Doors play a significant role in graffiti writing, especially when it comes to tagging. In Gates of Graffiti Malcolm Jacobson and Torkel Sjöstrand focus on these special places in big western cities.
While in 2007 publications about tagging were rare and hard to find, the authors chose the even more specific subgenre of tagging on doors to set their main focus on. Their collection is showing tagged doors from San Francisco, Stockholm, New York, Copenhagen, Paris, Berlin, Liège, Rome, Helsinki, Gothenburg and Los Angeles.
In addition to the collection of tagged doors DON JUAN from Copenhagen, SMITH from New York, PUNK from Gothenburg and CLINT176 from Berlin wrote essays about their activities and what makes tagging on doors unique for them.
The book features the work of international known artists like BNE, Kegr, Earsnot, Skuf, Broa, Spair, Dexa, Trane, Cauze, Nug, Remio, HNR, Mrix, Cost, Revs, Twister, Uzi, Distur, Sento, Babbo, Veefer, etc.
Gates of Graffiti is a photo book about graffiti in the streets of New York, Berlin, Paris Stockholm and other cities around the world. Doors are a popular target for graffiti writers. Doors make a good frame for the faster forms of graffiti and street art such as tags, stencils and posters. In a doorway one can sneak in and execute its art without being noticed. Tags are the origin of graffiti art and is the purest and rawest form of it. Gates Of Grafftit is the first book to focus on tags, their design and how writers communicate with them. It is an unique chance to understand what tags are about and how beautiful they can be. The texts are written by the well-known graffiti writers Smith from NYC, Punk from Gothenburg, Clint 176 from Berlin and Don Juan from Copenhagen. Their open-hearted stories are a unique chance to take part of the fascinating stories, the motivation and the emotions surrounding the names that adorn the doors of major cities. Photo by Björn Almqvist, Tobias Barenthin Lindblad, Malcolm Jacobson and Torkel Sjöstrand whos earlier work includes Overground, Writers United and They Call Us Vandals and graffiti magazine Underground Productions.