Street Roots • April 21-27, 2017
News
Page 4
P H O T O B Y JOE G L O D E
Gats, or G ra ffiti A g ain st the System, painted this m ural at fa n u s Youth Services in Northwest Portland. H is trademark m ask represents anonym ity, he says.
BY STEPHEN QUIRKE
After a recent mural painting at Janus
Youth Services in Northwest Portland, I had
the opportunity to sit down and interview
t isn’t every day that a phantom comes
the artist. Because of the controversy
to Portland.
around unpermitted art, I’ve been asked not
to share certain details from my interview
Gats, or Graffiti Against the System,
with Gats. If only to fill the gap, I have
is a mysterious street artist known for the
re-imagined our meeting for my own
ubiquitous mask he paints across the
amusement, which I suspect is no less
country - especially in the mossy underbelly
believable than “broken windows theory.”
of the West Coast.
"We don't h a w to
The interview, I assure you, is 100 percent
Gats says the mask represents
w ait around lo r fund
real.
anonymity - the only way to
The whole adventure began with a
ing, A rt w ill happen
survive in a society bent on police
mysterious package from a haunted post
if we have to smash
surveilleance.
office, and concluded some time later,
No one has ever seen the face
the pavement up and
around 3 a.m., when I encounter a man in a
stack rocks. There are behind the mask, yet Gats’ public
ski mask beneath an Interstate 5 overpass
art may be among the best known
no lim its to our cre
screaming along to a tiny boombox playing
on the West Coast - and has won
a tiv ity and our hunger him international acclaim as an
“We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted
Sister. Somehow I knew this had to be Gats.
for genuine experi
icon for graffiti.
I approached cautiously with my hands in
ence. What is revolu
Gats values anonymity - and for
the air, offering a level-5 secret handshake.
tion if not the product good reason. In addition to his
He accepted my handshake and signaled me
of human creativity?" print-making, indoor murals and
gallery exhibits, he’s also been tied to follow him. I did my best to keep up as he
vaulted over walls with spray-paint cans
up in the controversy surrounding
blasting from both hands - instantly
graffiti.
plastering masks on either side. As I finally
It’s only in the past few decades that
caught up, I started to faintly hear words
graffiti has fallen into disrepute as U.S.
over the roar of paint and sick ’80s guitar
police forces have stepped up their efforts
riffs. Just then, he tossed me a tattered
to control public space and clear it of all
notepad and said, “Start writing.”
public markings. This has been bolstered by
S T A F F W R IT E R
I
the “broken windows theory” that facilitated
the displacement and mass incarceration of
poor communities - including their artists.
in street art, do you have to enter a phone
booth at high speed, or fly into a circular
door?
Gats: I used to jump into those blue post
office boxes to change, but then the USPS’s
budget got cut, so the boxes are less
common now. You can still find my tags
inside them though.
I’m actually more like Godzilla, laying in
wait to destroy the city. Or maybe later
Godzilla where I’m trying to save the city
but still damaging a lot of property.
In all seriousness, though, we all play
many roles. Graffiti is just a lot more literal
when you’re trying to blend into your
environment.
S.Q.: D o you pa int m any free m urals, like
the one at Ja n u s ?
Gats: The majority of my work is done
outside without permission or pay. I
prioritize making the artwork accessible. I
view it like donating a book to the library.
When it’s in the streets, everyone owns it
and no one owns it. Everyone can enjoy it.
S.Q.: W to motivated you to do the Ja n u s
Youth m ural?
Gats: I paint for the houseless because
they are my most true audience. Most of my
work is on the streets, under bridges, in
Stephen Quirke: Does Gats have an
everyday life, like Clark K en t? Before engaging
See GATS, page 5
Janus Youth
Services provides
more than 40
programs for
adolescents
experiencing
homelessness and
addiction across
Oregon and
Washington. It is
among the largest
such providers in
the Northwest,
launching in
Multnomah County
in 1972.