Not too long ago the second instalment of Gossenpost was released! The focus of the magazine remains on the margins of aesthetically acceptable graffiti with a load of grimy tags, but this time round it has a more specific focus around markers. The issue kicks off with tippex scribbles, followed by marks left with crayons, and a third section of juicy blammers. Alongside these three main sections are special chapters on individual taggers. Even more so than in the previous issue the pictures are compartmentalised and ordered by colour, surface, style and location. In fact this issue came about as an overflow of the first, containing some of the cool handstyles from around Frankfurt. Aside from being a glorious celebration of ‘the tag’ Gossenpost is original in its approach to displaying graffiti. To understand the concept behind it a bit more I asked the magazine’s editor how it came about.

I have been taking photos of graff for a long time and have always wanted to release them one day. I thought about a blog but publishing my photos on the internet seemed to be some kind of a waste. The release of Writing Hessisch, a magazine from Frankfurt which focuses on trainwriting, encouraged me to start my own mag and cover the elements of the local scene that they don’t (by the way, I really love their magazine!).

So with the first issue of Gossenpost, released in 2016, I tried to show the kind of graffiti from my hometown of Frankfurt that is not covered by other magazines, which mainly focus on trainwriting and complex wall-productions. I really love tags. They are the origin of graffiti and I believe that every writer started their career with a tag. I’ve seen people destroying their own pieces in a few seconds with an ugly tag. That’s something I don’t understand. For me, a good handstyle is the most important thing in graffiti and a writer who can’t tag is a bad writer. I think the medial focus on tags is so low because it doesn’t sell as well. At least that’s the experience I got with my magazine. I began taking pictures of tags, throw-ups, bombing, tagged electrical-boxes and lanterns, etc. Gossenpost №1 shows a pot-pourri of underrated graffiti and was some kind of a trial run for me.

For me, a good handstyle is the most important thing in graffiti and a writer who can’t tag is a bad writer.

Print is not dead. It only needs people to keep it alive and I want to be one of them. Digital media is moving so fast. People are browsing over tons of pictures on the internet every day but forget most of them in the next second. A well done printed publication lasts way longer. My process of production is taking pictures every day, where ever I go. Afterwards I sort and edit them on my computer and combine them in a layout. For №2 I chose 1,900 pictures out of a pool of ten thousand. I haven’t counted the hours I’ve spent on the magazines and I really don’t wanna know. Each issue is the culmination of a year of taking pictures and editing. Sorting the photos of tags by their tools (correction pens, wax crayons, felt markers, etc.), by colours and by surfaces takes the tags out of their context. The viewers don’t see where the tags have been placed, they only see pages full of calligraphy. The reason for that? I love sorting things and it looks good.

Frankfurt is a place where a lot of graffiti gets buffed very quickly. There are a lot of writers in the city with very interesting styles and it is Gossenpost‘s task to save those styles for eternity. So far the feedback has been very good but it is hard to sell a magazine that focuses on unpopular graffiti. Nevertheless I have sold copies to Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Zürich and even to Los Angeles. In the end most of the mags have been sold in Frankfurt, to people I know, and there are still some copies left. I really don’t do it for the money. Sometimes I think print-products are out. But I don’t give a shit and keep on working on the next Gossenpost. I just have to!

№.3 is gonna be called ‘The Spraycan Issue’ and, as the name suggests, it focuses on graffiti that’s been done with spraycans. Besides a lot of tags there will be throw-ups, bombing, and a special about the S-train stations in Frankfurt and Offenbach which mostly got buffed last year. It will be released in the beginning of 2018. Stay tuned!