We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maxx Moses a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Maxx , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I’d have to say the most meaningful project i’ve worked on is my most recent project @ UCSD. Late 2024 I was contacted by Kaia Brown who stated they were looking for a muralist to do one or a series of murals at the newly established Eighth College. We decided to meet up at the Sankofa building. They chose me because of prior works @SDSU’s Black Resource Center and were impressed. Sankofa is one of the African Andinkra symbols from Ghana, which means “go back and get it”. Ironically this theme was very present in my life. Creatively it was time for me to go back and get all the styles, technics, and tools that i have amassed over the years and present them in a work of art cohesively. This was my opportunity to represent Blackness in a style that captures the antiquity of Africa, combining the energy of Graffiti and the swag of Hip Hop. Overall the project meant a lot to me because the imagery is symbolic and spiritual. And the story of the mural speaks to the meaning of Sankofa, “go back and get it”. Your style, your history, your purpose, and your love, for life… “Go back and get it”.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Maxx Moses evolved from a graffiti writer to an international muralist and beyond. Growing up in Yonkers NY within an art-form that broke the law and all the rules shaped not only his outlook on life but encouraged him to question everything. Every aspect of his creative process was dangerous. “We stole all our art supplies and entered train yards at the risk of being arrested or fighting rival crews… and in the process we created a subculture with our own set of rules and aesthetics”. These rich experiences are embodied in the work and ideology of Maxx Moses. For many years spray paint has been Maxx’s primary tool of choice, but this too has evolved. Extracting the gestures from Wild Style lettering and combining them with surrealism and African symbolism are the methods he uses to convey ideas of self-identity and self-discovery. This international artist has installed murals and lead workshops across the globe to over twenty on countries world wide. Outside of being a visual artist, Maxx is also a visionary, that runs an organization called Graffiti Gardens, this beautiful indoor/outdoor creative space is saturated with paintings and murals. Within this space is where he teaches class, and develops programing for youth and adults. Graffiti Gardens is located @ 6785 Imperial Avenue and resides within the Promise Zone and the newly recognized Black Arts & Cultural District. Over the past eight years we’ve had the pleasure of partnering with non profit organization Urban Collaborative Project, which has afforded us the opportunity to launch our most successful program to date, Shine Forever. This program is an initiation into adulthood, using art, financial literacy, global citizenship, health and well being, to build a platform for young people to springboard into their futures.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Years ago when I was still doing a lot murals for ad agencies I was being commission to do an advertisement mural for Toyota’s new product titled “The Fifth Door. The company sent me all the verbiage for the job and I began working on some concepts, but nothing was working, I read and reread the information and sketched for hours but I just wasn’t feeling it. I was trying and trying to come up with something that related to the fifth door, but I couldn’t make the connection. The more I tried the more frustrated I became, so i gave up so I turned the page of my sketch book back to the art I was working on for myself, and this felt good. So I kept working on that sketch instead of the ad project. When I finished drawing I realized the way I felt during the process of drawing is super important and what I have to convey as an artist is paramount. So I decided to submit my personal sketch to Toyota, a concept solely based upon my personal expression. I was nervous about rejection and not getting paid but that didn’t out weigh the fact that I was done making art to fulfill expectations. I’d come to the realization that when you hire me, Maxx Moses that’s what you get, his vision, his magic. 24 hours later Toyota called me and said, they loved the concept!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Freedom and the ability to exercise my imagination on a daily basis.

Contact Info:

• Website: maxxmoses.com pose two.com
• Instagram: maxxmoses777
• Facebook: Daniel A Hopkins

Image Credits

Daniel Hopkins