The graffiti writer RUBAE of the LEGZ CREW from Ukraine has been active with spray cans since 2002 and meanwhile specializes in trains, in particular the country’s typical green Kovalska class freight carriers. The book “One Hundred Wagons” was published in April 2023 in self-release via the publishing house Art Huss and also promoted by Montana Cans, who have been following the artist’s activities for some time. Although it is called “100 Wagons”, around 132 works from autumn 2018 to winter 2022 are depicted in the extensive pictorial literature.
The focus is of course on the trains and above all on these Kovalska vehicles, which not only inspire him, but also a whole generation of other writers, almost like a movement. The metallic train sheating and the smooth surfaces provide an ideal underground for spray paint, and these heavy boxes travel all over Europe as well. A mobile gallery! But RUBAE is also artistically active in many other areas and produces creative objects with different materials, such as mosaic works, urban installations, canvases with laser-cut wooden fragments or thousands of stickers. There have already been several exhibitions of these works, but the long-term exhibition can be found on the tracks.
We spoke to the versatile and train-loving artist in an interview about his beginnings in graffiti, the book, events, spray spaces in Kyiv and the graffiti scene in Ukraine. He also told us about the current difficult situation and how painting in urban spaces express itself during a war, whether it happens and how it is keep on going.
Hello RUBAE, very cool that we can do an interview with you! You’re a graffiti writer from Kyiv, Ukraine, but before we get into your painting style and background, let’s talk about how we came in contact. It was through your book “One Hundred Wagons” published by Art Huss and you presented interesting insights into train writing in Ukraine. Tell us a bit more about the book. How did it come about and how did Montana come to promote it? That’s great!
Hello! Thank you, it’s a pleasure for me as well! The material for the book was gathered from 2018 to 2022, and a lot of effort was dedicated to this project. All work was done exclusively on the wagons of the industrial and construction group “Kovalska” and published in Kyiv by Art Huss Publishing House. This book is the first of its kind in hardcover in the entire history of Ukrainian graffiti. It was printed during air raids and massive missile attacks from Russia.
The book mainly shows graffiti on trains, but about your graffiti, the surface can also be a wall or anything else. You spray graffiti with proper letters in different variations. So would you call yourself a writer? And do you also do other art things, like to paint abstract or characters or even canvas? Or just graffiti and is the focus only on the letters?
Yes, this book features only freight wagons from one company. I’m drawn to their shape and surface; they have no ridges, giving the feeling of painting on a canvas. They travel across the country and sometimes even visit neighboring countries. Of course, I also paint on walls, and before the war, my work could be seen on suburban trains and in the metro. I always try to experiment, so I don’t focus on just one thing. Recently, I had a solo exhibition in Kyiv at the art center “Ya Gallery” called “Destructivism.” The exhibition included works on canvas, mosaics, sculptures, and various installations. The exhibition was open for viewing for two months and was visited by about 3,000 people during that time.
When did you start doing this and how did it develop? Tell us a bit more about how you got into art in the first place. When did you start getting interested into graffiti, what fascinated you and why are you still totally into it?
My first piece was made way back in 2002 in my hometown of Ternopil. I was inspired by a trip to a children’s camp in Odessa. One day, we had a tour of the city, and I saw a large hall of fame with colorful graffiti featuring characters for the first time. At that time, everyone was into rap, breakdancing, and wearing hip-hop style clothing. There was also a magazine called X3M, which came out monthly and had a graffiti section with several spreads. Over time, I got to know the guys from the MBK crew, and now we’ve been together for 22 years. Of course, not everyone is as active as they once were, but we are all still one family.
And what was it like in Ukraine? Were there opportunities to develop artistically in terms of graffiti? And how did you get spray paint?
To be honest, we saved the money our parents gave us for school to buy a few cans of paint. As a group of 4 to 5 people, we would create one piece per crew. None of us could afford to make a full-color piece because it was very expensive. At that time, there were no specialized graffiti paint stores, so we used ordinary cheap automotive paint. We also bought paint that had expired.
You mostly paint clear lettering, the letters are easy to read and your style is recognizable. But you do that on purpose and you want it to be readable because you associate it with other logos or well-known lettering. You spray Rubae in Sega style or as Fila, also it can be like slime. You make a variation of a logo or an abstraction of some familiar icon. Tell us more about your painting style.
As I mentioned, I really love experimenting. Simple, readable letters easily interact with the public, and interpreting well-known logos helps people recognize something very familiar and communicate with it effortlessly. In reality, drawing clean, straight lines isn’t as easy as it seems; it requires considerable experience, especially when you’re doing it not just on a legal wall but on a train car. Like everyone, I strive to develop, so I always aim to come up with something new.
You could take any motif, you could even invent your own, but you often choose certain existing ones and change them. Some you’re a fan of, then it’s a tribute. Others you despise, then you make fun of them by making an artistic change to the lettering. I think it’s brilliant. RUBAE stands above the situation in any case, but it’s definitely also emotional, yet also a graphic gimmick. Tell us more about it, how did it come about?
At one point, I realized that I was no longer interested in creating classic graffiti, which no longer surprised anyone. I decided to work a bit on the logos of well-known companies. Their colors and typographic compositions are familiar to everyone, and people pay attention to them. But wait, something is different here – it doesn’t match the original, and this moment of deviation from the original creates an emotional reaction in the viewers. I find this really cool.
Are you in a crew or a collective? Have you been in other crews before and did or do crews play an important role for you? Are you more of a person who likes to paint with others or are you more of a lone wolf who prefers to paint alone?
At the moment, I am a member of three crews: MBK, LEGZ, and U.C. For me, a crew is not just a group of friends with whom you occasionally paint, it’s a true family. MBK is my first crew from Ternopil, where I began my journey as a graffiti writer. I joined LEGZ crew in 2010, after moving to Kyiv for studies. U.C. is mostly a Lviv-based crew, but now it has 35 members – kind of a local Ukrainian 1UP, haha. I enjoy painting both alone and with others, and I don’t prefer one over the other. Of course, painting alone can be better at times because you can quickly get ready, hop in your car, and head to a spot without needing to plan or adapt to anyone else, you just do what you like.
You said that you had an exhibition at the Ya Gallery. Tell us a bit more about it. Which works were shown there and were they artworks on canvas? Or did you also show other art objects? And what does the title “Destructivism” mean?
Destructivism is an unconsciously formed psychological mechanism whose impulses manifest in various forms of destruction. Not everyone may appreciate graffiti as a form of art, as a certain percentage of society might view it as vandalism or destruction to some extent. However, there is an undeniable charm and soul in it. The active preparation for the exhibition lasted six months, with some works created five years ago. The exhibition featured 2×2 meter canvases made using mixed techniques, as well as a triptych titled “Destructive Minds.” There were also wooden installations such as “Windows 98” and “The Portal of the Underground.” Additionally, the exhibition included mosaics made from lava stone, a traffic light from Berlin, doors from an electric train, a telephone booth, and a mannequin from LIDL.
Also quite interesting are your blocks and bricks with different lettering. You’ve made some out of concrete, but also some out of bronze that have a metallic sheen and look like gold bars only in silver. Tell us a bit more about it, how did you come up with the idea?
Six years ago, I created my first package of black and yellow stickers that clearly displayed the name RUBAE. More than 30000 stickers later, my name has been stuck on surfaces all over the world. Using this sticker design as a basis, I reproduced the layout to create a 3D model of it which I produced as a brick-like object. I hoped that it would take the context of the stickers, and my name to a whole new level. Over 200 of these bricks were installed in, and around Kyiv. Few years later I decided to make a limited addition of three bronze bricks to the exhibition.
There are also some of your installations. You have built traffic lights or telephone boxes. It’s a kind of object art in which you have decorated everyday things from the urban space with tags, paint and stickers. Tell us more about it.
Yes, the exhibition featured a telephone booth from the 2000s. It was painted and scratched, covered in stickers. You could pretend to make a call while leaving your latest tag inside. The atmosphere was simply incredible, and the payphone still served its function. Also present was the “Ampelmännchen,” a typical Berlin traffic light covered in stickers. We even wrote a new algorithm for it so that the traffic light functioned just like it does in real life.
Your main area is graffiti, of course, but we’ve already seen that you’re very versatile and always experimenting. Other creations you make include mosaic stones or multi-layered frameworks such as the “Windows 98” series. It almost looks like you’ve been working with wood there? Tell us a bit about these other media.
Actually, there’s nothing complicated about it. You create a vector sketch and then order a laser cut of the wood. After that, you just need to decide how you want to decorate and paint the installation according to your taste. This is how it was done for “Windows 98” and “The Portal to the Underground.”
Let’s talk about music for a moment. What music do you like to listen to? We actually know little to no rappers, hip-hoppers or DJs from Ukraine. Which artists from your country can you recommend? And is music important to you when being creative and spraying your work?
In reality, I am a big music lover and don’t get stuck on any one style; it depends on my mood. Music plays an important role in my daily life. I used to listen to music constantly on a player, but now I only do so in the car when I’m driving around on errands. I actually painted my first graffiti on a commuter train while listening to music. I remember it was winter of 2004, and I was doing a simple piece in chrome, black, and red while D’n’B played in my headphones. As for Ukrainian artists, there are many I could highlight: Hidden Element, Alex Savage, Koloah, Zolaa, Kurhan, TheКомаКома, SadSvit, Sudno, LATEXFAUNA, and Skryabin.
A lot in Ukraine is now bombed and broken. What about the graffiti scene in Ukraine at the moment? We’ve seen articles in the media about Banksy going into war zones and painting works on half-ruined buildings. That generates a lot of clicks and sells well. But it can also have a positive effect on the local people. Do you continue to paint? Do you paint pieces or is everyone at war?
Of course, Ukraine has been in a full-scale war with the Russian invaders for the third year now, but it is not accurate to say that everything here is bombed and destroyed. Yes, my country faces massive shelling from Russia every day, but our government and local communities are doing everything they can to repair damaged buildings and infrastructure to ensure normal functioning and continuation of life. Cities are operational, and life goes on. Many of my friends have moved abroad in search of a better life. Currently, the graffiti scene in Ukraine is not as active as it was before the full-scale invasion. Even during my last two trips to my depot with freight wagons, where I’ve been painting for six years, I encountered militarized security because of my presence there. Regarding Banksy, yes, I heard he was here, his works were spotted in Kyiv, Irpin, and Borodyanka. It’s cool that he visited us during such a difficult time, but I wouldn’t say I’m a big fan of his work.
Theoretically, you could go anywhere now and paint everything. In many places a lot is destroyed anyway. But I think you have other things to do right now. Namely defending the country. Whether you’re in the military or not, I think it’s difficult to think about graffiti? Or about art at all? I don’t know where you are at the moment, but are you still living in Kyiv? Let us know what it’s like there at the moment. Especially how it is for the graffiti scene there.
Graffiti for us now is like meditation, like a visit to a therapist, and so on. It calms you down after a hard night of shelling, you focus on something positive that doesn’t remind you of the negativity and brings only positive vibes. As I mentioned, many people from the Kyiv graffiti scene have moved abroad, so I can’t say that anyone is painting very actively here right now. No one from the local scene is painting on suburban trains or in the metro anymore. It’s mostly legal walls and freight wagons. I am currently living with my family in Kyiv. The city is alive and functioning. Thanks to air defense systems from our Western partners, it’s relatively safe here, although unfortunately, hypersonic missiles do occasionally reach us. We are all fighting for our survival. Personally, I am not fighting as I have a young daughter, but I try to help in any way I can, organizing fundraisers for drones, charging stations, generators, and so on.
Tell us a bit about what it was like in Kyiv before the war started. Were there legal walls? Were there places where you could paint freely? Could you maybe just paint anywhere? Surely not, but you still did it like everywhere else. So what were the consequences if you got caught?
Yes, of course, we have many legal places where you can paint to your heart’s content. Before the full-scale invasion, we often had graffiti festivals, many interesting mural projects, and quite a few commercial decorations. We frequently had tourists from different corners of the world visiting us. Kyiv is incredibly beautiful! I always paint where I want, where I feel the artwork will complement the urban canvas. There have been times when I encountered the police, but overall, nothing serious.
We hardly know anything about the Graffiti scene in Ukraine, especially about the situation at the moment, but let’s look back before that time of the war and the years ago. How did the scene develop during the years?
The graffiti scene before the war developed incredibly strongly! All the European graffiti stars would come to paint on our trains, and at that time, two legendary graffiti videos, Endstation and Endstation Vol. 2, were released. Our guys were interviewed and featured in well-known European magazines and were invited to graffiti festivals across Europe.
Let’s make more artists and writers from Ukraine better known. Which graffiti artists from Ukraine can you recommend? Which ones did you find interesting, good, active, creative? Who was at the start and are there any role models? Who should be remembered? Which one’s should we also link here and name here in the article.
Among the progressive figures in the contemporary graffiti scene, I would highlight Frost, Bios, Nam2, Bosie, Tonek, and Ekler. From the old school, there are Neak, Saint, CikOne, Kiot, Fleck, Nek, Smel, Mash, Feris, Hlor, Mif, Oiba, Amoe, and Stek.
You mentioned that there were graffiti jams and urban art events in Kyiv. Tell us more about them. Which graffiti festivals did you have and which ones did you take part in?
Yes, before the full-scale invasion, there were quite a few festivals, not only in Kyiv but throughout the country. Among those I participated in were “Just Writing My Name“, “Alarm“, “Don’t Take Fake” and many other local festivals.
Tell us more about the legal walls in Kyiv. There is currently a war going on, but hopefully it will be over at some day. And then artists from all over the world will come Kyiv again to paint. Which are the legal walls in the city and which ones can you recommend?
Two of the most famous “Hall of Fame” spots are the Dnipro River embankment, which starts at the monument to the founders of Kyiv and extends all the way to the Pochaiv area. The easiest way to get there is by metro, with the Dnipro station being the closest. The second spot is the retaining walls along the Lybid River, it has its own unique atmosphere. We also often paint on the train lines. I wouldn’t say it’s 100% legal, but that depends on the people involved. We always welcome guests from Europe and all around the world, so feel free to come visit.
Where else can one find your graffiti in Ukraine? Are you only active in Ukraine or have you also painted in other countries? Sure, the trains run on the rails all over Europe, a great mobile gallery. But have you also done graffiti on walls outside of Ukraine?
Yes, of course. Before the war, I traveled a lot, and my work could be seen in Germany, France, Denmark, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, and Greece. In Ukraine, I painted in almost every city. Of course, not all of the works have been preserved, as I mostly painted on the railway.
INFOTHEK
Artist: RUBAE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubae.legz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubae1
Big Cartel: https://rubae.bigcartel.com
Saatchi: https://www.saatchiart.com/rubae
Crews: LEGZ – MBK – U.C
Book: ONE HUNDRED WAGONS
Book Release: https://www.montana-cans.blog/rubae-book-release
RUBAE Article: https://www.montana-cans.blog/rubae-graffiti-update
Book Publisher: ART HUSS
Website: https://www.arthuss.com.ua
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtHussUA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art.huss
Twitter: https://x.com/art_huss
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@art.huss
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtHussPublishingHouse
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