BACKJUMPS Magazine 1994–2000
Talk on Berlin graffiti in the 1990s and cultural impact of the magazine
Image credit: © BACKJUMPS
BACKJUMPS magazine is considered one of the most important publications documenting Berlin’s graffiti and urban art scene of the 1990s. This talk brings together contemporary witnesses and makers to discuss the magazine’s origins, its cultural context, and its relevance then and now.
From the beginning, BACKJUMPS has seen itself as an insider platform that not only documents graffiti writing but actively shapes the discourse around it. In the context of Shepard Fairey’s exhibition Photo Synthesis, the panel also explores the cultural framework of Berlin’s 1990s graffiti scene and examines how documentation, photography, and independent publications gave the scene visibility.
The focus is on the magazine as a deliberate intervention: how images and texts were used to express positions, spark debates, and sustainably shape the self-understanding of writing.
At the same time, moderator Prof. Lukas Feireiss discusses with the guests why this form of internal, scene-based artistic activism is more relevant today than ever.
The panel features
• Adrian Nabi (publisher & curator)
• Christian Voss (writer, editor & scene expert)
• Ruediger Glatz (artist, photographer, publisher & co-founder of MONTANA CANS)
• Manuel Osterholt (artist, designer & curator)
Moderation by
• Prof. Lukas Feireiss (architecture theorist, author & curator)
About BACKJUMPS
BACKJUMPS was an internationally oriented graffiti magazine published between 1994 and 2000 and edited by Adrian Nabi and his team. The magazine positioned itself not only as a documentary medium, but as an insider platform that actively shaped discourse around style writing and attitude. By combining photography, text, and artistic positioning, BACKJUMPS played a key role in increasing visibility and critical self-reflection within the international graffiti scene. The discussion at Fotografiska Berlin examines BACKJUMPS as a conscious cultural intervention and explores the impact of media on the development of writing – then and now.