Anoyer History
Allways kNOw Your Enemy
street defense mechanism since 1990
ANNOY / vt - to disturb or irritate, especially by repeated acts. vex. (french)
Ist Anoye Piece (Anoi) Chromie with fill & robocop charactor 1990 Hollards Mitcham SA
BACKGROUND
Began sketching around 1984, first aerosol piece completed in 1986. First Tag: SYNTAX.
First Crew: 1986 ACC (ArtiStic Crime Corporation).
First Wall: 1987, first Canvas: 1989, first Mural 1991.
BEGINNINGS
This is an unoffical history of the artist ANOYER...by Meme Media
So how did it all start?
ARTIST'S COMMENT FROM 2001: "As with most people of similar age, I was attracted to Hip Hop culture in the mid- eighties during the worldwide explosion that saw famous movies and books - you should know the names - voice the message of inner city New York youth and their artistic expressions in full colour. Exciting stuff at the time, B-Boying, Graffiti, Rapping & Djaying instantly enveloped my consciousness, so when my older cousin showed me a few of his outlines in '83 or '84 I was blown away. I also used to collect Graffiti swap cards/stickers which came in packs of bubble gum way back in the day. I didn't really know that Graffiti was going down in my hood or people I knew were actually doing it, I thought it was all happening somewhere else so when I saw it right in front of me, that was it, I had to do it."
"Right then and there with my cousin breakin' next to me I was freakin' it to the beatbox bustin' designs pen & paper - paper & pen. From here I started to ride the train whenever I got the chance. I'd go all over the city, end to end, watching, taking note of who was up, who had fresh style, what tags they used, colours, all that stuff - just walking the line taking it all in, taking photos along the way. Even back then I knew the transits were going buff the pieces so I had to get a photo as soon as I could. I'm glad I did 'cause now in 2001 I'm sitting on an archive of 10,000+ photos, helping to fill in the spaces my memory can't. I just wish I had a more complete set of flicks for my own work, because so much of it has disappeared"
Various Floavours
"Even though I had been designing for a few years earlier, 1986 was when I first picked up a spraycan, pretty sure I racked some from my local hardware store, anyway until then it was all designs on paper, so to step up to a wall with a can was fun and a little scary all at once. Beatbox blast'n Eric B & Rakim, Run Dmc, 'walk this way' and all that stuff. Mission brown Kill Rust was the flavour with a standard black for good measure and with that the throw-ups began, middle of the day illie style, didn't know it wasn't allowed! Yes the cops did roll and so I had my first run in with them over graffiti. Ok so when everyone starts can control is almost non-existent, I was no exception - but I soon got the hang of it. I've always been a little bit of a perfectionist, so I wasn't feelin' those runs. Try, try again - strictly pull back styles, you know the real old school shit. No thin caps, outliners etc. Straight skills were required in this era. The only paint to have in those days was Kill Rust, Tuxan or Plasticote. After that Polyurethanes, Easy Sprays & Touch-ups. You know nowadays, a lot guys can come out with really clean pieces straight away, simply because they've got access to all the new generation cans, which are light years ahead of what was available in the old skool times."
PROBE 2 (unfinished) 1987
"Now it must be said, that I didn't start out writing ANOYE, my first serious painting name was SYNTAX in 1985/86, followed by PROBE 2 in 1987, it was actually PROBE until I found out some toy was writing it, so for a while I was PROBE 2. This still didn't stop me from catching heat for trashing pieces, even though it was the original PROBE who was doing it. From here I changed up my whole style and began to write GIMIK in late 1987, early 1988. Now from what I've seen, lots of people have tried to claim GIMIK or a derivative of, but I'm saying unless you're stepping with photos, then I'm the one. I'll battle whenever these toys are ready. In 1989 I cut GIMIK back to GIM for short, but I still did a few GMK pieces as well."
"I've since found out that there is a crew in New York called Golden Monkey Kings or GMK for short, they do some good stuff. I've met the founder in person, he's a great guy & has seen my work and it's all good. The kind gentleman even furnished me with some GMK NEWYORK stickers."
GIMIK
GIMMICK / n - a scheme, device, or object devised to gain attention or publicity (origin unknown)
GMK (GIMIK) 1988 ACC WALL C.U.S.C SA
GIM by ANOIE 1994 SMF WALL C.U.S.C SA
ACC by PROBE 2 & FRAGILE (unfinished) 1987
An UNOFFICIAL HISTORY based on interviews with Meme Media.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: 1990 was the year of the first ANOI piece. From here there have been a few differing spellings - ANOY, ANOYER, ANOIE, ANOIER have all been used along with - ANY, A ONE, ANYONE or just A. Again a few misled people have tried to use the ANOYE name, but you can't help ignorance. ANOYE continued to also paint using GIM but didn't revive GIMIK to any real degree until around 1997. So it was mainly ANOYE from 1990 through until 1996, where things were rumored to have got'n crazy with the PSH crew. Those guys were getting up by all means...trains, busses trams, run ups - inside, outside, bombin' the lines hard from every angle.
From 1990 to 1996 there was substantial development in style for ANOYE. Utilizing all types of mediums and surfaces to create on. Air Brush, pencil, charcoal, pastels, acrylics, oils, water colours, aerosol, ink, marker, solid, line art, abstract, photography, computers, digital, analog, wood, paper, canvas, monitor. Every piece was to be different from the last. That was his stated aim - "to have no one style", just do whatever & be original every time. A few GIM pieces were done here and there along the way, also with the mission to be as original as possible.
SMF
In 1990, 1991 & 1992 the SMF CREW had the Tram Line covered with up to 20 Pieces running at any one time, both sides, station to station, full colour illies, legals, chromies, characters, all that stuff. It was a great time for the art. However in mid 1992 the Buff came into full effect, much was lost not only for ANOYER & SMF but for many painters all over Adelaide, and so things were different from then on, Graffiti nearly died - 1993 was average at best with hardly anything being done, but by 1994 art on the streets was emerging once again.
In 1994 & 1995 SMF was making a strong comeback and many pieces & productions were completed. ANOYE was rumored to be playing around writing FUNIE (not the same as odc) in 1995 & 1996 and after a falling out with painting partners SMF was over. A failed attempt to revive SMF as FMS (Funky Mad Styles) was short lived and the frustrations spawned the alleged involvement with PSH - the notorious PAINT STAINED HANDS...
ANOIE ONE 1997
EOS
After a Decade of painting it was time for change. From 1997 onwards big developments were made and a whole heap of new styles for ANOYER emerged. Gone solo as 1MC (one man crew) ANOYER focussed on the 'no one style' and a full range of ANOYER pieces were completed, using the 3D Painting style for the first time. Soon after 1MC came the E.O.S CREW. The idea of creating a completely different piece each time is a very important theme to ANOYER's art.
ANY by ANOYER 1997 SMF WALL C.U.S.C SA (Part of the World Ultimate 2000 series)
By the end of 1997 a new crew was formed with a new group of writers. ELIMINATION OF STRESS or E.O.S CREW was alive... GIMIK also made a comeback and both names were up simultaneously. 1998 saw further refinements in 3D. From here onwards - 1999, 2000 with E.O.S the focus had become larger scale paintings - murals in prominent places using 2D & 3D styles that we're getting more & more complex as time went on, with Anoyer painting with more partners.
The 'PAINT PIECE' never finished by ANOYER 1997- 98
In 2001 ANOYER'S piece book was put away for a year, supposedly to never be looked at again - to help free the mind of any existing styles that may be subconsciously thought of or inadvertently relaying on when designing or painting. Canvases, Oils and Sculpture have also been a focus for 2001 and beyond, with a view to expand on these angles for the future.
ANOIER 'The Playground' 2001
'GOODWOOD WALL' Stage One
2002 to 2005 saw a range of professional projects, workshops and canvasses undertaken, including the BIG DADDY - the return of aerosol art to the Goody Walls.
Known as the SHOWGROUND CENTRAL MURAL PROJECT, and painted at arguably one of Adelaide's most prestigious and historical spots, this is one massive production. This project is being developed as a TV Documentary and firmly places ANOYER as one of fast emerging international bound aerosol artists of today.
This ambitious mural has been designed and hand painted entirely with aerosol by ANOYER and comprises of 3 Stages that will create a mural that is over 2.5 hectares in size, and nearly a kilometer in length, competing for the title of the world's biggest Aerosol Art Mural.
This very large painting depicts scenes of the Royal Adelaide Show, it's history, amusements, performances and attractions, the local Unley community and also has a Street Art Showcase, which has been painted by some of the best known graffiti Artists of Adelaide. For more information about the Showground Central mural go to www.unley.sa.gov.au or www.onkaparingacity.com or the Showground Mural page at this site.
CREWS
The crews ANOYER has allegedly run with goes something like this:
1986 - 1988 A.C.C - Artistic Crime Corporation or Clique.
1989 - 1995 S.M.F - Stoopid Mutha Fukas or Simply Mad Fiends.
1996 - ?
1997 - 2004 E.O.S - Elimination Of Stress or Elements Of Style.
L-R: PROBE2, FRAGILE, SMIRK & FIT - 1987/88 ACC WALL C.U.S.C SA
AND YA DON'T STOP!
To see an interview with ANOYER from 2004 go to the Meme Media page at this site.