Feature: OBESE
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(Photos: go to bottom of page)


-Blaze(tag/name):
OBESE, ERYGE, ASME, FUCK, PHOTOS etc... No specifications to my names, actually, I just switch to another name when I'm fed up with doing the same letters.

-Any specific meaning or definition to your name?
Nope, it's all about having fun, my letters have just no meaning at all , I just love calling myself OBESE even though I aint fat at all in real life.

-Crews:
NHR (belgium) - NB (denmark) - KC (germany)

-City:
See above.

-Country:
See above.

-Email:
hakim.abbes@creo.com

-Webpage:
www.geocities.com/grolar2000 and www.geocities.com/sncbaize

-How long have you been painting?
9-10 years now, even though I started by doing quick stuff in my beginings, tags and lots of sketches...

-What kind of music do you like sketching/painting to?
I have actually no preferences at all. I love Doc gyneco, he's a french, very mainstream rapper "... I used to be nothing but a boner that made her happy 4 times a week.." , I like Hip Hop of course, I also MC with this belgian Crew INKANTE, we've done a couple of tapes, vinyls and cd's, we did tracks with Starflam and Rival. MCing is something I really love, but graffiti will always be my main activity in this movement (even if I don't see it as particularly hip hop)

-What are your three favorite movies of all time?
1) I love this documentary on french TV called "strip tease", showing the life of stupid people having strange lifestyles and hobbies (like this unemployed guy who wanted to build a flying saucer in his garden or this fool who wanted to learn his 3 year old son how to drive a motorbike thinking he'd later be a champion) - man, it simply shows you that whatever you do in life, there are weirdos out there who will act far odder than you!
2) Those porn movies on www.stileproject.com ... Some of it is simply amazing
3) La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz, french film about the suburbs.. quite funny



-Apart from writing, what are your other interests/hobbies in life?
I am curently trying to date nice old (single) women on internet forums, so if you happen to be one of them I just let you know that I'm able to invite you to my place or come to yours (I have a nice car)... Besides that, I try to get an interest in graphic + web design, I love languages too. I like travelling, cooking, eating too much, sleeping, washing the dishes and some ironing :)

-When and why did you get into graffiti?
It was about 10 years ago, it just happened after we saw this program on belgian TV about the brussels subway... Man, when I saw that, I started sketching imediately and I knew what to do. A few minutes later, a friend of mine from my neighbourhood came to my place and saw the sketches! He cracked laughing telling me that was mad and we should try it as well! We did try.. He stopped after a few days, I went on.... and im still here :)

-What influences your style the most? (Definition of your style...?)
Style is just personal and everybody influences you in a way or the other. But it needs to be personal, it might look crap to some and phat to others, but in the end, it's all about doing your own stuff - personal fulfilment.

-Style itself seems to be of uttermost importance to you; can you try to explain the reasons why?
Actually, I can't say I have a really notorious style, I try to add a lot of movement to my letters, I don't like using too many colors and shadings (but it happens sometimes), I try to concentrate rather on the letter shape, the cleanliness of the outline, the way you put the piece on the wall, I don't concentrate on nice fill-ins, I can be very messy sometimes with it BUT the outline is often clean and sharp. Maybe it's that feature that make some people think that I have a particular style... If yes, then I'd say I have a "dirty + messy + filthy style" :)

-What have your travels brought to you and contributed to your style?
Travels open your mind to what is done abroad... Actually it's funny, sometimes you happen to meet friends from denmark in germany or spanish guys in holland :) Two years ago I met one of my swedish friends in germany, he was there on interrail and a friend of ours from there took us on a panel night, and the next day we went on panels as well.. then I also remember having met my danish friend DIAS in holland and we had to celebrate it by doing this dutch hall of fame in amsterdam... I just love travelling.



-What do you keep from your experience living in Denmark?
Well first of all, don't eat too much of this Karrysild (fish with curry mayonaise) cause it might taste good but then you get a strange feeling in your belly... Man, I had that twice a day for 3 months... It's better than any other food! hmmmm... yeah, something else... Do not walk and cross the street if the pedestrian light is red for you even if there's no car on the street cause you might get perceived negatively (I remember it was 03.00am and we were out with a bunch of local guys, it was snowing, we were waiting at this red light standing there to cross the street... there were no cars at all in the street and we had to stand there freezing our balls off until the light turned green to cross the road... Man, amazing how people there are so law abiding. France is ok for painting, Paris is a bit odd sometimes, but it's ok. Spain is really nice, cool people, and it's never too late for a wall :) , Germany is superfresh and people there know how to party :)

-The graff scene in Belgium? What are the negative and positive aspects of it?
You have to come and judge for yourself... Trains are a bit risky nowadays, but I think it's still possible to do them quite easily depending on the spot. Walls are ok; I think in general the overall quality is nice and we have nothing to envy of the other european countries... Except maybe a bit of discipline. I have done a few crew walls in germany and the people there were much more organized in their work, while we work alot with freestyle in belgium, at least in my area.

-What is your motivation in painting? What will the future hold for graffiti?
I try to have as much fun as possible in graffiti, I dont really care about the fame part. I try to improve my pieces, but it ain't easy cause you just follow your instincts and everything you plan for your wall just disappears... I do not use sketches when painting, I really like adapting styles to the wall, the environment or the overall surface we have to paint, within a group of painters. You'd think an unorganized wall would take longer to paint because you need to think a bit while painting, but actually it's a wrong idea. I found out that I work much quicker when I paint freely, letting it come naturally, instead of trying to sketch something and adapt it to the wall. Man, this is the most natural approach to me... It's the same way with canvas painting, I mean I dont think you do a sketch before painting on a canvas...? :)



-What is your favorite surface?
I'm fond of these flat and straight walls, but I looove steel so much. Really, a train is worth 10 thousand walls, and the feeling is even better when you see it running; thats just not possible to describe. I'd rather paint a train then a 20m wall (really). The big problem is that I feel it a bit risky nowadays that I got this good position at work and that the local yard has been repeatedly fucked up and is now under high surveillance. But we still manage to find good spots, I think I'll be more active in the following weeks...

-Any amusing or peculiar anecdotes or experiences you wish to share with us?
Yeah many ! :) People act so strange at night, when you're out painting and dressed in low profile outfits, you can generally meet strange psycho cases without them noticing you... One night as we were walking, my man ERO and I in charleroi, I looked through a home window and saw that old guy watching a porn movie, that was so pathetic but fun... damn it, if it was a nice chick watching that movie, i would not have been painting that night. There are so many stories like that, like when you get chased, so many memories ;)

- How did you come to paint ropes? What is the meaning behind them, if any?
I started to paint those fucks after I broke up with my ex girlfriend 2 years ago I think. The break up in itself did not provoke that, but you know I felt so bored when I was single that I started again the bombing... I hit the city so hard they wrote articles about it, I did tags, throw ups and stickers... Now I calmed down a little bit cause the job is really getting risky (man, they said I did millions of damage with that), I used special inks with my markers, I used to bomb those ropes during the night and the next morning, I used to see the city cleaning workbums buffing them :) that was so fun! I miss those days, I'll be back soon with new HANGMAN designs, so those city workbums need to be on their guards!



-Who are you down with and which writers do you paint with?
I'm basically down with anybody cool. I like to meet new people. I'm also down with Jennifer Lopez ("she's real"), Janet Jackson, R kelly and puff Daddy. They're very active in bombing :) more seriously, I'm down with anyone, I paint with various painters, and the fact that I represent a crew doesn't mean that I paint in priority with the crew guys.

-In your opinion, what are the true important elements to remember in graffiti? (What "mental" or "spiritual" standards do you set for yourself? if any...)
F-U-N, personal achievement, trying to improve yourself piece after piece, and it's good if you get fame for that... If not then it's not important anyways cause it ain't the primary goal is it? Thanks to graffiti, I met a couple of geeks from every country in europe and even further (damn, even in Norway hehehe!)... that's mad because I dont think I'd have made so many friends without graff (hey that's spiritual enough eh!)

-Any special shoutouts or hellos?
Yeah: Family and Crew. Props to all these old single women from belgium I speak with on the dating forums (I love you all ladies and I now have a webcam), peace to those cool IRC norwegians (they know who they are), DB, P50, SHOZ, DESRO, JABA, EFAS, MORITZ, ATEM, MOSTE, Martin, OSNA, TARE; all the others, there are so many!! :) take care and keep on rolling! :)