Barry McGee
Barry McGee
Barry McGeeis a painter and graffiti artist. He is also known by monikers such as Ray Fong, Lydia Fong, Bernon Vernon, P.Kin, Ray Virgil, Twist and further variations of Twist, such as Twister, Twisty, Twisto and others...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionArtist
CountryUnited States of America
created excitement maintain marks means result using
For me, graffiti means making marks on surfaces using just about anything, be it markers, spray, paint, chalk, lipstick, varnish, ink. Or it can be the result of scratches and incisions. The aim is to maintain the energy created by disturbance or excitement in the street.
activist aids art artist david frame love time
I love biographies. I read Patti Smith's 'Just Kids.' I'm into that time frame in New York, the '70s and '80s. In art school, I read 'Close to the Knives,' the autobiography of the artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz.
favorite love pieces thrift work
Some of my favorite pieces are from thrift shops. When I find something I really love, I live, work and sleep in it.
awkward downright girlfriend intense maddening moved nostalgic seeing work
It's very intense to go back to the past and revive work that I've already experienced and moved forward from. It's like seeing an old girlfriend - awkward at times, nostalgic at times and downright maddening and embarrassing.
anyone art deal definitely dynamic francisco open paint people san street
I like the idea that you can paint something outdoors, and anyone can see it. It's open to anyone, and people have to deal with it. In the gallery, it's the same 150 people on the San Francisco art scene. There's a dynamic on the street that's definitely more interesting.
galleries
Galleries are easier to steal from than the Apple Store, maybe.
respect toughest
If I could get the respect of 14-year-olds, I'm happy. They're the toughest audience.
artwork gets stolen time
My artwork gets stolen all the time; it's ridiculous.
awful drawing except soon stack stops work yorkers
As soon as I start reading, drawing comes to me more easily. I find I work in my sketchbooks more. But if I'm working on a new show, my reading completely stops except when I'm on a plane. I take a stack of New Yorkers with me. I feel awful about those stacks of New Yorkers.
arresting cop couple good happening interested man passed tag
I see a really good tag on a building, a man passed out in the middle of the street, a couple hugging, a cop arresting a panhandler. I'm interested in how all these things are happening in one block.
artists ending face falls galleries honest hope instead seem street streets term
Street artists need to get back to actually doing things on the streets instead of in the galleries where they all seem to be ending up. I hope this term 'street artist' falls from the face of the earth, in my honest opinion.
cities healthy competition
That's immediately how I gauge how healthy a city is-by the amount of tags. It's just in direct competition with advertising. It's still one of the last things that hasn't been corrupted.
museums graffiti embrace
The parts of graffiti I like are really antagonizing still - it's not something that a museum would really embrace.