I’ve also worked with some Spanish apparel brands, too.Ī506: Not only do fashion brands want to work with graffiti artists, but it seems like huge corporations are looking to collaborate with them as well? TOT: I’ve done several large-scale campaigns with Samsung. Also, there are a lot of spacious walls for artists to paint.Ī506: You mentioned that you did work for NIKE – have you worked with other companies? And every Saturday, there’s an event going on at the gallery. There used to be nothing in the Wynwood area, but now there are restaurants, cafes and art galleries everywhere. I even recently painted at Wynwood in Miami. Many Columbian artists are being invited to the Art Basel in Miami Beach. There are a lot of young artists out there who’ve been inspired by my work. ■ A behind-the-scenes video of TOT’s “AIR MAX DAY” ProjectĪ506: What’s the graffiti scene like in Columbia? I also did a project for AIR MAX DAY with a Columbian artist La Jaxx. TOT: I recently met and created art with Miss Van, who lives in Barcelona. And since I did study at an art school, I enjoy painting on canvas in the studio.Ī506: I saw a video on VICE Magazine about a female graffiti artist from Columbia. TOT: Doing my art with the spray cans is a way of promoting peace. I was very much inspired by him.Ī506: Do you still do graffiti art on the walls in Bogota? Also the fact that he brought graffiti art to the gallery. From his technique to how he portrays his emotions on the canvas is amazing. TOT: The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee, Atom Boy, Mazinger Z, Captain Tsubasa, etc.Ī506: What kind of artists were you influenced by? I went to Tokyu Hands yesterday and bought a lot of POSCA pens!Ī506: Which Japanese anime did you watch? I’m not sure why, but it was really easy to get a hold of Japanese products. TOT: Yeah, I used both POSCA pens and Kuretake calligraphy pens. TOT: I brought back Montana cans from Barcelona. I was still in high school, and like I said earlier, I was creating graffiti art focusing on a cat motif, and people started noticing. Through graffiti centered around a cat motif, I wanted to portray a message of love.
To me, graffiti is a way of freedom of expression, a way for people to see something beautiful. It was considered a foreign culture at the time.
When I was in high school, I decided I wanted to continue doing art, so after I graduated I enrolled in art school and studied graphic design.Ī506: When you started doing art with spray cans, was there already a graffiti scene in Bogota? TOT: I competed in a lot of art contests growing up. I started doing street art when I was thirteen.Ī506: So you were a child graffiti artist! What kind of materials were you using? My parents started supporting my art when I was in kindergarten, and they’d put paper on the walls for me so that I could draw directly on them. I don’t really remember how old I was when I started, though. TOT: I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. We asked TOT about the street art scene in Columbia, located across the globe from Japan.Ītelier 506: We heard you’re from Bogota, Columbia. Having accomplished many global collaborations with brands such as Nike and Samsung, TOT opened his first art exhibition in Japan titled “ GALLERY 21” (now closed). GIOVANNY SANCHEZ, also known as TOT, is one of the most sought-after artists in the region. With the civil war coming to a close after over 50 years, Bogota, Columbia’s capital, is no exception. Street art has gained much popularity in Latin America over the last few years. Interview with TOT GIOVANNY SANCHEZ: The Artist Representing Colombian Street Art Scene
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