Say hello to Citgo

Citgo

Citgo is the creative imaginative taskforce that occupies so very much of my waking hours. We’ve got some exciting campaigns in the works. Here’s a couple stikcers I’ve doodled. Perhaps I’ll make some available for download.

Here’s a brief primer on my involvement with the group. Citgo started as a graffiti organization in the 213 (Los Angeles) region of California. There is still an active presence in LA. My friend Serb (graffiti name) aka Robot aka Kapow aka Rockit moved to Arizona and carried the Citgo name with him. The Arizona chapter of Citgo has only four full fledged members and one associate. Between the four of us, we’ve got screen printing, can control, stick ups, letter form, poster work, wheat pasting and throw ups as a list of services we provide to the community.

I’m an advocate for graffiti because I’m an advocate for equality. It should be stated here that I’m a bit of an anarchist. I’m not really a fan of capitalism. It’s frustrating to me that everywhere we turn, we’re being told to buy something. That we need more shit in order to be complete. That our quality of life will be increased as we stockpile more stuff. I don’t believe it. And I want other people to really consider if they believe it too.

You can buy just about anything in America. You can buy food. Shelter. Clothing. Pleasure. Drugs. Sex. Power. Influence. Justice. Convenience. Immediacy. Distractions. Intimacy. You can even buy a voice. In fact, if you want a voice, you damn well better be able to pay for it.

Billboards are everywhere. Newspapers are full of advertising. Commercials fill the airwaves. Advertisements pop up on your web browser. Money is being exchanged on all sides. Somewhere, somehow, someone is trying to convince you that you need their product or service. And you can have it. For a price.

And that’s all well and good. We need each other. We need to fill our lives with something.

I’m just not so convinced that we’re buying the right things. Or that we should be paying for it with paper. That we should exchange our time and energy as part of a cog in a giant machine so that we can accumulate a little bit of money in the hopes that we can buy the quality of life that we’re looking for.

Fuck that. No thank you.

And so I write. With markers. Pens. Pencils. Paint. Ink. On stickers. On stop signs. On bathroom walls. On fast food drive thru menus. On newspaper stands. On sides of buildings. On buses. On benches. In daylight. At night. Whatever. Whenever. Wherever.

I go by a lot of different names. Malt. Wer. Knes. Erse. Daam. Expo. Bliss. Blah. Ersendaam. My identity isn’t what’s important here. Getting you to think is what matters to me.

And so I write. Do Not Be Afraid. Live Free. Ask Questions. Dream Big. Try Honesty. Examine Everything. Kill Your TV. Read a Book. Feed the Hungry. Take Only What You Need.

And for the time being, it’s sloppy. Primal. Vandalistic in nature. And i don’t mind. I’ll stab the beast in its belly. The risk of arrest and fines is well worth the opportunity to have a voice. Even if it’s just a whisper. Even if it’s buffed out. Painted over. Covered up. Erased. Taken Down. At least I know that for a moment, somebody encountered a message that made them think for a brief second that maybe we’ve got this thing all wrong.

But Ambitions are brewing. I’m coming for you billboards. With campaigns. With ideas. With giant posters and buckets of wheatpaste. Keep your eyes open so you can buy what you’re told to. Or look the other way and see a broken world that you can have a hand in fixing.

Citgo

Capitalism is the Greatest Offender

Cause I Tried Getting Over

Canvas in the Great Outdoors

Creating Images the Gods Ordained.