Jak Rapmund is a creative epicentre of sorts, fueled by comics, horror, zombies and well … the murky insides of his own brilliant mind. Often sighted around the streets of Melbourne, his work is a foray into a dark unknown – and it’s currently hitting the Australian art scene with seismic force. Rapmund’s art is often distinguishable for its unnerving in-your-face effect – so much so, that it’s recently been selected as the face of the local beer label, Doss Blokos.

We speak to Jak, or, rather, ‘Irk’, about what it’s like to be pushing pieces one minute and a seriously sought after artist the next …

So, how did ‘Irk’ come about?  Do you get irked a lot? What’s the history behind the name?

I actually don’t even know why I have a pseudonym – everyone knows who I am anyway. Irk came after the nickname ‘Prole’ which came after ‘Mouth’ and I think there was even a ‘Brand X’ in there somewhere.

I get bored easily, so I was looking for something short, good to write and something that was close to the letters in my name. That’s pretty much it – the meaning was a bonus because I have been known to get annoyed easily in certain situations.

2010 was a fairly busy year for you artistically speaking; not just in terms of showing your work but also in getting your work commissioned. When you get your work commissioned these days do you do a little happy dance or have you become a serious artist?

It’s always nice locking down a paid gig. Although I do get a lot of people telling me they’ll definitely call me about a paid job and then they never do. I was pretty stoked when I got the first large-scale commission as I had complete artistic control, made my own timetable and got paid quite well for it. It was a dream job really. That job led me to the next one, which was a bit more specific in terms of what they wanted, but it gave me a chance to practice more photo realistic pieces It was actually good to stray away from the style I would usually do.

That’s been one of the best things about these commissions; having so much wall to practice on.

I’m still learning the way of the can really, I’ve only been painting freehand for about a year, so I feel really lucky that I’ve been given these opportunities.

I’ve still got a couple of rooms to finish between the two commissions and I’m not sure what I’ll do when they’re done. If another one comes up before then, I think I will do a happy dance to celebrate not going back into hospitality for a little while longer.

You just opened up a show at the Vic, can you tell us a bit more about the exhibition and the work you chose for it?

I was already in the studio painting like a beast when Ben gave me a call and asked if I wanted in, I hadn’t had an exhibition for a while so I thought it would be good chance to ease myself back into it. I knocked up seven new pieces in about four weeks and put in an eighth, which was an older stenciled piece, but one that hadn’t been exhibited before.

I was experimenting with acrylics, which I’ve never really used in the past and also a bit of illustration, which I’m trying to use more in my work these days.

The work didn’t really relate to each other in any way, it was all a bit of a mixed bag really.

So, your work has just been selected to appear on the Doss Blockos beer label – the story about how they found your work and then you is pretty damn cool.  Tell us a little about it, and the artwork they chose.

I was painting a wall in Fitzroy with my good friend MUPZ and we had to re-start 3 times before the neighbours stopped complaining that the imagery was too scary. This is how those characters came to be, I was just trying to do something a bit different to what I usually do, whacked out freaks, and it just came together with a nice MUPZ piece in the centre.

It was pretty crazy when I heard that they wanted to use the characters for a beer label, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting in to, but those guys are awesome to work with and they really want to help out artists like myself, so I’m happy to have my name associated with them and it’s pretty funny seeing my work adorning one of things I love most – beer!

In terms of commercial work, which do you prefer? Was crossing over from murals and walls to the Doss Blockos label quite different or same same?

Well the image they used was from an existing mural so the only difference was that I had to sign a fat scary contract and actually get paid for my work. I do enjoy getting paid, but I’ll still be painting when I’m begging in the gutter, there’s nothing like getting a fresh wall and a bag of paint to go nuts with, that’s the perfect day for me.

What strikes me about your work, and I think it’s what makes it so uniquely recognisable (aside from the fact it’s awesome) is its ability to be really freakin’ spooky.  There’s a definite darkness there.  Can you describe where this comes from?

A lot of the time I don’t even realise it’s there until somebody mentions it, so I don’t know what that says about me! But I guess I am drawn towards weird shit. I love 80’s horror movies, zombies, cartoons and comics and all that. I can also be extremely neurotic and paranoid sometimes, so I guess a lot of the darkness in my work stems from those things. It’s a reflection of thought and the goings on in the heads of man…or some shit.

Can you tell us more about how you think up your subject matter? Is it life experiences? Whack dreams? None of our business? Tell us…

I don’t really know, its just there in my head. I see a photo of a friend and I want to do something with it or a character on a tram or a movie or anything that sparks something in my head. A lot of my work is a progression; I’ll start out with an element and will just keep adding to it until it actually makes some sort of sense. It’s hard to put into words, how about I paint you a picture?

Who’s the creepy looking character with the strap on masque with the long nose? He gives me the shivering creeps man!

He’s an apparition that usually emerges to play tricks and cause havoc when you least expect it.

What medium do you use the most? Which do you prefer out of stenciling or free hand?  What gets more attention do you think and what are the differences?

I jump around a fair bit with mediums, I get bored very easily, so I like experimenting and trying new stuff all the time. I’ve strayed away from stencil-based works a bit, but I’m trying to bring back some stencil type elements into my new work. If I’m painting a wall, I love using house paint and aerosol together, that’s definitely my favourite thing to do.

There’s so much more freedom to create things on the fly rather than all the planning and pre-production that goes into non free-hand pieces. In saying that I do love the clean lines of a stencil and it is definitely a versatile medium.

What would you say to someone wanting to start out as a street artist? Would you encourage them? Or slap them and say, ‘Hellssssssssssss no!”

I think everyone should do art on the street! I mean, why not?  People get paid to plaster walls with posters and advertisements, so I think we need to talk back and say, “fuck ’em and their law!”

What does 2011 hold for Irk?

Fame and fortune! Either that or insanity, or both.

I’ll be setting up a screen printing station in my studio, buying a tattoo machine and practicing on grapefruits – getting my work published however I can, entering competitions and group exhibitions, painting commissions, getting out on the street a hell of a lot more, and of course; regular studio work. I may even have to get a regular job, but hopefully not. In a more specific way I’ve got another exhibition coming up in April (which I haven’t started!) with MUPZ so that should be cool. It’s at At Large Gallery and I’ll be using illustration, stencil, screen-printing and sculpture.

Other than that I’ll be taking whatever opportunities fly at me, and I’ll continue to develop my skills and style …

You can check out both the Jak Rapmund and Irks site here, JAk also has a show running at the moment at the Vic, so check it out … also take a look at the E9th Brewing website, home to Doss Blockos  – thats some damn fine hopped goodness in a bottle right there …