Fab Five Freddy just closed his “New York, New Work” exhibition, and Complex.com was quick to talk with him afterwards. In the interview, Fred Brathwaite spoke about the exhibit, his beginnings as a graffiti artist, introduction to the art scene, and more.

“I started doing graf ages ago, but more significantly, I was one of the first writers that wanted to move into the art scene as an artist, back in the early ’80s,” Freddy said.

As a younger artist, Fab Five Freddy was involved with some of the first hip-hop movies ever, Rapture and Wild Style, and the talk show, Yo! MTV Raps. He also worked often with Futura 2000, an artist he still considers a close friend.

Now, Brathwaite stays involved in the hip-hop scene by continuing to make art and participating in conventions like the recent “Arts in the Streets“ show. Freddy said the diversity was the most rewarding part of the exhibition.

“More people are involved, more people know about it. It’s become a global culture. It was only in the city at that time, and now it’s worldwide. That’s what is exciting for me, especially with Art in the Streets,” he said. “There’s a great website, Artinthestreet.tv, and it has short clips of the main artist in the show. You really get to see the diversity of the artist and their work. Different energies from different places.”

For the full interview, see Complex.

Here are some of the pieces from “New York, New Work,” after the jump.

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