1xRUN Thru Interview
Zodiac by DXTR
1xRun: Tell us a bit about this piece, was there an original created or was this made specifically for print?
Dxtr: This one was done specifically for print.
1xRUN: What materials were used to create this piece?
Dxtr: Pen, paper, scanner and Adobe Illustrator.
1xRun: When was the piece created?
Dxtr: I did this one just for the fun of it when I had some spare time between projects. I think it was around May 2014.
1xRun: Anything immediate you would like us to highlight? Was this piece in a specific show?
Dxtr: Nope, I always wanted to do a screen print out of this. When 1xRUN contacted me for another release this was the perfect opportunity to get this one printed finally.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Dxtr: I’m a big fan of symbolism as you guys know from our last print. I’m always interested in symbols and the meanings behind it. I enjoy cryptic, mystic and meaningful icons and elements, so this is why I wanted to create my own Zodiac at some point.
1xRun: How long did the piece take?
Dxtr: Good question. I don’t really know. When I am working on free stuff, illustration wise, I just start at some point and work on it whenever there is time to do so.
1xRun: What do you feel is unique about this piece?
Dxtr: Every element makes sense and is incorporated for a reason in this artwork. I think it is necessary for my work that all the elements represent something, are meaningful and make sense somehow.
1xRun: Why should people buy this print?
Dxtr: Better buy this or bad karma will hit you.
1xRun: Describe the print in one gut reaction word.
Dxtr: Symbolic.
1xRun: Bring us up to speed on what you’ve been up to since our last release and your time spent here in Detroit?
Dxtr: It’s been a year since we were in Detroit and a lot of stuff has happened for sure. I moved to Berlin finally for example. The Weird and I have been to Belgrade/Serbia. I’ve been to Ukraine, Austria, Croatia, Amsterdam, Bulgaria and traveled a bit more around Europe. It’s been a crazy good year.
1xRun: Any recent murals or public installations you’ve done that you want to highlight?
Dxtr: Ukraine was pretty crazy and I really like the outcome. Recently I painted a huge 9 story building with some friends in Neuss near Duesseldorf, my old hometown.
1xRun: Are there any new artists that have been inspiring you to push yourself as of late?
Dxtr: As always, it’s The Weird that inspires me mostly. I’ve really begun to like the work of Sawe from Barcelona or Lugosis from Italy. Mexico’s Smithe is always the shit, just to name a few.
1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what? If not then what is your environment like when you work?
Dxtr: I share a studio with Look and Vidam of The Weird in Berlin and of course we always listen to music while working. Vidam is an absolute Techno and electronic music fan, while Look prefers psychedelic Rock stuff. I prefer Rap, so I think there’s a good musical mixture going on in the studio.
Lately I started to listen to a lot of audio books while painting canvases. Somehow it’s a sedative for me and helps to totally get into the painting and forget anything else. Very therapeutic and smart as well in my opinion.
1xRun: Any upcoming shows or exhibitions you’d like to talk about?
Dxtr: We will have a bigger show coming up in Hamburg Germany beginning of next year. Also it seems that The Weird will travel the US again next year, but everythings top secret by now. I’ll have a nice sculpture coming out soon in Asia, be prepared for that.
1xRun: Where can we find you?
Dxtr: Facebook – Instagram @dxtrtheweird – Flickr
-1xRUN