Photo by Piersmason

Let us begin аs usual-introduce yourself- tag, crew, where do you come
from?

I’m TASSO, born 1966, living in Meerane (former German Democratic Republic). I was trained as a butcher, later as a builder.
I started noticing graffiti in the mid-eighties, when I also started using stencils and spraying simple slogans.
I seriously started in 1991 and have been spraying ever since. Ma’claim was established 3 January 2001, the crew consists of AKUT, CASE, RUSK, TASSO plus our Internet specialist Ms SCHRÖE:

How many years ago you lost your normal life  and do you feel sorry for it?

I’ve been a self-employed sprayer since 2000 and I still think that was the best decision of my life, even if I have sometimes been fearing for my existence during the winter months for the last two years.

As an artist you are often working with clients. Can graffiti art be a profession, and do you earn enough to live from that?

Basically, I get enough orders to make my living. At my age, however, I am used to a higher quality of life than, for instance, a 25-year-old student. That means that I have to earn more than such a person. After all, retirement is no longer that far away ….! ; )
Moreover, customers don’t give a damn whether I’m a widely acknowledged sprayer or not. I’ m not paid any better than any TOY who paints by order, but is a good businessman.

In which countries you have been painting/working?

I’ve worked in Austria, Italy, Spain, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, England, Norway, Sweden…
I get invitations from all over the world. This summer, for example, I was invited to Write4Gold in South Africa, but at my own expense. I’m certainly not one of the big earners, so unfortunately I had to refuse. I can’t afford to spend some thousand Euros on a painting trip to Africa.

Maclaim is one of the most recognized crews in Europe, even the world.
Tell us in short – is it easy to work with Akut, Case and Rusk and do you
feel tired sometimes of the peoples high expectation?

The past few years have been a fantastic time for us because of the same objectives, the same ambition, similar ideas and abilities. We work very well together at the walls, which makes it a pleasant experience. That’s why I’m no longer particularly keen on painting together with others writers these days.
Fulfilling the high expectations of my customers has always been a welcome challenge for me, because I want to stand out from the mass in terms of quality, because that is what the customer pays for.
When I do graffiti or canvases I don’t want to fulfil any expectations, for I need that as a contrast to customized painting. When I do those I no longer care whether people like them or not or whether I disappoint anybody. There I find the message more important than exact details. And if anybody doesn’t understand it, too bad.


Are you friends in real life? Sounds stupid, but we all know that there are many crews, that are crews only in graff…

We are no different in that respect. Actually, we all live in different towns, at least 100 km away from each other, a fact that has always complicated spontaneous meetings.
Of course, there is a bond through working and travelling together, common success, parties and common experiences. We are, however, nothing more than colleagues on very friendly terms. Real friends would surely not have stood there empty-handed on my 40th birthday while we were on tour together. It’s the thought that would have counted, not any material value.

Do you know anything about the Bulgarian or Eastern European graff scene?

I know little or nothing about the Bulgarian scene, because so far I have neither seen a Bulgarian magazine nor noticed a Bulgarian writer at a jam. I know more about Russian, Polish and Lithuanian writers, for if you are a guest in another country, you usually learn something about its scene. I don’t need to mention that you can find good painters everywhere!

Which cans do you prefer and why?

I almost exclusively use Montana Gold, as I have helped to develop the best possible colour sequence myself and think they are the most suitable cans for photoREALists.

Do you have sponsors, and if you do – is this helping you, what do you think in general about legal graffiti?

In a way, L & G –Montana, manufacturers of Montana Gold, can be called sponsors as well as the Motip Dupli Group, particularly as
TASSO (ich glaube, hier fehlt ein Name). Let me say thank you to both of them here!
Their sponsoring makes our huge concept walls possible, because a style painter may need 10 colours for his style, I need that number of colours just for one simple eye.
Legal graffiti mean creativity, art, decoration, advertising, whereas illegal graffiti can be seen as action, rebellion, adventure, and also destruction. A mixture of both is most desirable. In my opinion, a sprayer who never worked illegally can’t get the genuine feeling for graffiti.
Legal graffiti give you the opportunity to get closer to perfection, to work more precisely, to do a concept painting together with others, to design public space, to present yourself to the public and encourage criticism and, last but not least, to earn money doing it.

What about illegal graffiti – bombs, trains, street art? Are you still involved in those things?

As early as the 80s I started off as a tagger and a bomber and did street art using stencils for lack of cans. I’ve had just one funny experience with trains. Most things like that I can’t do any longer. I would risk my life as it is now, and I feel responsible not only for myself but also for other people and for our society. Apart from that I think the new generation of writers ought to prove themselves doing illegal stuff. For me this is a thing of the past. And, frankly, who do you think will win the race: a 22-year-ols cop or an old couch potato like me?
I like to see these things, however, and on my trips I often notice more illegal graffiti than legal ones.
Two or three times a year I manage to become active after dusk, but then I prefer to redesign something. Thus I keep out of trouble and people like it (see the white shark or the Jabba!).

What is your source of inspirations, where do you get your ideas from?

I get my ideas from watching people or from things that fascinate me. But advertising, printed or filmed, also inspires me as well as the visual effects of MTV and VIVA, which are a bit like writing, as they, too, advertise their own names. For me all this is much more part of our modern way of life or zeitgeist (das Wort gibt es im Englischen auch) than what is happening in the established art scene at the moment.

Can you define your style?

My style is called graffoto and that’s exactly what it is.

What are your future plans?

I plan a meteoric rise to fame in my profession. Oh, that late already? ; )

Is there anything you would like to say to the Bulgarian artists?

Not really. Everybody should do his or her thing. But I think graffiti should show something typical of the respective country like in Brazil or Spain, for example. Have a look at Bulgarian history and culture and not just at kingstylers from other countries!
A piece of advice to the younger ones: Before you ask me something, please read Ma’claim’ s book first. Almost everything there is to know about photorealistic spraying is explained there. And those of you who can already afford it: Buy more canvases by TASSO!!!

See also
www.ta55o.de
www.maclaim.de/