Red, green and blue for warrior Bue

Some things are just very hard to ignore. Whether you like it or not, even when closing your eyes, your visual memory reconstructs them in a couple of seconds and *BAM* there they are again. If I would ask you what kind of graffiti you have seen in Ghent lately, I’m quite sure that the happy, colourful and stylistic creatures of street artist Bue The Warrior will pop into your mind very quickly. If you don’t recognise the name, just scroll down to the pictures below for the AHA-Erlebnis.

Despite the fact he undeniably contributed to Ghent’s current identity, Bue‘s accent when talking ruthlessly echoes Antwerp – his mom is from Ghent, his dad from Antwerp – but he can guarantee he has been living in Ghent for a longer time now than he ever lived in Antwerp. That’s a relief; it gave us just the right energy level to jump into the questioning.

THE RABBITS: Do you remember when you held a spraying can in your hands for the first time?

BUE THE WARRIOR: I must have been sixteen, I think. Back then it was different of course: it had to be sneaky, quick and we could only work in the dark.

THE RABBITS: Now that street art has become quite transparent and public, do you sometimes miss that sneaky aspect?

BUE THE WARRIOR: Well, not really… the circumstances as mentioned before weren’t ideal to work in. Nevertheless I still go out and leave my traces on abandoned buildings or bridges from time to time.

THE RABBITS: One of the strong points of your work is that it’s very recognisable. How long did it take you to develop your own unique style?

BUE THE WARRIOR: Let’s compare it to Willy Vandersteen’s Suske & Wiske: after all those years it was still the same, but you could clearly see the evolution. My work has been evolving for the past 20 years. In 2005 I did simplify my style. I thought: if it’s simpler and more direct, it automatically becomes stronger and easily recognisable. I still prefer to put one big figure on a wall to get people’s attention than to create a cacophony where everyone just walks past.

THE RABBITS: Some of your creatures make me think of the Happy Tree Friends cartoons: cute little animals with blushing cheeks and sparkling eyes that in the end get killed because of dreadful accidents. Are your characters just happy happy or is there some kind of twist underneath?

BUE THE WARRIOR: No, it has never been my intention to add that kind of twist to it. My work is genuinely innocent and pure and therefore very child friendly. My goal is to make people laugh spontaneously when passing by and looking at it. Therefore I don’t understand people who hate my work. I understand some don’t like it, but to hate it just seems unnatural to me.

THE RABBITS: Do you pick out the walls or are the walls being picked out for you?

BUE THE WARRIOR: I explore the city and look around: it has to be the right spot, it should reach as many people as possible and it needs to go with the setting. What I don’t like is people who offer me a wall and think they do me a favour. If I think your wall is perfect, I will paint it for free, but I will always reject a wall that has been imposed to me. I don’t want to sound like the arrogant artist, but people should respect my work.

THE RABBITS: You’re well-known outside Belgium as well these days. You exhibited in Turin (Italy) and even have pieces in Mexico. How did that start?

BUE THE WARRIOR: I’m traveling a lot, I always have, and on my trips I leave my street art traces anyhow. Of course today’s social media help a lot to spread my work and to reach a wide range of people. The Mexico story started when some Mexican lady saw a wall my friend Chase and I had painted in L.A. She invited us over to Mexico and arranged everything just so we could paint a wall.

THE RABBITS: Now you mentioned your friend Chase, do you often work together with other street artists?

BUE THE WARRIOR: Let’s say it’s fifty-fifty: I equally divide it. But I must say I will start working on my own more often, since working together isn’t always rewarding. Even if you involve people, they don’t always involve you in return. Moreover the different styles need to go together and most of the time that’s not the case.

THE RABBITS: For those who want to smuggle a part of your work into their houses, there’s a collection of caps you decorated for Toykyo Kids. Is the merchandising part becoming more important?

BUE THE WARRIOR: Street art is a very appealing subject and tool for all kinds of markets: from the fashion world to automotive brands; they all want to use street art in order to reach their target audience in a “cooler” way. I truly admire artists who don’t ever compromise, but the truth is, as a street artist you also need merchandising to financially be able to continue your street activities. However, you can be sure about one thing: if I don’t believe in something, I won’t do it.   

THE RABBITS: Do you have the ideal job?

BUE THE WARRIOR: I have the ideal passion. Sometimes I need a break, like writers having a writer’s block, but that doesn’t happen too often.

THE RABBITS: Are there other dreams & plans?

BUE THE WARRIOR: Of course there are. Designing my own playground or even a carrousel would be very nice. But I prefer to carry out my plans instead of talking too much about them. What I can say is: if my ideas become reality one day, you will not be able to ignore them!

www.facebook.com/bue-thewarrior

www.toykyokids.be

Pictures: Bue the Warrior