Katsu is graffiti vandal infamous for his signature skull logo along with his large scale fire extinguisher tags.

I think escape and experimentation has always been my pursuit since I can remember,” he says. “I’ve always had to fabricate or draw ideas I had that just didn’t exist. I think videogames played a huge role in my early artistic development . . . maybe the escape and addiction aspects.”

Whereas many people think of the graffiti they see every day as an eyesore, KATSU was intrigued by the motivations behind the scrawls he saw in bathroom stalls, on the train and in alleyways.

“I just couldn’t understand what would drive individuals to work so hard and with so much talent to render these graphic paintings,” he says.

Perhaps what is often lost when examining artists who have transitioned from vandalism to fine art is an appreciation of the act of spray painting itself.

“All explanations about graffiti aside, that thing is pretty much one of the [most fun] devices a human can play with,” he says. “It’s like a magic bottle that can project bright colors and produce this amazing chemical fragrance. You can fill a bag with them and go create whatever you want.”