Peter Stelzig publishes Berlin Graffiti book: “DECADES vol. 1 (1990-2000)”

First volume of an announced trilogy

Berlin photographer Peter Stelzig’s new book “DECADES vol. 1 (1990-2000)”, that will be released in May 2021, publishes partly never shown archive material of several Berlin writers from the 90s. This first volume is the prelude of an announced book trilogy (with vol. 2 2000-2010 / vol. 3 2010-2020), which shall represent 30 years of graffiti writing in Berlin. With a selection of thousands of photos, the book aims to create an image of the development of graffiti subculture in Berlin in an authentic way. In addition, a multitude of personal texts by the writers provide an intimate insight into their experiences and perspectives. Thus, a vivid picture of the world of the Berlin graffiti scene is depicted and the Berlin of bygone days is made more tangible for the reader.

Capturing images and stories of the past

The book is published three years after the photo exhibition “SORRY. Known and Unknown from Berlin’s Writing Culture. Photographed from 1983 to the Present.” which took place in Berlin in 2018. It went to Brussels as a traveling exhibition in 2019, modified with the title BERLIN:WRITING GRAFFITI, for which a catalog was published by Hitzerot. At the time, this thematic exhibition attempted to capture four decades of Berlin Graffiti through archival material and works by photographers with over 600 photographs and some quotes from writers, creating a kind of overview in the context of Berlin’s transformation from 1983 to the present day. Peter Stelzig was one of the Berlin photographers who was represented and an important part of both exhibitions with numerous photographs of painted trains from the 2000s onward.

His book trilogy now follows this attempt, creating an immersion in private archival material per decade with additional protagonists and never-before-published images, accompanied by narratives and quotes to give voice to the Berlin writers themselves. With this and also the following publications, Peter Stelzig makes a lasting contribution to the reappraisal and recording of images and stories of graffiti culture in Berlin, which is characterized by temporary, ephemeral graffiti that has occupied the urban space of Berlin for almost 40 years. Berlin is an attractive city internationally in the graffiti scene and enjoys stylistic influence on many other graffiti writers worldwide.

For “DECADES vol. 1 (1990-2000)”, interviews with a selection of incisive Berlin writers from the 1990s, which Stelzig conducted over two and a half years, resulted in short narratives and anecdotes from their lives in the context of the Berlin graffiti scene at the time. Contributions about writers who passed away are told by other writer friends and include quotes. The photographs shown are from private analog image archives. The stories and photographs are by or about BAS2, BOY, CATS, CHILL, CHIO, DEON, DISNE, DMB, DRUM, FOK, INKA, KEL, KMER, KAMEL, LYTE, ODEM, POET62, REW, RUZD, DSYER, SEKD, SHEK, SOME, STEAK, TFB, TOK, TOWN, VDS, WEX.

This first volume portrays about 30 Berlin writers and crews who were active after the fall of Berlin Wall during the graffiti boom in Berlin between 1990 and 2000, and had an influence on the younger generations. The focus is on train writing, the application of graffiti on trains, which is also the subject of most of the images and texts in the book, along with some “uncensored” private snapshots and images of graffiti on walls.

About the publisher

Peter Stelzig (born 1984 in Berlin) grew up in Prenzlauer Berg and was active as a graffiti writer himself for ten years starting in 1998. He studied social work and did an MA in the field of practice research. This involved an empirical thesis on the topic of “What meaning does repression have for writers in Berlin’s graffiti subculture”. For several years, he held a lecturing position as a graffiti expert for the Archiv der Jugendkulturen (Archive of Youth Cultures) in Berlin.

As a passionate graffiti photographer since the early 2000s, first analog then digital, Stelzig has published several photo books under his pseudonym “Peter Stelzig” over the past seven years. With the help of a strong presence in social media, he managed to achieve a worldwide reach with his graffiti photography and to self-publish his books with his own publishing house “RACOON BOOKS”.

More information about the book:

DECADES vol. 1 1990-2000 will be released in May 2021, with hardcover in large format (29 cm x 23 cm) with 326 pages in offset printing, over 860 photo illustrations and texts in German and English.

A Special Edition will be available, limited to 200 copies (+50 AP). Books are numbered and signed by one of the following writers: BAS2, BOY, CATS, INKA, KAMEL, DSYER, STEAK,TOK, TOWN and a surprise guest.

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