5 Minutes with . . . Klone
August 14th, 2009
5 minutes with Tel Aviv street artist Klone . . .
How do you feel right now?
Waking up so not sure yet, will know better after coffee
Why do you paint?
It makes me feel better, over the years I discovered that it also affects many people around me. But mainly cause painting is my best way to express myself
What are you currently obsessed with?
Beer and abandoned places
How/does your past career influence your work?
It does in many way, I used to be a metalworker for 3 years and then also worked in printing for 2 so it all affects my work in a way, every craft you learn is good as it brings the connection between your eyes-brain-hands to a new level .
How would you say your art has progressed over the years?
I think I am more focused most of the time, at least on the main theme , even though because of my everlasting curiosity I always try new and different stuff, but I’m sure that I got more control over my tools and ideas.
Name one street artist you can’t get enough of and explain why.
at the moment for me its Escif from spain, his illustrative way of thinking but knowing the way street work as well, make it work so well together, plus he got crazy ideas and great control .
How much thought goes into your work? Is it spontaneous or considered?
A lot of both, I dont work with specific sketches for works , when i sketch is just to keep drawing and getting the ideas out, but when i get to the surface, if its wall or canvas, then for me its the moment is what matters, my mood and what and whos around me, it all affects my work in different ways.
How would you define “street art?” And how do you view it’s connection with ‘graffiti’
I dont like all this defining, for me graffiti is the writing, the name, the message through letters, I did this for 5 years and nowadays coming back to it once in awhile, graffiti is about tagging, bombing, piecing, and basically showing presence in your environment, its like standing in middle of street and yelling really loud a name in a weird language mostly, sound that most people wont understand, thats how its with graffiti, its all over the place but its not for the big crowd.
Street art or however its called these days is a more comunicative way I guess, Its using images and shapes that come from our surroundings, history of art, nature and stuff, its using elements that people will recognise and connect to, or not, but the main emphasis in street-art is – understanding, thats why people get connected more to street art and not graffiti, we always look to understand something, graffiti is a closed memebers only club and street art is more open.
What does it mean to sell-out?
Well, its all relative right? for me selling out is using public space for commercial purpose, like happens with many brands that want to be street lever or whatever, and people that too easily ready to take a street wall and make their work for a commercial, in times when the commercials fill every space around us anyway, making so much visual noise, street art and graffiti should work against it and not supporting it.
What is authenticity? What does it mean to keep it real?
Be true to yourself
Describe your process.
I spend alot of my time out on the street, whether painting or just walking around, my main inspiration is people and nature, and there’s so much interesting out there, its all being processed in my head 24/7 and then i spill it on whatever surface around me .
Is there such a thing as ‘bad’ art? What is it? Name names.
Everybody got their own truth you know, and different approach, i dont tell people how to live or what to paint as long as they don’t tell me. If you feel good with what you’re doing, then its good for you and in the end of the day it all what matters .
Do street artists make ethical choices in what they do, where they do it and how?
I dunno, maybe the choices of where to work, I prefer to work in the poor areas of he city most of the time, there its accepted more and getting good responses, people get colour to they hard daylife .
Everything is about fear or desire. Which one interests you more?
they support each other, everyhting is about fear, desire beer and good meal, thats all you need to create, and a lot of curiosity .
The last great piece of work you saw was what, by whom and how did it make you feel?
I the last year, works of Blu blew me away, both size and ideawise, they made me feel inspired and a bit envious 
Can good art be political? Can political art be good?
It can, depends who makes it, some people are good at making this collaboration, some are shit at it. Its not easy at all and I prefer not sticking my nose into politics most of the time even though it affects my work sometimes .
What is good art? What is good street-art?
Good art is about the great combination of idea-material-technique-image, good street art is about great combination of idea-material-technique-image-environment
Who has got completely the wrong end of the stick recently?
No idea, hope not me
Where is it all going?
Its all going and that what matters in the end, as long as you dont stand on the spot
Where are you going?
Every day is another adventure, so I’m going till i’m too tired every day, In the end I hope to be realy good in what I’m doing and to master more crafts .
Is street-art a social activity?
Yes and no, its social in arts scene I guess but you still dont know my name or my face and when you’re on the street you can talk to my work and it will look back at you but thats it for now .
What albums are you listening to at the moment?
Between experimental tekno to some gipsy stuff, cant remember names, my memory sucks.
In a world without limits you would create…
Frames and boundaries, you need to know where to stop at least for a moment.
How fucked are we on a scale of one to ten? What can we do about it?
Can’t stop at ten cause tomorrow we’ll get higher, not sure if we can do anything really, humans are learning only when it smacks us in the face and even then I’m not sure if that helps.
The ancient Greeks reckoned that art and science should bridge the gap between nature and perfection. What do you reckon?
well ,they didnt have all the global warming, depressions, world wars and diets to care about, every generation it all got to change, greeks brought the basics but nowadays its all just too fast, you will post this online and in few seconds it will be retweeted or something all over the place.