before graffiti, I used to draw mazes, I must
have been OCD. I remember copying comic
books as a kid with tracing paper. Today, I
really enjoy making my collages, I think I
got ‘em down finally. I’ve been making them
since 2008, so a few more years and I think
I’ll have mastered it in my own kinda sloppy,
haphazard way.
Morgan Febrey: Could you, would you,
describe the transition from street to fine
art? Was there a big coming of age story
behind it, an art mitzvah, if you will? Or was
it something sitting in your mind all the while?
Mario Zoots: Haha! Art Mitzvah. No, no.
I think I decided to go to art school in
2004, and it was mainly because I didn’t
want to work some stupid job. At the time,
I was working at an insurance company
in downtown Denver during the day and
painting graffiti on freight trains during the
night. I was living between two worlds, living
a double life. I think I wanted to merge work
and play and the artist lifestyle was more
conducive for being a graffiti writer, setting
your own hours, being your own boss.
I wanted to make different work, something
not related to graffiti. I wanted to remove my
own hand, my own mark making from my
art, I did this by not painting or drawing for a
real long time. I decided that cutting paper,
tearing paper, and deconstructing found
images was a way for me to break free from
my hand. I wanted my graffiti and my art to
be completely different. Every now and again
it creeps back in and I’m totally cool with that.
I never want to forget where I came from.
At first, I was really into making this type of
graffiti art stuff on canvas, but as I got deeper
into my studies of art history, especially with
Dada and surrealism, I became very inspired.
Morgan Febrey: Would you say collage is
your primary medium now? Your magazine
cover series is a repurpose of a repurpose.
You make the cover your own piece of art by
InkSpIredMagazIne.coM
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