Homer One Special
As we started to get interested in the Romanian writer-scene, we asked around, mainly in the internet. Everyone we asked, who could tell us about the history of this country's graffiti and who maybe is the most experienced contact, we every time got the same answer "Homeboy-One" from Brasov. He started painting in 1997 and shortly after that he founded one of the first crews in Romania, together with "Rat". Despite the enormous problems they experienced in the beginning, for example not getting any markers, spray-cans or mags, he mainly worked for the scene and succeeded to move something in Romanian graff, with bringing in style, events and initiative. Today he is mentioned in every literature covering Romanian graffiti, is sponsored by Dupli-Colours and is well respected within the scene.
Interview
Lets talk about some history stuff. How and when did the graff-thing in Romania start?
HomeBoy: It started basically around 97/98, as a natural development of the HipHop-Scene, which began to grow in 92. And I guess, graffiti was imported from Germany and England, because the first writers, who came into Romania and hit were some from Germany, Hungary and the United Kingdom. But only a very few Romanian writers from that period 97/98 are still doing it. Another leap was in 2000, when a lot of kids started to do graff, basically in Bucharest and the scene grew up very fastly.
In which cities did the development of graffiti in Romania basically happen?
HomeBoy: The main scenes were in Bucharest and Brasov; at the same time, maybe a bit earlier in Bucharest, because there had been a lot of guys in HipHop-scene already. Now there are also local scenes in Arad and Timisoara and Constanta.
As you started with graffiti here, what techniques and what materials you used to do the first things?
HomeBoy: The main problem was, that we were the first generation of writers in Romania, so we had to do it with basic materials like auto-colours, liquid paint and brushes. Also aerosols but these were a little expensive, so in the first time the people did it with brushes.
What kind of motives were first painted?
HomeBoy: I guess, the graffiti developed like first writing names in the neighbourhood and "my gang is the dopest", but after this, when the internet-connection came, we were able to see what people from other countries did, and we started to develop our ego, began to work on our letters instead of necessarily representing the pit-bulls and the knifes.
Have there been stuff like characters, background, special effects in the first pieces too?
HomeBoy: I guess these things came later, and not even now they are used by all writers because they consume a lot of paint. But writers also stole a lot, you know the biting-stuff, and I guess, can2 characters are the most bitten characters of all times.
What kind of development started in 2000?
HomeBoy: In graff-movement something like "respect" for writers appeared, so the new kids became introduced by the old guys, so the new-bees had some background behind them. And the major effect was that they now develop much faster than ourselves did, because we can explain the kids stuff like lighting, outlines? technical things.
Do you still have the problem of getting spray-paint?
HomeBoy: Yes, we still don't have a Belton or a Montana - representative here in Romania, but we are working on these things. Right now we are basically working with "Dupli" aerosol-art-colours. And of course, when friends make travels to other countries, we ask them to bring cans, or we do travels ourselves to Hungary and buy cans. (There are recently montana cans available in one city of romania but there are still problems with the delivery.)
Is there a something like a network of writers in Romania?
HomeBoy: I guess it is kind of natural, that the guys who started the development know each other. We met at contests and Halls of Fame and trips to other cities. The new guys we basically know from the internet, we have some chat-channels, forums. We basically only know the guys by tag until we meet each other.
Have you problems like crossing?
HomeBoy: In Brasov we don't have this problem, only with stupid f***ing kids, but in Bucharest it is a big problem. They are on the same style-level as we, but they are a lot more guys, so everybody is trying to prove himself man. So they just go to Halls Of Fame and splash every piece with paint.
What would you say, how large is the graffiti-scene in Romania?
HomeBoy: I guess there are 50 good writers in the whole country, but only about 10 can do a cool production.
How are your connections to other countries, the ones around Romania and maybe western countries?
HomeBoy: Basically the connections are from the internet, so we met a lot of guys from Norway, Sweden, Germany. The Internet is the only connection for us, because we didn't go to big graff events by now. Right now, I guess Romania is in the phase to collect pieces and productions to show them to magazines or websites or stuff like this.
Do the visitors from other countries bring some influences into the style of you guys?
HomeBoy: I guess, basically the scene is growing in itself, and I'm really curious if there is going to be a special Romanian style, because we are sort of isolated by the rest of the community. But there are of course writers who come to Romania, especially for the subway in Bucharest, so in a way, every visitor has his influences.
Is it a problem for the Bucharest-scene, that foreign writers come and do subway-damage?
HomeBoy: Yes, it is sort of a problem. But I think the Romanians are the problem if we want to call it a "problem", because they did a lot of damage, a lot of bad tags and stuff, and it is kind of hard right now. There is an anti-graffiti-law now, and the punishment is really high. The police now have files about the writers in Bucharest, I heard. They know the guys and they follow them, and wait for the wrong step.
What is the public in Romania thinking about graffiti?
HomeBoy: Well, we have no magazines, and graffiti is not really known by the public, they only see it on the wall, but not the always good part, because the Halls Of Fame are not there, where most people pass, they only see the tags, the scratches and the damage, so they don't have a good impression.
Is there much possibility to do legal work?
HomeBoy: That thing is kind of small, because the people don't know where to look for you and stuff like this, we have jobs like car-washes, internet-cafes, bars. It's okay.
That thing is kind of small, because the people don't know where to look for you and stuff like this, we have jobs like car-washes, internet-cafes, bars. It's okay.
HomeBoy: Well I guess I'm not like the rest of the writers because I'm among the chosen ones having in a way enough cans to do it. But I guess the average is ten.
There is this special paintingthing, that suflo is named after, because he uses it frequently. Tell me about that.
HomeBoy: It is made of plastic or metal. Even my grandfather uses one of these Suflos, I guess it is the grand-grand-father of the spray-can.
What about the train-business in Romania?
HomeBoy: It depends on the city, in Bucharest they have guards in the yard, but here in Brasov it is kind of chill and we can stay for two hours and longer. We only have the large yard in the city, we haven't found yards around Brasov. I guess there are about 50 panels done in an average year, but maybe more, I don't exactly know about the stage of the Bucharest scene, they did a lot of subways so more than 50 I guess. This year a lot more I guess.
Would you tell me some writers names and what they especially do?
HomeBoy: The oldschool-guys who are still active are me -> "Home", "Rat", "Schao", "Sage", "Erbs", "Razna", Newcomers "Neon", "Gnoza", "Thnk", "Orb", "Suflo cna", "scc" from Arad and "sk" with the guys "hero" und "seko" and the bombing-scene "stare", "nerv", "saint" and "radio".
How do you think will the development of the graffiti-style and the graffiti-scene in Romania continue?
HomeBoy: I think a major step ahead will be, when we have the good colours. After that I guess, it will be the difference between the guys, who have the money to buy the colours and them who don't. And after that, I guess it is up to the Romanian economy, because the kids have the money from their parents, and if they don't have the money, graffiti will stop to exist. But looking back, as the development evolved, I think the next years will be really good for writing.
What would you wish to happen in the future?
HomeBoy: I wish a big truck of Belton having an accident in front of my house. No, I really hope for the good guys from Romania to go to Europe and have the chance to prove our skills. To meet other writers and to become part of the family. And to come to Germany to paint.
