GALO: What specifically entices you about the Renaissance age?

KW: To me, the word “renaissance” does not refer only to a time period, but to a way of thinking. People say that the “renaissance man” combines art and science, but I do not think this is true. The “Renaissance man” is a person who works in a space between the arts and the sciences. The next generation will need to produce a number of these, if the planet is to survive.

GALO: You also dabble in architectural design – designing houses and other structures. How did you get into architecture?  

KW: I started with architecture design while decorating multi-million dollar residences. It occurred to me that the designs of the expensive houses did not have the same grace as their classical sources of inspiration. My specific studies were in decoration and proportion, although this gave me the ability to do the overall design of the residences as well. Classical residential architecture does not present many structural or engineering difficulties- it is all about aesthetics.

GALO: Share with us one of your recent architectural projects.

KW: My last designs were for a spiritual retreat. I enjoyed this much more than the residential projects because of shared values with the client. I still like large-scale designs and have a hard time getting inspired by fussy remodels and modest projects.

GALO: Many graffiti artists call themselves street artists. Is there a significant difference between the two?

KW: There is a significant difference. Both kinds of artists work on the street or in public places, but their relationship with the public is very different. Pavement artists are primarily entertainers that seek to enthrall, educate, and entertain the public. They hope for financial reward in the form of tips. Graffiti artists are interested in expressing their individual existences as human beings in an environment that gives them little encouragement. They are unconcerned about the opinion of the general public, although they may wish to communicate with their own “tribe.” The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in L.A. sees graffiti as true street art and has actively snubbed pavement artists in their recent show of street art.

GALO: Would you call what the famed British artist Banksy does art or merely a form of expression?

KW: If Banksy really exists as an individual person, rather than a group of people with a common aesthetic interest and great marketing skills, he represents a vital form of expression that will grow to have a huge impact on society. For this reason his work is important. Creatively and technically, the work is somewhat derivative and owes much to an older artist known as “blech the rat.”

Banksy’s work occupies a space between graffiti and pavement art. His interventions appear at first sight to have the aggressive and rugged individualism that characterizes graffiti. On closer consideration, I become aware of a more general attempt at making statements that have universal appeal, engage the audience, and seek for approval. That his work often relies on rather slick and well-produced documentation that is expertly parlayed into financial gain and notoriety connotes an enviable business structure with the same slick invisibility of the artist himself. Technically, his work often appears more primitive on the surface than it is in its preparation. He obviously loves traditional art and museums as well, which makes me feel a great affinity toward his personage, real or not.

GALO: Do you believe that some forms of public art are a mere inducement of provocation? Should art be provocative?

KW: I firmly believe that art has three basic purposes: to communicate, to decorate, and to entertain. It must communicate; it may decorate or entertain.

As communication, art may educate and/or persuade. As decoration, art may embellish a physical object or environment; it may also embellish an idea or concept. As entertainment, art may merely amuse or profoundly challenge its audience. Art may forcefully provoke a reaction, but this is not a purpose of art. One needs to judge a work in terms of fulfilling its primary purposes, and whether the provocation is an important tool to this end. If the provocation is superfluous, it is a defect in the work, as is anything superfluous to its purpose.

GALO: Street art is a very public art form. Taking your Waterloo train station illustration under consideration (where it appears that the woman is lying on a couch though in reality she is simply positioned on the ground as a chaotic street scene unfolds before her), for example, shows the interactivity level between viewer and art. Is this one of the reasons why you enjoy this mode and chose it as your line of profession?

KW: The interactivity was actually a consequence of the geometry I invented rather than a traditional attribute of pavement art. It grew naturally out of the art form as I traveled around the world and composed new works. Presently, I tend to think of the interactivity as being an important feature of a new composition.

GALO: Do you feel that this specific art form harnesses fewer acceptances in the art world because of its outdoor setting rather than those that hang on museum walls?

KW: I think that the outdoor aspect of the work has been less of a hindrance than the idea of impermanence. The world of fine art is mostly driven by collectability and the concept of investment and financial gain. Our society is compelled to associate monetary value with artistic value. This is brilliantly illustrated in the mechanism of the auction house. Conceptually, the work I do does not need to be impermanent to be a valid art form, but finding the right technique to produce gallery works that are permanent and have the richness and texture of my street work has been a huge challenge. After 30 years of work I feel that I am just now arriving at the point of resolving this problem. The next problem is to change the mindset of the galleries.

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