C: Cold start. Who are you and where are you from? H: Yo I’m Hola 2D, A.K.A LatinoBlue, A.K.A Vato, A.K.A Mr always outside A.K.A Leonardo DiCaprio and I’m from Sydney Australia! C: How long have you been into graff and what brought you into the culture? H: I’m fairly new to the graff game. I've only been painting since 2020. I got introduced through a friend in high school. I remember just chilling one science lesson and my mate was sketching pieces on his page. I asked him about it and ever since then I’ve been addicted. I remember going home that night and doing my first sketch. C: It's actually really interesting to talk to someone who has gotten into graff (relatively) recently, unlike older writers you would have been able to immediately see global content immediately online, which is amazing! I guess that's my next question, did you start to change how you viewed the world you were in? H: Oh yeah for sure. As soon as I started graffiti my whole world just changed. My eyes are just constantly constantly looking at spots and scanning for different names and new words. It’s funny because to the regular person graffiti goes so unnoticed. I always enjoy watching people’s reactions when panels go by. They barely bat an eyelid! Almost as if the panel was invisible. It's so cool because graffiti is like this secret hidden language only a few people seem to know about. Like a secret game that hides in plain sight. C: Did anyone teach you/show you the ropes or did you go solo when you started? H: Nah I just went straight in. I didn’t know anyone older really I kinda just had to figure it out C: Now a question repeat readers will wearily know that I ask everyone. Where did you absorb graff from - mags, videos, the constant flood of the internet or just the streets you live and breathe in? H: Growing up in recent times I’ve always been aware that I live in the digital era. Like you said instagram is just flooded with this never ending stream of photos and videos. I think this overstimulation is what’s caused my soul to crave the analog. There’s nothing like opening a Graff mag or zine and just slowing down. I enjoy graffiti history and diving into the old school so for me things like style wars, beat street and of course Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfants subway art have been on constant rotation. I know it’s kinda cliche but I do think that the 80s New York Era was something so special. When it comes to cities I honestly take more inspiration from Melbourne than my own city. I love Melbourne graffiti. C: That's quite interesting, what about Melbourne graff pushes it above Sydney for you? H: Melbourne just has more quantity and more quality than Sydney. Their buff is obviously so much more relaxed which creates an environment for people to be able to push better and better quality work out. I think Melbourne just has this appreciation for art that’s ingrained in their cities culture. Not just in Graffiti but with music, art, architecture, food etc. I also noticed in Melbourne there’s just a lot more spots. I don’t know if it’s their infrastructure or how it’s built but it just seems like there’s more factory walls, open lots, industrial buildings, roofs, alleys and lanes then Sydney. C: How would you describe the 'Sydney style' of graff? in terms of lettering, colour fills etc. Some have said to me it's very formalised, in a way H: I’d agree, the typical Sydney style would be (known as) public style. Clean cut with precise bars. The best way to describe it would be by looking at Scram pieces. I’ve heard from some older guys that he’s the one who started that style in Sydney. Formal would also be a good way to describe it but I think there’s a huge Anti-style movement in Sydney right now. People are getting sick of the traditional rules and stepping away from that traditional Sydney style. I don’t know what to think of it really but to me it seems that OG Sydney style is starting to transition away into something else C: Do you see yourself or your crew fitting into either of those camps? H: I think we try to push unique ideas and be experimental but on a personal level I try to keep that foundation of a solid letter structure. You have to know the rules before you can break them. That applies to all art, not just Graff. Picasso was a traditional painter for years before he branched out to his more abstract styles. To be honest I’m pretty new and I’m still trying to figure out the right balance. I still haven't completely found my style but I’m enjoying the journey. C: Speaking of the 2nd Dimension. For those unfamiliar, can you tell us how the crew came to be? H: There’s no cool story to it unfortunately haha. Basically 2D is just just a few friends from different parts of Sydney that all have similar tastes in Graff. C: Well shit, that’s just the reality of things, what more do you need. What would you say the crew style of 2D is, if there is one? And who inspires you in the graff scene? H: I’d like to think our crew style is more of a fun funky sorta style. Since the crew is so new though, we’re all still trying to discover our style. WLS is a crew I’ve been drawing a lot of inspo from lately though. Their approach to picking spots and their spot selection is very creative and something I'm trying to apply to Sydney a bit. Obviously I have a lot of other inspirations style wise but I won’t give away the sauce too much haha. It’d be too much to name anyway. C: Do you tangle with traditional art too, or is the way of the can the lifestyle for you? H: I do try. I like painting with watercolours and I have a few other creative mediums outside of Graff. But right now I think Grafiti has been the main outlet for me. C: As someone new(ish) to graff, is it total freedom of expression or are the self imposed scene rules restrictive? Loaded question I know. H: That’s a hard one. Everyone has their own way of pushing the boundaries a little. I think my way of doing that is with my spot selection. I try my best to choose spots that haven’t been done before. I guess that’s my kind of way of expressing myself differently and stepping away from the usual cycle. Graffiti has been done a certain way In this city for a long time and I enjoy breaking away from that. C: Any shout outs? H: Shout out to the 2 Dope boys and shout out to Chinese noodle restaurant Haymarket. Peace and love C: Hola, thanks for your time!