Artist: Opak

Crews: SDK,WUFC

Country: France

City: Paris 

On Stage: since late 80´s 

OPAK stands for swingey letters, trains, bombings, paris and global player.. Check the interview below!

Write4Gold Operational Areas:

1.Venue: Write4Gold New Zealand

Country: South Africa

City: Capetown

Date: 27th may 2006

Partner in Judgement: Zebster, Akut

2.Venue: Write4Gold Russia

Country: Russia

City: Moscow

Date: 3rd june 2006

Partner in Judgement: Zebster,Bates

3rd Venue: Write4Gold World Finals

Country: Germany

City: splash! Chemnitz

Date: 4th & 5th august 2006

Partner in Judgement: T-Kid, Zebster, Face78, Kacao77

Interview with OPAK

First of all, please give us a short introduction of yourself.

I write OPAK, SDK-WUFC crew.

Where are you from?

Paris, France.

When did you get in touch with graffiti for the first time?

I guess it was it when I started writing on the walls of my school. I discovered later that it was called “graffiti bombing”, and I loved the idea.

When did you start painting?

It was around the late 80’s.

Who were your idols at that time?

Probably noone doing graffiti as I didn’t know shit about it.

How was your relation to hip hop and the 4 elements - and what do you think about it today?

I really liked Hip Hop before MTV turned it into a stupid marketing tool for the masses. I heard a perfect definition from the TPG Squad a while ago, to define what I think of Hip Hop in 2006 : It consists of 4 elements. 3 of them I have very little interest in.

What kind of music do you listen to today?

 I like Reggae, Electro, New Wave and Rock mostly… Especially stuff from the 70’s & 80’s.

How did you develop your style over the years?

Sketching, bombing, painting and enjoying myself without looking back or listening to critics.

Do you think, you found your own style?

If people can recognize a piece from me, then I guess I have my own style. Hopefully it will keep on evolving until I’m satisfied with it… which is something that may never happen.

Do you prefer bombing, hall-of-fame-painting or playing in the yards?

Train bombing remains the most exciting part of the game.

Why did you quit painting illegally - was there any decisive reason?

I fought the law and the law won.

What's your opinion on trains?

They are very useful to go from one part of the city to the other.

If there was a good party, would you have ignored the train in the yard and gone there?

Hey, let’s do the train at midnight, go to the party at 2 and get wasted for the rest of the night, what do you say ?!

What's your favourite train?

The Love Train.

As you have painted worldwide, is there any place you still want to paint or any person you still want to paint with?

I’ve seen 10% of the system, I’ll keep the rest for my next life.

What's your favourite dish?

The A-line.

What do you think about the future of graffiti?

Mmh, let me guess…Graffiti I love will stay underground, while graffiti I hate will keep on growing until it becomes a nice sunday hobby and a product amongst others. But this is not a problem as long as you know where the truth is.

Do you catch up on graffiti online?

Sure, it’s nice to see what’s going on. But if I had to choose a media I must say I prefer the glossy paper of a fresh magazine or book.

Do you feel as a star or a legend?

What about… “a legendary star” ? come on let’s be serious, Madonna is a star, Elvis is a legend… I’m a writer.

Have you been the type of guy runnin' away or did you prefer stones and pepper spray?

What about hiding away ?

What will be the impact of new laws and harder punishment, from your point of view?

I don’t think any law can change the mind of a 15 year old kid who just decided to destroy everything. Things get different when you’re a grown up adult and realize you can’t both live a normal life and be a bomber. Hard punishments help you think twice before deciding which side to choose.

Are you interested in politics?

 Yes, but politics are not interested in me so why should I vote ?

What will you tell your kids and grandchildren about your graffiti-time?

Don’t do it at home.

What do you think, about graffiti competitions like write4gold, judging criterias, guidelines?

I think it’s a nice excuse for having a great party and a lot of fun.

Thank you for the interview. See you at Write4Gold 2006!

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