For this intro we won’t go too deep into the Quotamine history, we will just say we were privileged to come along on one of the trips and you will be able to see more in our upcoming issue of Place Mag! So what to write about for this Place Presents? Well, one of the standouts during our time with the Quota crew was Sergi Marqués Roig a.k.a. Buchi. One of the hardest working members of the crew, he also stood out because of his artistic works. Drawing and painting are next to skating at the core of Quota’s business but in the case of Buchi, he doesn’t only contribute his skating but also his artistic work to the company. So, we had a chat about his artistic work and how it combines with his skating.
Intro & Interview by Roland Hoogwater.
artwork by Sergi Marqués Roig.
Sergi thank you for your time!
No problem, I know it is a bit early but I work at a school, and so I am happy you could do this a bit earlier.
Do you like the job?
Yes, by doing this I have enough money and time to skate, draw and do tattoos.
So what has been going on? We haven’t seen each other for a bit, have you been skating a lot?
Yeah, I am out in Badalona and we have been out filming a lot together with Nico (Nicolas Cook Garcia). Things are moving along as always.
What about your artistic work? Luidgi (Gaydu) told me you are involved with Quotamine on an artistic level too.
Yes. I do some designs for the brand, so logos and also animations for the videos. It is really nice, it connects two of the main things in my life that I have a strong relationship with. Skating and drawing, Quotamine combines that so it is amazing.
That is obviously a nice thing, could you tell me how that started?
Well, it started with Ibu Sanyang. Me and him have been skating since we were kids, we went to school together. So when Ibu got on Quota he got connected to Luidgi and he saw my drawings and had an interest in them. So we talked and he invited me to go on the first Quota trip to Dunkirk (in the North of France). That whole experience was amazing for me.
So Ibu introduced you and your work to Luidgi? So many skaters do artistic work but what came first the board or the pencil?
Yes, he did and I am thankful for that. I started drawing first actually, as a kid I always drew, I carried around notebooks filled with drawings. Skating has been a part of my life for a long time though, I started at 12, I am 25 now. At the moment I skate more though! Drawing is always there, I still have my notebooks there with me but it fluctuates.
When I went to the Quota HQ in Paris I saw your work on T-shirts, boards has all of that been a part of your artistic practices?
Yes it has, here in Badalona we have a little studio together with friends and we have a screen printer there. So we did little projects before and made shirts. Actually, the shirts you saw were done by us, we love to do DIY.
How has it affected you though, seeing your artistic work on boards, shirts, etc?
Well, I did one of the logos I created a part of the image of the brand. Sometimes, I don’t believe that I did that. If I see someone skating a board with a graphic I made, or even if I skate it myself the feeling is like I fulfilled my childhood dream. I am really happy this came across my path.
Let’s move away from the static work and put some focus on your animations. Was animation work always a part of your artistic practices?
I am not an expert on animations. But I enjoy doing them, it is a challenge. The first time I started doing them was at the university in Barcelona, where I studied fine art. So when we did the first Quota video I started doing them and I am learning by doing.
Personally, I don’t feel much difference between animations and just a “normal” drawing. It is based on the same concepts. In the end, animations are just a series of drawings that turn into movement, it is more work.
A mandatory art-school question. Did your work change a lot by getting an arts education?
The topics? I have a few concepts that I work on. At the same time, I still always carry a notebook and so I also play a lot. Skating and Drawing for me are both a form of playing around.
To say it had no influence though is not fair. I went because I liked to draw but I discovered a new world. It was amazing, it changed my point of view on a lot of things. Not perse in the drawing courses but I found more things in contemporary art, psychology, and philosophy that I could use in my drawings.
In the beginning, it was hard, I had a lot of moments where I felt blocked creatively, I even stopped drawing and did photography and I used to paint too but I stopped. But in the end, those things have a lot of overlap and in the end, I took it all and put it back into my drawings.
It was a good four years. I actually do murals too, it is fun to take a little sketch and blow it up into something big (not to be confused with Grafitti).
People that have seen you skate know that you fight for tricks too though!
That is true… for both. With tricks the fight is obvious, but with drawing, you are searching for things and if you cannot find them you are fighting too. Maybe it is not totally the same, but it isn’t a funny thing when your creativity blocks and you can’t get there.
So the third avenue of creativity for you is Tattooing, how did that come about, and how similar to “normal” drawing is it for you?
It started with my friend, he had a tattoo gun. So, we did tattoo parties, drank a beer, and got funny tatts without any concepts or plans behind them. After a while, I found out I really liked it, it suits my style of drawing. I studied the arts and this is an easier way to work creatively and earn money.
The difference between drawing and tattooing is crazy. It is another world. It starts with the “canvas” human skin feels very different. People have different types of skin and they have their personalities so the process is not the same. It is a very technical thing to learn, it is not like flowing through a notebook with a pencil or Chinese ink. I also haven’t been tattooing for as many years as I have been drawing so it might grow closer together.
Last question, what is your future with Quota?
I will keep doing my work, both skating and drawing. The combination of skating and art is at the core of Quota, Luidgi and Ibu both draw a lot as well. So it is important to not only the company but also to who we are as people.
