A small catch-up with A1one

A small catch-up with A1one

By Arden de Raaij

Mad love for our friend A1one! The artist from Tehran, Iran is a pioneer in Persian graffiti and street art. He’s a true mixed media artist and creates work from ‘traditional’ graffiti, calligraphy / caligraffiti to stickers and stencils. His style seems to be a unique combination of heritage, isolation and skills. Since the last time we had an interview with A1one we’ve had the honour to meet him in person during his tour through Europe, but that already was a long time ago and of course he hasn’t been sitting still in the meantime! We asked A1one how things are going over in Tehran.

A1one: Everything’s fine. Working on the streets is much more difficult nowadays, especially for those who have been in previous contact with (police) officers. We’ve just established a graffiti wall with 100 meters of metal panels called the Tehran Graffiti Club. It’s not legal, but it’s not illegal. It’s like a hall of fame for Tehran, but also like a club. We’re creating a gallery, a graffiti/hip-hop store and the members of the club have lockers to stock their cans in. This way we tried to find a place to experiment, develop techniques and things. Unfortunately, many new comers are still so uneducated about it and many haters and biters come and go!

Be sure to check out A1one’s independent studio: Kolahstudio http://www.kolahstudio.com/!