Hera sees herself as just a chick with a spray-can, but Jimmy Jinx was determined to strip a few coats off this elusive painter and talk about everything from trip-hop to love and prison. Thanks to Paula Ricciulli for interview and translation assistance.
Text: Jimmy Jinx Portrait: David Rugeles/ Septima Photos Additional Images: Septima Photos In the year 1882, Irish poet, writer and flamboyant dandy Oscar Wilde traveled to the United States to begin a year-long series of lectures on aesthetics. After having been in the country for some time, Wilde was asked by a journalist why America was such a violent country. His response was typically succinct and eloquent: “Because your wallpaper is so ugly!” What at first seems a flippant response is ultimately illuminating – if you put people in an ugly environment, they will do ugly things. While Wilde’s words hinted at the impact of interior design, today’s street artists are similarly concerned with the value of exterior design. At its best, graffiti art adds urgent, stylish commentary to our modern visceral world. What drives these beautifiers of our city walls – why do they commit to this creative cause despite its obvious risks? In 2009 I visited Bogota for the first time, and have been studying its street art scene ever since. This process initially involved endless “graffaris” (graffiti safaris), pounding the city streets with my camera in hopes of stumbling across new work. Over time I began to recognize certain trademark styles and eventually met several of the artists, my favorite of which was Hera. Her style shows the distinct touch of a woman’s hand, both
physically and metaphorically. We persuaded her to set down her spray-can and tell JACK just what makes her tick. Jack: Talk to us about femininity in street art. Hera: People are usually impressed when they hear about women doing graffiti. For me there’s nothing extraordinary about it. We women can do graffiti as well, it´s no different. Femininity is very present in my work – I mostly paint portraits of women. We women have the same strength with the spray-can as men, but we have a more delicate line, as well as a different sense of aesthetic appreciation. J: When we first met you were in an on/ off personal and working relationship with another very talented Bogota graffiti artist, Franco (FCO). What effect has this relationship had on your work? H: We met through graffiti, and I guess that was what bound us. We discovered how to set up foundations, how to make money from art together, and I think we’ve had an equal creative influence on one another. It´s true that you need space creatively and emotionally, but we always pursued personal projects to do individual work. Maybe we grew apart emotionally, but we´re still friends and continue working together with Estereo Graphico.