Introduction The struggle to be productive and artistic is an endless battle, one that the creative people of the world are slowly losing more every day. The only winners in the world today are the brave and the adventurous. The ones who are willing to step outside the lines drawn in the sand by the people who want nothing more than to see us buy what they want and do what they say. To find something in this bleak world that is positive and unaffected by the powers that be and the media machine you have to look in cultures within cultures, in the hearts of the outlaws and the minds of the ones who go against the grain of society. When you look at a rich culture such as graffiti writing in the world today, you will see that it has gone from ordinary people wanting to leave a mark on society and gain some form or notoriety to a full blown culture where people are exchanging and showcasing photos in magazines, books, internet sites and much more throughout the world. The dominant institutions have slowly leaked into the ‘scene’ and used their vast amounts of money and influence to change and control the spirit and heart of graffiti to make money for themselves and use it to their every advantage. However, when you take the time to look deep within the deep culture of graffiti writing you will find one sub-culture unaffected by all of the outside rule. That subculture is train writing.
Over time it spread to other parts of the country and to the rest of the world and by the late 80’s there was a small scene bubbling in many countries throughout Europe and in other cities in the US. Now, more than 40 years since its birth, the simple act of painting on passenger trains has become a sub-culture so big that companies have been built with the strict intent to stop graffiti on the trains. Train manufacturers have made the trains easier to clean and other companies have made solutions to erase and remove the graffiti on the outside of the trains easier than ever. Much of the graffiti on the outsides, and insides, of trains is removed within hours or days and many times is not even seen by the public. The sheer fact that many people will never see the hard work and dedication put into the piece of work painted on the train, let alone the actual piece, is something that the individuals in power hoped would slow down the ever-expanding scene of people writing on the trains.
Along with the speedy removal came an increase in punishment through supportive initiatives put forth by country’s legal systems. However, even with the harsh jail-times, large fines, and lifechanging convictions on people’s legal records, the unrecognized art form continues to grow more every day. The more afraid the government is that there is one simple thing they cannot The act of writing on trains became popular in the control, the more these dedicated individuals lust down-trodden times of the 70’s in New York City on to paint these moving surfaces. Being one of the the subways traveling throughout the metropolitan only forms of art, if you choose to consider it art, that is not effected by any outside entities and area. Writers began by putting one moniker on the train in a simple text and slowly began to add both unaffected by the media has left it to stand alone in style and technique to make the pieces of work, also a dishonest world of art and the fame that comes known as ‘pieces’, more effective and attractive. with it. Galleries, museums, and other art outlets
are unable to effect even the fundamentals of the sub-culture due to the dedication for reasons and motivations they cannot understand. Every individual, or crew of people, have dedicated days and nights on end to figuring out how to bypass motion and heat sensors, be 2 steps ahead of motivated security guards, go under, over or through fences equipped with barbed wire and electricity, trick cameras and avoid deadly electric 3rd rails. Thousands have spent nights on end in jail and paid unimaginable amounts of money. Some have even died pursuing a small piece of self-satisfaction or fame only those involved can understand. This book is for those dedicated individuals who have written and are writing history as we speak. With all the opposing elements such as the judicial system, police and security, the traditional art scene and the everevolving removal and prevention of the graffiti itself, the act of painting passenger trains is left as one of the only uninfluenced and pure forms of ‘art’ in the world. The photos in this book show only a small portion of the subculture and those involved in it. This second collection of photos and works by the individuals and crews is more than 3 years in the making and hopefully will showcase some of the world’s best and most influential train writers. Even though one can never truly capture a subculture or scene 100%, we hope that this book stands as a good depiction of a moment in time and a honest portrayal of the work so many people give great deals of their lives for. Let the outlaws and rebels of today be the heroes of tomorrow.
5 //
oahu // san francisco subway, united states 2008
oahu heidi // belgium 2008
banos modern oahu mckoy // z端rich s-train, switzerland 2008
// 10
mr.usa oahu // boston subway, united states 2008
oahu solo // paris subway, france 2007
rebok oahu // montreal subway, canada 2008
bason modern oahu // london subway, united kingdom 2009
11 //
bild // vienna s-train, austria 2011
Bild ‘Feel free to break the graffiti rules!’ crew unknown country austria // 30
bild // vienna s-train, austria 2010
bild // vienna s-train, austria 2010
bild // vienna s-train, austria 2010
bild // vienna s-train, austria 2010
31 //
interview with:
Kid Crap A part of me is still that little playful, vulnerable child. Without doing Graffiti for years I would never have never chosen this name‌ Kid Crap is the logical name after years of writing experience. It had never could have be my first writers name. But for sure it will be my last.
// 46
BJ: How did you come up with your name?
suburban tagger guys from my school. After 6 years of only sketching
C: I always liked names that sound interesting and different like Kid
and taking photos of other writers’ works I started my own venture
Capri, Iz The Wiz, or Mr. Maks. In the beginning of GMS I used to write
into writing. I`ve been active for about 13 years ever since. Mmmhh,
Rapid, but from one day to the other I wasn’t able to do the letters ‘I’ and
it doesn’t feel like that. I should have started writing earlier because
‘D’ in a nice way anymore. After some very frustrating months I just cut
sometimes it is not so easy to integrate graffiti into my daily working live,
it up and started a more funny approach on writing. From that day on
but I’m a late bloomer in every field.
I just wrote rap… I just asked myself: ‘what is your hobby?’ – ‘I spray graffiti’ ‘what do you spray?’ – ‘I spray rap’…. haha, on the one hand it
BJ: The diversity of style in your pieces is rich. Are you able to
was about how ridiculous things are nowadays in this hiphop-related
paint enough to free your creativity?
graffiti thing. On the other hand, it was completely ironic. This period
C: No way. It’s satisfying and frustrating in equal measure. I have
didn’t last very long because in my opinion a crew has to have three
so many ideas in my mind that sometimes only thinking about the
letters, a writers name four to five letters… but of course there are some
realization leads to apathy. On the other hand I know exactly what to
very good exceptions out there. I sat down and was thinking about how
do if I have enough time to paint. There are times I really write a lot and
to decorate the letters r-a-p, because I won’t give them up anymore.
then I slide into doing more lettering than idea-graffiti and this can lead
Due to the fact that I don’t like fantasy writer names either, I searched
to frustration too. For me it’s boring just doing style-letters over and over
the dictionary for words having the r-a-p inside. I fell in love with Crap
again without any meaning or special addition. It’s like painting without
at first sight because of the meaning. Its meaning is shit, rubbish, dirt.
reaching a goal. In those moments I have to fall back; do other things.
To me it was a perfect fit! I’m always the guy stepping in dog shit, or the
Maybe quit writing for some weeks to get to the core again. When I
adrenalin-rush-shit of another writer in the bushes nearby a yard. When
restart after such a period I normally have my most creative moments.
I go out painting it’s almost for certain that I will have paint all over me
For me, this is my vicious circle. To put those ideas into action really
after the action. One day I even stumbled on the tracks and a can fell
satisfies me and this leads to my extreme lust for writing. Then I start
down and exploded directly in front of my face. It’s always like that. To
writing more and more and for sure there is not always the time to make
add the ‘Kid’ is the manifestation of forever being young.
everything ‘special’. At this point I do more style-writing and than the vicious circle starts again.
BJ: Crews (and why you’re in a crew…)? C: There is only GMS. I’m in a crew because it is a part of graffiti!? I just
BJ: Where do all the ideas come from? What is it in life that inspires
started to write it because I was down with the founders of GMS, Regie
you to do such different styles?
and Sper, and they came up with that nice combination of letters. I loved
C: My ideas are directly channelled from the brain of Satan into my
the letters right from the start and I asked if I could write it too. I joined
hands. There was a time where complete pieces and color schemes
GMS in the beginning of the crew in April 2002. Of course there are a
came into my mind the second before I fell asleep. It was like
lot of guys in it I really love for one or another reason but due to the fact
subconscious terror. I never had a piece of paper and a pen beside my
that I need a lot of time for myself, it is not that everyday big family thing
bed and I lost all of those beautiful pieces and ideas because I wasn’t
for me. Over the years GMS became more and more important to me
able to capture them. Nowadays, most of my ideas are coming while
than all my former crews. It is part of my existence like my alter ego Kid
I’m listening to music. This is why I listen to music the entire day. It’s
Crap. Even if everybody else in GMS quits writing I will still keep it alive.
one of my most important sources of power in life. To name my most inspirational fields I would say: first we have graphic design, comic-
BJ: Writing since?
art, punk, rock’n’roll and heavy metal, philosophy, advertising, package
C: The very first contact was nearly 19 years ago. From then on I
design, movies, dark humor, love, graffiti by itself, reflection of my
recognized that there is a secret language on the walls of my city. If
environment, self-irony, politics, frustration of life, happiness in life and,
you read the codes for the first time you will either try to understand
of course, the will to make this world a more free and colorful place. As
what this is all about, or you will take no interest in it at all. That’s the
you can see, I have a big variety of influences from hate to love, from
first difference between becoming a writer or not. I tried to decrypt this
depression to happiness, from deeper meaning to total nonsense, and
language and I felt a deep fascination right from the beginning. One
this leads to the huge variation of styles. And, I have to say that I hate to
day I understood what this was all about. It took me quite some time,
do the same piece over and over. It does not suit me.
because back then I didn’t know any other real writers aside from some 47 //
evk // feat.the boys in blue, holland 2009
EVK crew crew evk country holland // 76
evks // holland 2009
ozon // belgium 2009
ozon // holland 2011
ros // belgium 2011
77 //
fra32 // this is my place, italy 2011
Fra 32 crew knm rsg country italy // 82
‘Over the years I’ve produced a bunch of crappy pieces and also some good ones, but overall I don’t care that much… I hardly look at old photos and mostly I try to be focused on the next move, the next trip, the next action and so on. I would say that the purpose of train writing is washing the dust of daily life off our souls’.
fra32 // italy 2011
fra32 // prague, cezch republic 2008
fra32 // slovenia 2008
fra32 // napoli, italy 2011
83 //
adam nawas niks // belgium 2011
NAWAS crew ‘NAWAS HAVE MORE FUN!’ We once went to the butcher and asked him: ‘Hey butcher, do you have pig’s feet?’ The butcher answered: ‘Yes of course!’ We replied: ‘It’s hard to walk right? With pig’s feet!’ (Based on a true story!!) crew nachtwacht country belgium // 146
NAWAs // belgium 2010
nawas // holland 2010
nawalibi // belgium 2010
nawacatch // belgium 2009
147 //
taps // lyon subway, france 2007
Taps crew NONE country germany // 190
taps // germany 2011
taps // france 2008
taps // italy 2007
taps // germany 2011
191 //