Cope2 has lived his whole life in the Bronx, in the public housing projects on the opposite end of the earth from Wall Street in Manhattan. He came to graffiti like everyone else in those days, at the age when young men and women begin to explore the urban labyrinth where we all live. Cope2 is a graffiti artist who created a legacy in New York with his art and creativity. Read on below as Cope2 talks to us about past influences, his debut RUNs and more in the latest 1xRUN Thru Interview…
1xRun Thru Interview
Loyalty & Pure Royalty by Cope2
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about the original pieces, when were they created? Is the original still for sale?
Cope2: The original paintings were done with acrylics and enamel paints, along with krink and paint markers. These pieces were for my solo exhibition “Rise To The Occasion” at Miami Art Basel in 2011. Pure Royalty was sold at Phillips de Pure auction house. Loyalty is still for sale.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about? How long did the piece take?
Cope2: Just taking my time and being creative . Both took about 2 or 3 days.
1xRun: What is unique about this piece?
Cope2: Loyalty has a photo pasted from a classic NYC subway car I did back in 1982. Both are official, authentic, original and have more than 30 years of history in it.
1xRun: Describe these prints in one gut reaction word.
Cope2: Authentic.
Loyalty & Pure Royalty by Cope2
1xRun: When did you first start making art? What was your first piece?
Cope2: I first started in 1978 on New York City subway cars. My first piece was in 1978 on a school yard wall.
1xRun: What artists inspired you early on?
Cope2: Old NYC subway graffiti legends like comet, blade, mitch77, case2, pnut2 and many more…
1xRun: What artists inspire you now?
Cope2: Jean Michelle Basquiat, Obey, Mr. Brainwash, Jose Parla, Kaws and many more
1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what?
Cope2: Bob Marley, jazz music, classic 80’s rock, old school rap. Just good music.
1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living artists who would it be and why?
Cope2: Damien Hurst, Kaws, David Choe Jr. and Jose Parla, they are all amazing artists.
1xRun: If you could collaborate with any deceased artists who would it be and why?
Cope2: Jean Michelle Basquiat, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol they are my idols.
1xRun: What was the last piece of art that you bought?
Cope2: A piece from Taki183.
1xRun: What else do you have in the works?
Cope2: Group and solo exhibitions booked for the next 2 years across the globe.
1xRun: Where can people find you?
Cope2: Website – Blog
-1xRUN