Ben Eine

My philosophy through all my work, be it on canvas or on the street, is about pushing boundaries and not going with the flow because everyone else is doing something a certain way. ”

Whenever I get a job that's somewhere around America, I fly over my ex-wife and daughter and hang out with them. ”

An airplane cabin isn't the first place people think of when they choose an exhibition space, but I'm all for doing things differently. ”

In certain places around the world, street art is widely accepted and it is part of the urban environment. ”

I'm hoping that Abu Dhabi's first piece of street art will inspire the next generation of artists the same way that the discovery of subway art inspired me all those years ago. ”

I don't get paid for what I do in public places. So I invest the money I earn in galleries back into doing the stuff I passionately want to do on the street. ”

A friend of mine back in 1989 did an illegal rave in Vauxhall. He got Keith Haring to come along and tag the side of the wall. My friend cut it out of the wall and he kept it under his bed for 20 years. Then a few years ago he asks me if I want to buy it... so I spent £12,000 on a Keith Haring. ”

Painting on the ground was a cool challenge because you can't just stand back and see what you're doing. ”

My work isn't overtly political, although it is sometimes painted in places where I don't have permission to paint, so that could be construed as a political statement. ”

I'm a bit too old for anarchy. If I was younger I might be more political but I'm married with kids and I've got a mortgage. ”