“I started to write graffiti at a young age : 11-12 years old. In 1979, I did my first Shoe tag, few years later in 1985 I came to Paris and met Bando, Mode2, and it’s really good to be back in Paris.
This printing shop is amazing to do lithographs here.
About the lithograph, we did 3 versions of 1 design. The thing with lithography is you have to draw / paint in reverse because you have to draw on the stone and then it’s printed in reverse. I wanted to do calligraffiti which is my signature style, in reverse, but that’s impossible because my right hand is so used to go in a way. Going the other way I figured I had to use my left hand. But doing this way with left hand is like doing it for the first time. Then I decided to do one with the left hand, which is the “Shoe” calligraphy, and then one with the right hand to show the difference between 30 years of practice and no practice at all. And here is the title “Unambidextrous Shoe” : one hand can not do anything, the other hand is fluent. So one color is the left hand and on top, the transparent layers, is the right hand. I think it turned out really nice, so contrasting colors, really nice prints.” Niels Shoe Meulman
