THIS week, Time out wants to introduce our readers to Ku Kue, a girl who is creating a niche for herself as a graffiti artist, in what is traditionally a male-dominated scene. The twenty one year old Ku Kue is the only female member of YGN Street Art group and she has big aims to become an expert in this alternative and highly controversial art form.

Timeout: How did you get into graffiti?
Ku Kue: I loved drawing since I was young. But in 2005 when I saw graffiti in some movies and TV games, I started to be interested in it though I didn’t know what it was. I imitated and sketched the various forms of words on paper.
Later, one of my friends explained to me what graffiti is and how to draw and spray to get three dimensional forms. Mostly I surf the internet to learn more about graffiti.

You are a member of YGN, how did you become one of its four crews?
Before we organised the team, each of us personally drew graffiti. When the team leader Thuta asked: ‘We will band together to get wider acceptance of graffiti, do you want to join with us?’ I said why not. We created the ygnstreetart.com website in February this year to share our experiences with other artists.

What is it that you love about graffiti that keeps you drawing?
Hip Hop. I love hip hop and wanted to be an expert in it. But I can’t rap very well. So, I chose graffiti among the hip hop elements as I wanted to do something about hip hop. I know that I can’t get anything for my spray pieces, but I make graffiti only for my enjoyment. I prefer drawing characters, rather than words.

When did you do your first piece?
Though I drew many sketches on paper before, my first experience in making graffiti was at the exhibition organised by Alliance Française early this year. It was a month after we made YGN street art group. We had to draw on a big vinyl so it wasn’t as good as the wall, which can easily absorb the paint. But it was a great chance for all graffiti artists to show our work in public.

What did you find out through this exhibition?
I realised that there are many graff artists in Yangon, not only us. And we had the chance to learn from a foreign graff maker, Casper. He taught us how to hold the aerosols and how to draw the desired shape.

How do you feel while you are drawing?
It’s very exciting. And my heart beats too fast as if I am doing sports. We are always in a sweat whenever we write.

Who have been your major influences?
Cantwo and Ca Crew. One of the Ca Crew members is a girl and she draws characters too.

What’s your view on the street art scene in Myanmar at the moment?
As far as I know, we are still having difficulty getting acceptance of graffiti as an art because some youths have misconceptions about graffiti. But on the other hand, there are more and more graffiti artists who have a strong will to create artistic graffs, and I even see some girls upload their sketches on the web. I hope it will develop in the future.

What challenges do female graff artists face?
It isn’t easy to go out at night and produce works like the boys.

Do your parents know that you are making graffiti? Do they encourage you?
Although they know, they neither forbid nor condone it. But my mum- sometimes says ‘Hey, Ku Kue, I won’t go to the police station for you.’

What is your most memorable moment to do with graffiti?
It was on the bus. Two boys were talking about my graffs without knowing I was behind them. When they said ‘Ku Kue’s sketches are cool’, I was over the moon. I really like it when other people tell me that they saw me up in this or that place.