Jonathan Curiel of SF Weekly recently interviewed San Francisco street artist, APEX, whose solo exhibit “REFLECTED” is now on view at 941 Geary through January 5, 2013. The artist touches on the twenty years he’s been in the game, his mural at Haight & Masonic, and the future of San Francisco street art:

“REFLECTED,” New Installation & Paintings by APEX
November 17, 2012 – January 05, 2013 at 941 Geary
Tuesday – Saturday, 12-5 PM

Untitled (Blue), Spray Paint on Canvas, 6×6 ft.

Your new exhibit gives you a large gallery space where you could do anything you wanted. You created 12 large paintings, and 12 small, framed variations of the same bright images, along with a dark grid pattern on the floor and walls. What’s the story behind “Reflected”?

The architecture of the gallery dictated a different presentation and approach. With all the raw wood and brick, and because the space is so open, I wanted to engage the viewer more — to have the viewer participate more. The wall and the floor all have a continuing pattern, and it starts in the center of the floor and works its way out — mirroring itself, to go with the theme of the show. The space is so big I wanted to darken the space, and then have bright canvases. On their own, they’re bright but also subtle and soothing. It makes the space small, even though you’re aware the space is big.

Your large mural on the corner of Haight and Masonic — on the outside wall of a clothing store — was commissioned by the store. Thousands of people see the mural every day. It’s an intense work.

I’ve worked with the clothing store from the time they started five years ago. They rotate the wall a couple of times a year. They said, “Let’s do something new with you.” When I was painting that, it was great to have people participate in it as they were going to work or getting off work. As the mural grew, people could see the different layers and enjoy it. The work on the street has to compete with so much other visual stimulation out there. The mural catches your eye and brings you in. I try to give you more to look at and to contemplate as you look at the work.

There’s symbolism in the mural. The store is at Haight and Masonic. Masonic starts in the hills as Roosevelt Way, and Haight Street going west leads to Lincoln Way. Those are named after presidents, who were probably Masons. Things that I’m into, like sacred geometry, the Masons were into. The mural has a nod to them, with a Fibonacci sequence, and in the center, a Merkaba star.

Is this a good time to be a street artist in San Francisco?

Street art thrives on neglect. That’s where it’s born. And that’s when it thrives — when there are neglected walls. In the city right now, there’s not too much room of neglect. Every little area is being dialed in and built up and cleaned up — which I think is great. In that way, it allows for more murals to be highlighted, and people to ask for murals. So on that end, it’s great for street art and great for me — someone who’s already participated in street art for a fair amount of time. But for artists who are beginning, there’s not a wide range of things to practice on. That rawness is always how something new and fresh begins, in every walk of life. New street artists are still picking it up — it just has a different feel to it. They’re creating something new based on the availability of what’s out there.

Untitled (Red), Spray Paint on Canvas, 6×6 ft.

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