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Exhibition catalogue, Galerie Thomas 1984


GELTENDORFER ZUG

The Geltendorfer Zug was the first train in Germany to be sprayed with graffiti over a large area on an 420 subway train (54m.) at Geltendorf station on the night of the 23rd to 24th March 1985. The motifs included a giant crocodile and a pin-up girl. The graffiti was sprayed by Don M. Zaza, Cheech H., Blash, Cryptic2 (now Loomit), Roy, Roscoe and Zip.

"We sneaked into that depot at night under freight cars and got really scared whenever a spotlight appeared. We had no idea if any workers might come by, if someone might be sleeping in the trains. We worked for two and a half hours. Then, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. It was such a rush."

(Interview with Loomit, Stern, 1989)

At first he train was not used at the weekend. It wasn't until the start of the new week that the driver noticed the image when picking up the train and informed the police. The local press showed great interest in the graffiti, as nothing like it had ever been seen before, and published corresponding newspaper reports on Tuesday. The treatment of this new type of youth culture was not clearly defined in the reporting. On the one hand, the act was labelled as ‘smearing’ and ‘smut’, but on the other, terms from the art scene, such as ‘painting’ or ‘artist’, were often used. (wikipedia)

 

"The Trains Belong to Us," published in 1987 by Don M. Zaza and Roscoe, is now considered a cultural-historical document. It describes the experiences from the beginnings of Munich's graffiti scene and the events of that legendary March night in 1985.

Luckily, Cheech took photos that weekend, unaware they would become historically significant, marking a pivotal moment in graffiti history.

The police and the Deutsche Bundesbahn were initially overwhelmed by this new form of property damage. The Munich railway police therefore set up an investigation commission immediately after, which was soon to become the first special graffiti commission in Germany.  Police officers combed the neighbouring woods at the Geltendorf depot for evidence. The lids of spray cans were forensically examined for fingerprints. In addition, a hippie commune in the neighbouring village of Türkenfeld was searched by the police. According to the unanimous opinion of all the sprayers involved, the investigation was not conducted in accordance with the law. (source wikipedia)


Loomit, Roscoe, Roy, Zip, Blash, Don M. Zaza, Photo by Cheech


"On March 24, 1985, at 2:30 p.m., the train driver from the Munich 6 depot, Mr. xx, noticed the graffiti. According to Mr. xx, the paint still smelled fresh." (Investigation file) 


ilovegraffiti.de did a podcast in Munich, featuring Cheech, Don, Blash and Loomit. PODCAST #075 – Die Züge gehören uns (1987) –organized by Munich Graffiti Library in 2022  (in german) youtube.com/watch?v=tf02poPVswA


GRAFFITI 

CLASSICAL AMERICAN GRAFFITI WRITERS AND HIGH GRAFFITI ARTISTS

In spring 1984, Galerie Thomas in Munich hosted a groundbreaking exhibition titled Graffiti - Classical American Graffiti Writers and High Graffiti Artists, showcasing prominent figures from New York’s graffiti scene. Curated by Raimund Thomas, the show featured artists including A-One, Bear, Chuck, Crash, Daze, Dondi White, Futura 2000, Lady Pink, Lee, Noc 167, Quik, Rammellzee, Seen, Toxic und Zephyr.

Screenshot, Arte TV, The Rise of Graffiti



GRAFFITI FUTURISM

Graffiti Futurism - Shapes and colors at top speed, was an exhibition that took place in Munich from the 7th to the 15th of December 1991 featuring Munich's artists Cheech, Scum and Techno.



GRAFFITI MÜNCHEN

Photo and canvas exhibition held in October 1995 at Pasinger Fabrik, featuring works by Cowboy69, Flin, Gjeli, Loomit, Neon, Paze, Scout, Scum, Smal, Sonic, WON, Z-Rok and more.




GRAFFITIREPORT

youtube.com/@INSTITUTfurLEISTUNGS-abfall/videos

The Graffiti Report is a series of video clips, each around 15 minutes long, in which artist Stefan walks through the Hall of Fame at Viehhof. He gives his thoughts on the artwork and provides updates on the current situation regarding the few legal walls in Munich.

YT screenshot



GHOSTYARD

Ghostyard.de, IG @ghostyard.shop

Möre, Ghostyard, 2011



GRAPHISM 

Graphism, Lakwena, Sugar Mountain

graphism.de, IG @graphism_munich

Munich art collective Graphism is known for its mural work and funded city projects. The group organised the Deadline Festival spray event, held at Bahnwärter Thiel in 2015 and 2016.  With many years of experience, Graphism has worked on everything from graphic design to the development of sophisticated room concepts.



Deadline Festival, 2015