7 Questions: Zore

Chicago-based graff writer-turned fine artist Mario Gonzalez Jr., also known as Zore, has been keeping busy this summer. He just had a killer solo show at the Museo Internazionale Italia Arte, and represented the US in the International Meeting of Styles in Wiesbaden, Germany, before heading back to the states to prepare for MoS Chi and a solo show this fall at Maxwell Colette. We caught up with him before his European tour, while he was painting a mural on  the Violet Hour in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

How did you first get into graffiti and painting?

Believe or not my exposure to graffiti was since birth. My parents and family members wrote on buildings and subway stations here in Chicago since the early 60s. Later on in my youth I grew up in the 70s where muralist and activist took over the streets of Chicago.

Do you remember your first tag? 

My first "tag" was JR/JUNIOR in tall simple blockish letters when I was like 9 or 10.

Any good close call stories you can share with us?

Lots of "close call" stories...but the best were subway stories... Like the times we would get caught right outside the subway yards with a car full of young mixed race kids with bags of paint and the cops are like "wtf is going on here," and I would tell everyone the same story, "I'm an artist at SAIC! And these are my students and we've been painting all night and I'm dropping them off at the train station," hearts racing knowing damn well half the crew was in the train yards painting already...probably even watching us from the yards talking to the cops, only to be let loose half hour later.

Have you bombed anything you later regretted? 

One of my biggest regrets came early in life..I must have been 15 and I would keep tagging the same wall on 35 st day after day only to see it had been cleaned the next day. Till one day I was on the 35 st bus and saw this old ass man that walked slower than a snail scrubbing and scrubbing away and it was then I vowed to keep my bombing to public property...which in the end was a good thing.

Where do you draw your inspiration? 

My studio work comes from hanging out at museums and walking the streets my whole life observing the urban grime. My tags are inspired by old Chicago hand styles. My full on burners have more of a Trixter/Orko feel. They're two writers that influenced the crap out of true Chicago pieces.

How do you feel about graffiti moving into galleries? 

Graffiti in museums and Galleries have occurred longer than 90% of us been writing. One of the first graffiti exhibits in the world was here in Chicago at the museum of science and industry in 1973! I was 3 yrs old..lol! I've been showing in galleries and museums since the mid 80s and it changes nothing. I believe that knowing our place in art history is important seeing that most artists have no place in history. Makes me feel proud for never quitting or giving up.

Mario VS Zore?

Well that is an interesting subject right there... I believe that both of my alter egos have a place in this world and the man/child inside of me must harvest this energy and make them both function on a level that won't end up killing me, lol. I've been working my whole life developing both souls and staying clear from negative energy from both the art world and graff world, as well and have come to the conclusion that life is about living the best case scenario.

As I sit here in a hallway for better reception in a bed and breakfast from across the world knowing where I came from and where I am now having solo shows in museums and galleries while painting in the streets and packing bags of paint at night fully sponsored as well as self funded from sales and commissions I would say that I am right where I need to be Right Now! Thanks to my familia! Sergio Gomez! The Zhou Family! Liz Lazdins and MAYA for everything that I am doing today. Stay Bold Chicago!

7 Questions: A.CE

London-based artist A.CE is about to make his American debut with PLANET OF THE A.CE, a solo show that will feature both his classic and current designs. MCG chatted with him about his roots, his thoughts on street art capitalists and his ever-looping playlist. 

How did you get into street art?

I got into it through skating. It started with seeing tags and graffiti around about '89. I didn't  have my own proper name until about '95. I always loved skate graphics and as I continued skating over the years I just got more and more interested in the graf and art side of the scene - it went from there really. Tags and throws became tagged stickers, which then became stenciled or more graphical. Eventually pasteups were the natural progression. Things kept evolving with other influences coming into play until I found a style and a medium I was happy with.

Who are your influences?

At a certain point around the end of the 90's I started paying less attention to graffiti and more to other work that was going on. I was into what people like Fairey, Kinsey and TLP were doing - this was big impact work which really resonated with me. I started experimenting with simple bold b+w pasteups and grew things from there, taking inspiration over the years from everything else I like: pop art, Dadaism, graphic design, skate art and collage. So really it's anyone and everyone from these movements who continue to influence what I do - Vernon Courtland Johnson, Haring, Basquiat, Peter Blake, Warhol, Cost & Revs, Fergadelic, Sister Corita, Max Ernst, etc. I'm really inspired by John Baldessari - this idea that you could manipulate found or familiar images using the information that's already stored in people's brains really made sense to me.

Ever been caught? Any close calls?

I try as much as I can to avoid those close calls!

What music are you into right now?

It's always a real random mix and it evolves. 6 Music plays out a lot of the time - good for picking up on new music. Otherwise just regular stuff, punk, 90's hip hop, prog rock, 90's dance, folk, anything. I recently listened to a lot of Dylan, Viv Albertine and The Cocteau Twins. Staples in the studio would just be stuff like The Sex Pistols, GZA, PIL, Black Sabbath, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Bjork, NAS and Judas Priest. I'll often play a new song to death until I'm sick of it. Cosmic Jugalbandi by Suns of Arqa was one of those. It's one I like to end the night on!!

What are your thoughts on so-called "stolen" street art being sold for profit, like what we recently saw attempted with the Banksy pieces?

I don't know what arrangement these guys had with the wall owner here so I can't really comment on this particular piece, but I guess its nothing new - it happened with Basquiat and Haring back in the day. If people know the value of something, it's going to happen - right up and down the chain. People will always flock to wherever there's money to be made. To a certain extent its fair game, if you put something on the street, its out of your control after that - that's part of the journey of the piece. That said, most street art like this is better being left where it is - who wants a caged animal? At the end of the day it was a gift to the public and that should probably be respected.

How do you respond to people who compare your work to Bäst?

We might play some similar instruments but we don't write the same songs.

What's the future look like for you? What?s A.CE's next move?

I have a few other projects in the pipeline for later this year - festivals and shows in the UK, as well as some print releases both in the UK and in Canada. I'm building a new bigger studio in my back yard and I'm just going to keep developing stuff and hopefully making more work.

A.CE's solo show, PLANET OF THE A.CE, runs March 16, 2013 - April 20, 2013 at Maxwell Colette Gallery with an opening reception on Saturday, March 16, from 6pm until 10pm.