Hotdog – The double hand of doom
Hotdog, aka Superspray, aka the double-hand of doom, is known for his iconic triple-eyed characters and managed to become a household name in the international graffiti scene. His colorful murals stand out with their psychedelic elements and cheeky references. Always on the verge of humorous innuendo, the Hamburg non-native manages to balance tradition with modern painting techniques – that are just some of the reasons we are proud to have collaborated with him for the 30th Montana Cans Artist Edition BLK 8080 Rust. We sat down with the master to talk about his motivation, murals, and meme-fiti.
Montana Cans: Hey! To begin with, what name do you want to be known by, Superspray or Hotdog? Where does the name come from? Is there any backstory?
Hotdog: I think it’s easier for the audience to understand everything under the umbrella term “Superspray,” since the words in pieces might change here and there. The name “Superspray” comes from an old lady who, while we were painting a mural somewhere, commented: “These are real Supersprays!”
Montana Cans: That makes sense. When choosing a surface to paint, do you have a preferred material? If so, which do you enjoy most and why?
Hotdog: In general, I prefer old industrial sites. There you have a bit of everything: steel, glass, and, in the best case, brick.
Montana Cans: How do you design your walls? Do you have a formula? Your works are often not just simple pieces but murals, with characters and illustrative elements. To put it another way, is more always better?
Hotdog: I usually start from a hodgepodge of notes, sketches, images, ideas, etc., and a sort of mural concept is usually pieced together on-site. Typically, the piece is positioned first, and then all the other elements are built around it. As for whether more is always better— good question. I think every writer knows the answer. When you dig through old photos. It’s usually the pictures where more effort was put in that you end up looking at a little longer. Everything else only gets a quick glance and is immediately forgotten. In the case of a single piece, though, it can happen that you totally overload it with effects.
Montana Cans: Considering the painting process, how important is technique to you?
Hotdog: Unfortunately, technique is a necessity for bringing your vision to life. But some techniques also need to be consciously unlearned. Especially when it comes to cleanliness. It’s important to relax if something isn’t 100% perfect and just leave it as is. It gives the pieces a warm, vinyl-like crackle.
Montana Cans: When selecting colors for your work, do you follow a particular method or rely on intuition? Do you have a single favorite color, and overall, how important are color choices to your creative process?
Hotdog: My color choices are mostly intuitive. Of course, you always fall back on similar combos that have become established for you. But usually, the piece you paint after buying a new set of colors turns out much better because you’re forced to work with the leftover colors you have on hand.
Montana Cans: What have been some of your major influences, especially during different creative periods? Do you find yourself inspired more by traditional, old-school graffiti pieces today? What sources, like online platforms or print materials, do you draw the most creative inspiration from?
Hotdog: In the beginning, it was definitely Berlin. Back then, I’d gotten my hands on an issue of Overkill magazine and studied it extensively every day 😉 Then, of course, you’re always shaped by the people around you, until you eventually reach a point where you ask yourself: Why am I even still doing all this? That’s when I started reflecting on what had drawn me most to graffiti as a child and teenager: large pieces, colors, characters, and a somewhat humorous approach. Basically, exactly what was still all the rage in New York in the early ’80s. So I revisited all of that for myself from a historical perspective. Where did the inspiration for 70s/80s NY graffiti come from? That led me to various artists, illustrators, comic book authors, graphic designers, etc., who served as inspiration for the protagonists back then. Since much of that isn’t online, I bought a few books. The whole rabbit hole then continued all the way to Art Nouveau, where I eventually stopped digging deeper.
It’s important to relax if something isn’t 100% perfect and just leave it as is. It gives the pieces a warm, vinyl-like crackle. – HOTDOG aka Superspray
Montana Cans: I see! Speaking of the old school, were there any reactions to your portrait series back then? Was the feedback mostly positive or mostly negative? Did any of the people you portrayed respond directly? How did you come up with the idea for the series? More generally, how important is feedback to your creative process?
Hotdog: There was actually only positive feedback. But probably those who didn’t like it just didn’t say anything. Also, a lot of people asked me to do their portraits, but that would have felt more like commissioned work, and that wasn’t the point of the project. So I put the project on hold for now. The original idea came from the fact that you often see murals with exaggerated characters. That’s when I thought I could caricature well-known graffiti artists instead. Of course, it was important not to expose anyone and to only show people who were happy to be photographed.
Montana Cans: Do you prefer to paint alone or with others?
Hotdog: Both, actually. However, over time, I’ve noticed that you definitely get a better turnout when you go out to paint alone. When some people’s beer selection was already more extensive than the paint they brought, you start to wonder, did we come here to drink or to paint?
Montana Cans: Haha, ok! Another question: how important is the spot itself to you? For example, do you always have a favorite temporary spot, or does the significance come more from what you create there? I get the feeling that you often make the most of a single spot and paint as much as possible in one place before moving on—is that right?
Hotdog: Yeah, there’s definitely something to that. I always try to get the most out of a spot. Sometimes you discover a different perspective or can incorporate an element from the surroundings. In Hamburg, you have to be really quick to find abandoned places. As soon as a spot becomes known, it usually only takes a few days before there’s a run on it. In the best case, you’ve already worked through the gems by then. But eventually, a place gets worn out and loses its appeal.
Montana Cans: You are part of some well-known crews. How important is it to be part of a respected and active crew?
Hotdog: I think I’d be better able to judge that if I weren’t part of one. As it is, it’s naturally hard to grasp. But it definitely motivates you when you see what the others in the group are constantly delivering. I also like the different personalities and areas of expertise of the people in the group. There just isn’t a defined group style, and everyone does their own thing, which in turn works really well together.
Montana Cans: You often incorporate humorous elements into your work, right? Do you always try to poke fun at historical references respectfully, or do you use them to distance yourself from outdated graffiti norms?
Hotdog: As a reward for viewers who take a little longer to look at the images, there are definitely humorous meta-levels present. Both narrow-minded old-schoolers and the modern sailboat-shoe-wearing folding-bike-riding sprayers are targeted. It’s basically stirring the graffiti pot, in the best case, to spark a conversation with the viewer. Of course, it requires a certain—perhaps even slightly nerdy—basic knowledge to recognize these.
All images by graffiti artist Superspray
Montana Cans: How significant is social media to your work as an artist? Do you see it mainly as a tool you have to use, or do you enjoy the platform for showcasing your work?
Hotdog: Social media is—or rather, was—a good tool for gaining a certain level of visibility. Unfortunately, AI has now led to an additional flood of visual content. This also affects how we perceive things in everyday life. I used to enjoy going to art exhibitions. Today, that mostly bores me because we’re already bombarded with hundreds of artworks every day on social media and are completely oversaturated. Back when Instagram first started, it was all kinds of cool because it was new and you could experiment. That’s when I eventually got the idea to adapt the images to Instagram’s grid format to take up as much space as possible on the phone. Since images are mostly just glanced at these days, you can also leave out a lot of details because they’d get lost anyway.
Montana Cans: Thanks for taking the time. Any last words?
Hotdog: Buy my can 😉
