Currently on view at Eden Fine Art in SoHo is No Days Off, an ingenious installation of vibrant images in a range of media by the wonderfully gifted Queens-based graffiti master Hoacs. While visiting the space this past Friday — while Hoacs was adding the final touches to No Days Off for his Saturday evening opening — I had the opportunity to speak to him.`
This is amazing! What a brilliant installation! How long have you been working on it?
I began several months ago — in mid-December.
Integrated within the huge pieces painted on the walls is a range of media here. I love the varied surfaces you’ve painted on. Can you tell us something about that?
Yes! With the exception of several canvases, everything has been painted on pieces of discarded wood that I found. I hand sanded and treated them all before painting on them. Each is distinct.
What would you say was your greatest challenge in executing the installation — as everything seems to work so well together?
My chief concern was my choice of colors. It is important to me that the individuals walls — particularly those across from one another — work well together.
This space and this neighborhood couldn’t be more perfect! How did this wonderful space come your way?
A friend of mine, the jeweler Mr. Flawless — another Queens native — knows the owner of this gallery and introduced us.
What would you say is the principal difference between working on the streets and working in an indoor space like this one?
When I paint outdoors, I am at the mercy of the elements — the cold, the heat, the rain, the winds — and I often stop what I’m doing to speak to folks who drop by. I also tend to paint with others. Here — I am in my own world!
Are you satisfied with the way it is looking?
Yes! I got to do exactly what I wanted to do!
What about the title of the exhibit, No Days Off?
Graffiti is a passion that comes with huge demands! There are “no days off” for a graffiti writer!
How can folks see the exhibit?
Eden Fine Art SoHo is s located at 470 Broome Street and is open seven days a week, 9AM to 9PM.
That’s perfect! Congratulations!
Interview by Lois Stavsky
Photo credits: 1-3, 5.-8 Lois Stavsky; 2 & 4 Tara Murray
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