WASE

I’ve been writing for over a decade and have been writing Wase for the majority of that time. Over time, I’ve realized that there are people from other cities all over the world writing the same name, but I’d like to think my style is unique from the others. I’m from NYC and have been predominantly influenced by New York subway history and contemporary graffiti. I have also drawn influence from my visits to other cities like Santiago, Chile, and painting with some great friends who happen to get busy out there—dudes like Baio, TGC crew. I would like to say my style these days is my best attempt at making a contemporary NYC style that continues what the previous generations have made up to the point I started painting. Something between wild style and funky style. There are some peers that I consider to be influential in this too, from crews I’m a part of like KIS and OSA. I also get great bombing and marketing inspiration from the LNE crew homies. I feel personally I try to touch every aspect of graffiti from tag to piece and every surface from brick to steel. I also, from time to time, paint legal walls and do fine art, but when doing fine art I tend to avoid doing what I would paint on the street on canvas. I definitely still draw inspiration from graff in my paintings and have even painted action shots I’ve taken. Although I have taken the creative energy and begun to channel it through different mediums, I still believe in graffiti as an art form and lifestyle. I don’t think I will ever quit writing, and hopefully, I can maintain an illegal presence the entirety of my career.