You are based in Melbourne, Australia. Were you born in Melbourne and did you grow up there?
The URSH identity was born in Amsterdam, and I am now based in Melbourne. I’ve been in Australia since 2016, been living on and off since. In total it would be 5 years. Officially I moved back in 2023.
How old are you?
According to my Spotify Wrapped 2025, I am seventy-one.
Is your artist name URSHTRAY or URSH?
Both. URSH is what I write and what people call me. URSHTRAY is more like the full name, which I usually use for events or gallery shows.
Does the name have a meaning?
Yes. I once dreamt about smoking and visualised ashes falling into an ashtray. Later, I learned the symbolism meant letting go of habits. It happened right when I started writing URSH and questioning old graffiti rules. It felt like my subconscious telling me to let go of habits and embrace what was ahead.
According to your website, you came up with the name URSH in 2019 linked to a music project. Can you explain? Are you a musician?
I am more of a DJ and music producer. I was involved in nightlife and had a few releases under a different name that sounded like URSH. I recently returned to producing and DJing under the name URSHTRAX. Do not ask me how I came up with that one.
What kind of music do you produce?
The music is club oriented, a mix of ghetto house & electro.
Can you tell us something about your childhood? How did you grow up? Any artists in your family?
I grew up in several European countries. I did my first tag at twelve. It was ASKY, taken from the Atikamekw word for earth. My parents were creatives. My father painted tacky nudes and my mother made spiritual paintings and sculptures of goddesses and divine feminine figures.
Did you draw or paint as a child?
Oh yea, heaps. But I was terrible. I remember the stares my art teachers gave me in high school.
You began in the mid 2000s with classical graffiti writing. How and when did you discover style writing?
I have always been interested in dogs and the graffiti world. When I moved to new cities, graffiti helped me locate myself, like visual guide markers. I became really attentive to it in the late nineties, so later it felt natural to start tagging in the streets after filling a bunch of sketchbooks with tags.
Was graffiti writing already present in Australia when you started? How was the scene then, and how is it now?
I did not take my first steps in graffiti in Australia, so I cannot say how it used to be. Today the scene is very active, especially in Melbourne and Sydney. More spots get covered every year, councils spend thousands trying to clean it, and Melbourne simply accepts it. Graffiti is part of Melbourne’s local culture.
With what names did you start?
Miks, then AskMe, then URSH.
How important was tagging for you? And throw-ups?
I started with tagging, so it was everything. I was trying to give thin letters identity and flow, like designing an alphabet. I was more into cans and fat caps than markers, doing big tags from the start. Paris’ writers like O’Clock and Booba influenced me. Then came throwies. The tag became the signature, giving the throwie more weight. It made me see the tag as the foundation rather than just the code name.
Were you active in any crews?
Yes, a couple.
Any particular styles or writers who influenced you in the beginning?
Definitely MSK. Discovering them was life changing. There was no internet then, so information traveled slowly. They felt like unreachable kings.
Which styles did you prefer: block letters, wild style, 3D?
Definitely wild style.
Can you describe your early style?
Probably wild style.
Where did you paint at that time?
Mostly abandoned places. I would go out a few times at night for vandal stuff, and do daytime sessions in Halls of Fame or scout for abandoned spots on weekends.
Did you travel specifically to paint elsewhere?
Not really. Back then it was more about painting with your crewmates where you lived. Traveling abroad to paint alone did not occur to me.
You lost pictures from that period. How did that happen?
Traveling a lot and moving countries made me paranoid about keeping evidence. I saved photos on CDs with ridiculous names like Lenny Kravitz Live in Vegas. Years later I found them, wondered why I had them, and threw them out. They were my archives.
In the mid 2000s you did illegal street art and legal commissions. What kind of work was that?
I tried stencils for a bit. It did not stick. I also painted kids’ rooms or vans. Random jobs without identity, but they paid for cans. It gave me an early taste of commercial painting even though that was not my goal.
Why did you stop from 2011 to 2019? What were you doing then?
I lost interest. My pieces felt repetitive and stagnant. Inspiration sources like Fotolog did not help. The expression felt quieter, and I lost the early fury. So I stopped. I shifted into music, running events, DJing, meeting international artists, and immersing myself in nightlife. It became my lifestyle.
Did you study after school? Did this influence your practice?
I tried graphic design school, but it was all theory and no practical skills, so I left after one semester. It still shaped me. It forced me to rely on myself, work independently, and stay focused. It influenced my artistic practice by reinforcing self-reliance, experimentation, and learning through doing.
Why did you start painting outdoors again in 2019?
I was dealing with depression and needed a reason to leave the house. I am not into sports, so graffiti came to mind. I bought cans with no expectations. Painting helped me feel better, and by the time the depression faded, I had found something that excited me again.
In 2019–2020, your work still had letter shapes and comic elements. Are these from before your break?
Yes. When you return after years away, old habits come back naturally. Those elements were familiar and easy, so they reappeared in my early works.
Are the letters URSH still the structure of your work?
In about 95 percent of my work the letters are there. Recently, I started walls differently, reacting to textures or movement. Letters then appear within that. Sometimes they are clear, sometimes cropped, but always present. They are my North Star, or my URSH Star.
From 2020 to 2023 your work became more experimental. Was this a search phase?
Yes. There is nothing worse than feeling stagnant. That period became foundational. I did not realise it at the time, but it shaped what I do now. It was a phase of evolution, experimenting and finding my identity.
Since 2023, your works have featured larger shapes, more volume, and expressive textures. What has changed?
It may look more abstract, but the letters are still the base. They disappear more because of the tools and mediums. This is part of my evolution. In 2020, I used many custom rollers, but later it felt like skipping steps. I wanted to master basic tools and create impact without shortcuts. Most people shortcut after mastering technique, but I did it backwards. Now I favor simplicity and intention.
How do you embrace present wall textures?
It depends on the wall. I ask what its story is and what it shows me. Sometimes I see it before starting. Other times something appears while I am painting, and I follow it. If a crack has the curve of an S, I will keep it. The wall tells me what is already written on it. I try to respect its history. When we paint, we erase what was there. Details disappearing would change the wall’s identity, so I try to approach it with respect.
What traditional boundaries are you challenging between street and fine art?
First the classic graffiti rules: outlines, letter construction, colour rules. Then using different tools, not only spray cans. Later, it became about working without rules while keeping cohesion. Letter readability is still there, but it no longer dictates the final outcome. Spontaneity and adaptation drive everything.
Do you still call your works „pieces“?
Yes. My mindset is still the same as when I started, only the work looks different now.
How would you describe your current style?
Texture-based non-traditional graffiti.
What do you like in abstraction?
The freedom.
What kind of walls do you prefer?
Flat, neat concrete with character or signs of time passing.
How do you discover your spots?
Exploring, driving, biking, or simply paying attention. I always have a radar for it.
Which techniques did you use at the beginning and what do you use now?
At the beginning, it was 100 percent spray cans. Now it depends on the wall, but roughly 80 percent buff paint and 20 percent spray cans.
Did you develop any special tools or techniques?
I used to make custom tools, although I use them less now. Recreating effects with basic tools is harder but more interesting. Olivier Schimmel introduced me to using brushes for cutbacks, which became essential to my process. I am very grateful for his influence.
What are the steps in your painting process, and how long does a piece take?
I start by adding a lot very fast, filling the wall with textures, shapes, and letters until it becomes busy. Then I cut back, simplify, open space, and rebalance everything. Timing depends on the wall. A piece can take two to six hours. Sometimes the flow is perfect and a three by seven meter wall takes three hours. Your state of mind really affects the rhythm and clarity.
Do you define a format on the wall before starting?
I do not know if people noticed, but I have a preferred ratio, 4:3, which I often keep in mind as a loose guide.
Do you sketch beforehand?
I sketch during the week or the night before. At the wall, I use the sketches as inspiration rather than reproducing them, translating them from memory into something that fits the wall and its surroundings. I look at windows, buildings, and background elements and try to echo them so the wall and environment have a conversation, and so do I with the wall.
How important is sketching for your work?
It is key, and unfortunately I do not do it often. Sketching drives evolution.
How important is freestyle?
It is paramount.
How do you find new forms, shapes, and textures?
By keeping my eyes and mind open. My photographic memory is something I try to maintain. Architecture, especially socialist modernism, inspires me. I take close-up photos of rocks, wood, plastic, anything. Before painting, I browse them and think about how to reproduce them with the tools I have.
Where do the textures you paint come from?
Travels, environment, nature. When you travel for non-professional reasons, your mind is freer and more receptive. Textures come from anything that marks a moment. For example, in the piece 2020 10 2, Amsterdam, NL, the custom roller reproduced tire marks on ice, inspired by a frozen lake in the Netherlands and the traces my car left in the snow.
Your work is colourful. How important is colour?
Colour itself is not very important to me. The challenge is to take one colour and create texture, depth, shades, and contrast. It is easy with many colours. The real challenge is a monochrome piece. If I had to choose, I would just paint in black and white.
How do you define your colour palette?
Whatever is in the stash. If I paint with someone, we align on colours. Sometimes I have saved schemes I want to try. Once the direction is set, I work with dominant tones, lighter tones, contrasting tones, and subtle tones. If I do not have what I need, I mix it on the spot.
Which techniques do you use in the studio besides silkscreen prints?
My studio work is about reproducing what I do on walls. I use rollers, tiny rollers for sharp edges, and tape when needed, even though I dislike it. I rarely use tape on walls, so it feels strange in the studio. I also use spray cans, airbrush, and buff or acrylic paint.
On your website you acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. Are you close to that community? Does their culture influence your work?
Australia exists on stolen land, it’s sovereignty was never ceded. Where I live, work and paint: in Naarm (Melbourne). The traditional owners of this land are the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. An acknowledgment of the country shows respect for traditional owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the country.
You have travelled a lot in recent years, mainly to the Netherlands and Belgium. Were you invited by other artists?
Both. I have been invited and I have invited myself. Many connections happened through Instagram. I always say Instagram is like Grindr for writers. Two people who do not know each other check out each other’s work, talk, hang out for days, and often become best friends. I have met some of the best people through it, including Micha De Bie, OneBran, George Rose, and more.
Is there any EU country you prefer? Any country you want to visit?
I love Italy and Greece. There are many Eastern European countries I do not know well and would like to explore. One day.
Any plans for the future?
Keep evolving, keep searching, and keep letting the walls guide me. I do not plan far ahead. The work tells me where to go. Hopefully, I will be back in Europe next year.
Thank you so much, Ursh, and good luck!
Leave a Reply