Interview réalisée en partenariat avec le Meeting of Style France
When did you know (or see) your first tag and your first gaffs?
Well, since childhood I always liked to draw … I was born in the city of Caxias do Sul, in southern Brazil, but my mother was born in São Paulo. Whenever I went in São Paulo to visit my family I was admiring the graffiti and the graffiti … It was there where I had the first contact with the street art scene.
When did you start to tag and graff?
I started doing graffiti in the high school, with 14 years old … I bought some magazines from São Paulo because at the time there was no internet or much information about graffiti in my area … I studied some letters and had a brief stint in Scene pichacao … Soon, I began to throw up and then some drawings … In Brazil is common to start with the pichacao …
Where did you paint for the first team? Where did you put your first tag?
In my city, in Caxias do Sul .. The first was on city street … Some bombs with my Crew …
What is your nickname since the beginning? Otherwise, what are the others in order of appearance?
My first nickname was « Smurf Hauli » … I signed for a long time Smurf, because I was part of a crew called Smurfs, and « Hauli » which means « beginner » because I was start even .. hehehe … After 10 years, began to sign my real name « Fabio Panone Lopes », with the short tag » FPLO « name sign already for almost five years …
Can you tell your story since you start to paint to show it to people? Which year and Which place? Who did you met at this moment?
Well .. I think my first paints where many people come to know and see what I was doing I was in the area where I lived, and the school where I studied .. With my class room mate, ask the director from school principal to paint the wall and he released. We made a great wall and then my art began in earnest to be valued by the people … That was in 2001/2002 …
Did you paint undergrounds trains in France?
No … never!
According to you, who is (or who are) the first graffiti artist in your city?
I’m not sure .. But I think I started with artists of my crew at the same time that another crew also began in my city ..
What Were the first places where we paint at the beginning? You, where did you paint?
On city streets … Some places abandoned .. Some bridges …
Can you talk about your first crew and its story? What is its composition? Does this crew still exist? What does it do?
My first Crew was the Smurfs Crew Art. In high school days I and some class rooms formed the crew in order to paint the walls in the neighborhood where we were studying … Today it no longer exists … I finished school and I only of the crew I followed with much love for making art … so I formed one crew with new artists, the Wild School Crew. In Wild we have more Niggaz, Agape and Tiulu, all artists of my city. I am part of Pax Crew, along with the artists Jotape, Celo, Paula Plim, Motu, Chavs and Seila. In 2012, I was invited to join the international crew MCT. The names of all the artists I do not know because the family is big…Some artists I never meet yet… But I was invited and I have more contact with Burg, Blaze, Djuk, Jenk, Yellow, Encs, Sekra, Astik2 (RIP).
Did you expose in gallery?
No.. Just paint on the street .. And some collective exhibitions, but never in gallery .. Just STREET.
Do you live thanks to your art?
Not … I am also Architect well as artist. Working in parallel with the two professions in my studio … Studio FPLO… Both me are profitable, and help me a lot to survive … But now I am very grateful to be able to travel the world through my art …
Can you tell some anecdotes or weird event That You lived?
Well … my life changed a lot in recent years .. I finished the university in 2012, the year that I’ve been to paint the first time in Europe, the Meeting of Styles Greece. It was there that I met the staff of Eskis Company, and recive the invited to illustrate the first limited edition with artists for the brand. After 2012 and all these facts, I never stopped traveling to paint … People increasingly encourage me and say that my art has a different potential, colorful and expressive and free lines … Every time has appeared more opportunities to paint and draw in events for major companies .. I’m surprised at my life, but I’m making the most and doing what I like to do … Graffiti.
Studio FPLO / Street Art / Design / Architecture
Paris Tonkar magazine 