paintings and also some video stuff and getting ready for a big installation I'm doing next year in January. Shows in September, Group show with Kidacne, Dscreet, Sweet Toof and others soon in Sheffield. I have a solo show at the Arts gallery next year and also the Horse Hospital, both in London. And some more stuff outside and abroad.
I want to do some more travelling, Tokyo and South America...

Cept : http://www.spradio.com

Written by Selph