Okay, so lets get to know a little more about… Eggyolk

Chief Magazine: Okay, so first off… sup? What do you write, age, and where are you from?

Eggyolk: EGGYOLK, South Beach, Miami, Florida, 25 years. I grew up on an island on Miami Beach and moved out here to Brooklyn in 2001, right before 9-11 happened. I’ve been living here ever since.

How are you, what did you do today?

Today was a pretty busy, I got up, went to some classes then skated to Fulton Mall. I hate fast food but love Wendy's and Taco bell. From there, I came back to my studio and posted up there for few hours.

Sweet deal. It's all about the double bacon egg and cheese. So where does the name eggyolk come from?

During one of my biology classes in High school, I was sitting in class drawing as usual while my teacher was talking about the female reproduction system. The word Yolk got thrown out there and I just thought that was pretty cool.  I started writing that for a while, then added the egg on after. It goes back and forth all the time. Every now and then I’ll even switch it up Huevo, the Spanish translation for egg. This one is more fun to work with when it comes to painting more intricate letter styles.

Tell me about growing up. I remember going over to your apt and seeing some serious photos of the 90s involving your girlfriend posing for you to draw her naked, while your parents were at work. Please tell me more, I need to know.

I’ve just always been into drawing naked women. Classical figure renderings were an early inspiration for me. My girlfriends came over and were cool with it too, so it became a regular thing. My mom knew and didn’t care that much, at least she didn’t after my third year of high school. Before then she just ended up driving them all home when she came back from work in the evening, which was probably a good thing now that I think back on it.
        
[Laughs] What got you started, what made you want to write?

My involvement with graffiti started in 1996 during my middle school years. I had to commute to the other side of the city, and the ride was always the worst part of my day. I found myself killing time by trying to decipher all the writing that flashed by as we sped down the highway and neighborhood streets.  As a student in the arts, I was attracted by the pools of color, then the shapes that were created in each letter. I soon met other kids my age who were interested in writing too. Those early years are some of the best in my life,. Me and my homie Erupts, went walking around late at night tagging on spots that we thought would. Once I got to high school, I started painting more, not just tags but fills and pieces. A few kids who went to school with me where were cool enough to take me with them painting. Every weekend we rolled out to this giant abandoned warehouse in Hialeah. We came through with about 10-15 heads each time because that part of town is real harsh, overrun with gangs,  illegal immigrants, and a large Caribbean community who practiced voodoo black magic, no joke. I never got used to the sight of garbage bags stuffed with dead chickens, most likely from some crazy sacrificial ritual of some sort. they were funny times. A lot of Miami has since changed, gentrified, and redeveloped. Brooklyn is the same thing too, when I first started painting Brooklyn, There were so many Lots and shutters to paint that it didn’t require much effort or a long walk either. I'm not even that old either, so I have a hard time imagining what these places were like for the older generations. In the end it scares me.

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Gnarly. And yeah, it’s like when you take the train to P.S1 MoMA in Queens. You’re underground and then all of the sudden you’re above and see all these quick flashes of tags and then you’re underground and in the dark the next second and that just makes you want to see more.

So, when it comes to writing, what are your motivations?

Everything from the preparation to the execution, the end result is just a fraction of it. The rituals that are incorporated into this subculture are interpreted differently by each person and overlap onto many other aspects of my life. No matter how many people bite and rag others writers, there will always be a selected few that gravitate together just because they have come to understand the broader truths of this subculture. It is this reality that motivates me. Getting up just to get up, no prizes, corporate sponsorship, or action figures.

That’s the way it should be.  What’s your best experience in graffiti?

Kayaking through the canals on Miami Beach in the rain. Catching tags and outlines with my home G-lo on shipwrecked boats, canal walls and rocks that all disappear under water during the high tide.

Anything romantic? Romantic stories?

Most of these are all classified, but one story ready for public consumption is one that’s fairly recent. I’ve  been teaching my girlfriend how to get up, and going out with her late at night always sets the stage for a romantic time. The ironic thing about that is that she got pretty good, exceeding many of my friends in letter structure, and hand style. It’s definitely romantic, although I created something that has now gone beyond my control. I worry about taking her out with me cause she’ll end up burning some of my other friends, and that cannot happen, at least not now.  This censorship however, is futile and wont last forever. Until then, the beast is staying locked away, safe and sound in my heart.

Romantic! Now, tell me a getaway story.

Back in 2002 I was doing a roller fill at this abandoned lot off Biscayne Bay in Miami. On my way out, the spot got rushed by cops who blocked off the entrance and my escape route to the side. I wasn’t spotted yet but definitely cornered. When I heard them coming around the adjacent property, I went the only way I could, into the Bay. I swam and swam about 7 blocks down until I couldn’t swim anymore, then posted up on the some guys luxury yacht, to catch my breath. Fortunately my place wasn’t all that far away and I knew some people who lived on the water that I could swim to. 20 minutes later I swam to what I thought was a friendly backyard near my crib. I pulled my self up on to their yard, only to be chased off by some crazy dog. Tired, wet, and cold, I tried the next house down. As I made my way out, I saw this couple getting down in their living room. When I heard the woman scream I didn’t know if she had seen me walk past, or just got served up. I didn’t stick around for any kind of closure.

Hahaha, your life is so movie. Tell me a not so getawayble story

Definitely had my share of those! I've been arrested 7 times for graffiti
related crimes, which is nothing compared to most writers I know. The last
time I got roped really sucked, not only did I get bagged, but I got the
shit kicked out of me from the cops. On top of that, I didn't even get to
finish my fill cause my cans started spitting. That’s what I get for using
dollar store paint on a burner spot. when I came down from the rooftop, two
police officers came out in front of me and commenced the ass wippage. They
justified all this by saying I resisted arrest, that’s a load of garbage, I
resisted getting beat up. One of the officers had his name tattooed in a
wild style graffiti font, what a fucking hypocrite!!!, I want to find the
dude who designed that for him and burn his fucking house down with him
inside. This way he can’t contaminate our society with any more little fork
tongue graffiti writers getting down with the nine.

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So Eggyolk, what are other forms of art that you are focusing on or practicing?

For the past five years I’ve been developing my skills as a sculptor, studying everything from metal to wood, to mold making and inflatables. My favorite medium however is found objects. I am really in to assemblage art and have been working to create a language of my own.

Do you feel your street steez and your academic fine arts school dealies relate or crossover?

The projects that I work on in my studio are very much related to the work that I do on the street. I am trying to connect to a wider audience,  not just the privileged, but all social and economic classes. My materials are salvaged from the street, taken into my studio and reincarnated into something else. These sculptures are metaphors to who we are and what we have become in this new age, the 21st century. These found objects are reminisced of our culture, not just consumer, but socially, and spiritually.

Where do you go, what do you look at, what do you… to get inspiration?

My graffiti is mainly influenced by other writers who I see in my neighborhood, its easier to keep track of whose doing what and where in the hood. I believe street level graff is much more sincere than doing murals or giant legal productions. Of late I’ve been inspired by people like Sadu, Oze, Gen, Leeto, Kuma, Paste , Sye5, etc. As far as the fine arts go, it’s taken from artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Jean Tingley, John Chamberlin, along with contemporaries like Swoon, Os Gemeos, and Barry Mcgee.

I saw the streets mart show you had last summer at China House and the fashion show by Blu Print, that was tight. Big fan. What projects are you working on now and what do you planning on working on in the future?

The work that I’m producing right now is an out growth of the pieces I had in that show, only these assemblages are a lot bigger and reference specific forms. One form that I’ve been playing with is that of two cells dividing, the process of mitosis. The theme of replication is so layered and lends itself really well to the medium that I work in. As far as any future plans go, I want to do work that’s a lot more site specific, with drawing, painting, sculpture, whatever. When I say Site specific I’m really talking about locations removed or closed to the public, condemned buildings, abandoned lots, burnt out homes, and vacant factories, all forgotten and dislocated. Why? I don’t really know.

What are some things you are psyched on in life right now?

Graduating college, perfecting various skateboard tricks, life in general. I’m not planning anything amazing but I'm open for any opportunity or lucky lotto tickets out there. Other than that I’m pretty content with how things are right  now.

Finish this sentence: I cant live without…

Magic cards

Friends are…

in my head
 
Okay, Shout it out eggyolky!:

All my homies from Miami, DME crew, south beach. The EE network, operating from Las Angeles to New York, the Push Fast Homies chilling in Brooklyn, and my girl, Jen, much love to all.





Interviewer: Maggie Lee

Photos courtesy of: Jenn Sullivan & Nick Chatfield-Taylor