Interview with Target !

Here is one of several interviews I did with some stencil artists at the Difusor. Target is from Portugal and painted a very nice stencil collage at the Gallery Niu together with his friend Vhils. (check the posts about it). Vhils had to leave the event quite early unfortunately, so I could only interview Target. Target painted also together with The Royal Fishclub. The interview with him will be published later on. Hope you like it !



Click HERE to listen to the audio-file (original interview)

1. What is the meaning of your name ? / Why did you choose this name ?

It came some time ago thinking about how everybody is a target in our society and that you are always bombed with graffiti all over, so graffiti can also be a form of bombing everything. I think everybody is a target in this society so I ended up with the name like that.

2. Since when have you been doing stencils ?

I started everything in 2004.

3. What led you to do stencils ? Have you been doing graffiti before or other type of art ?

No, I started more with paste-ups and stickers and then I went to stencils. I still do more paste-ups and stickers. It was with Vhils and ???. I’d like to paint graffiti although I never started it. And since I didn’t have the skills to do it, I found that stencils could be a way to do what I want without having doubts about my skills that’s why I ended up doing stencils. Yeah you have to be patient in cutting and all but it’s a lot easier than painting hand free. So that’s why I ended up with stencils.

4. What are the materials and techniques you use for your stencils ?

Basically just paper, or thin carton. I draw them by hand, then put it on the computer and then cut it.

5. What is / are your preferred spots to put your stencils ?

Anywhere where I can see that it can interact with the environment., otherwise it’s just a stencil and it won’t have any meaning so anywhere where I can identify my work with.

6. In which cities have you so far been doing stencils? Do you have a preferred city?

Stencils just in Lisbon and now here in Barcelona but paste-ups in London and stickers actually all over because I did and interrail trip.

7. Is there a message you want to transmit with your stencil art?

Like I said, I don’t want to put my stencils just on the street without any meaning so I always try to find a place to put my stencils that have something to do with it. Well, I see myself, I have a daily job, other than this, right, I have to make some money so.... and I see myself walk between home, work, home work, always the same thing and I think that putting this up will make someone realize that there is something out there and will make you smile or even be sandaled but that’s what I want people to do, to smile or just be outrageous and just listen to it.

8. Are there other artists you admire or influenced your work ?

For sure Banksy. Because he has some really really great ideas in stencils. The guys who I talked here to like sten because of the spaceous cutting and that’s mainly it.

9. What do you think makes your style different from other stencil artists ?

One thing is for sure that I created a character. The problem is with some stencils that you can`t know from which artist it is, I mean if you see 50 different stencils maybe you don’t recognize that it is from different artists and sometimes it is just the same guy and I think that’s the main thing that makes the difference between other artists and me. I created a character, the white coat and black hands and that might be easier to recognize.

10. How do you get inspired or where do you get your ideas from?

I don’t know, I like to see other people’s works, I mean from illustrators or other street artists as well and music, I love doing stuff during music, so that’s basically it.

11. You would have to do a stencil about Bush. Describe briefly how it would look like.

It would be with a donkey and that’s mainly it.

12. Have you ever been in trouble because of your stencils ?

Not really because I don’t work that much with stencils, I do more paste-ups and the places I have been doing stencils are more like legal or won’t bring any problems

13. Which of your stencils do you consider the best one you have done so far ?

Well, I really enjoyed the ones that we did at the Niu gallery and maybe those with Vhils were the best ones.

14. In your opinion: a good stencil should be: funny, political, controversial, artistic, poetic, multi-coloured, black and white or ?

I like the funny ones to be true. I doesn’t have to be multi-layered or something. I just saw one with a red nose on a guy from Portuguese politics and it was just perfect for me so if it’s funny or if there is a good meaning behind it it’s ok.

Click HERE to listen to the audio-file (original interview)