Asters graffiti brings funk, energy and shows he is a student of the game. We caught up with him to ask some quick questions.
When did you start writing and who were your early influences?
Aster : I painted my first piece around 1997, but it actually became an habit after a few years. At the time I was living between Sardinia and Northern Italy. In 1999 I met Drone and we formed our first crew, DUS which later became VOD under a new formation. We started with tags and bombings. Drone was already more practical at the time, while I had mostly done sketches up to that point. In 2002 I painted my first train, that’s where I started getting serious. For the first few years, Drone to me was a kind of guru, telling me where to look for information and inspiration.
Can you give us a brief history of graffiti on your island ?
Aster : When I started, in Sardinia there were already several people who were painting or painted. The first graffiti on the island appeared around 85/86, in the mid-90s the first painted trains began to be seen. Unfortunately, they were all extemporary writers, and few of them took it as a lifestyle.
I can tell from your style that you are a student of early NYC graffiti, where did you get these influences from, books / magazines / internet ?
Aster : I started to get interested in graffiti when I was very young, I was crazy about all the letters I saw around and for the first years I just looked around … I bought everything I could find: magazines, books, and I did many sketches. Over the years my passion has grown along with my collection. My style is the result of my research and study!
You are down with the Parisian crew FMK, can you tell us a little about the crew and how you got down with them?
Aster : In the summer of 2018 I met Keats and Diego. I and Diego had been wanting to meet for some years …that summer the stars aligned and this is how our friendship was born. We had some unforgettable days and they invited me to their group. Since then I have met most of the crew members and, with all of them, it has been magical.
I see a lot of Italians including yourself repping UG, what is the story behind that crew?
Aster : Uaraci Gang is the Bari crew. In 2018, after meeting Mkee and Yacht in Sardinia, I went to Bari and met the rest of the gang there. Around a table, during dinner, I was named ‘Cavalier Uaracio’ (Uaraci knight)!
I have seen you put a lot of time into your black books, how important do you feel sketching is?
Aster : Yes, I have always given a lot of importance to sketches. I am always on the lookout, I study new solutions, I love all this, I love filling books, collaborating with friends … in recent years I have intensified book productions.
Any last words or shout outs ?
Aster : Greetings to all fellow adventurers: DUS, VOD, FMK, UG … peace, love, unity and having fun!
You can see more of Aster’s work on IG : @DRUNKYKONG_FMK
