Rocco and His Brothers, the artist collective from Berlin rooted in graffiti writing, are known for their installations in public spaces, which they have carried out since 2016. Known as “art activists,” they create provocative installations with a social framework.

Their latest installation, created for this exhibition, is a hybrid reconstruction of two historical “writers’ benches,” that is public gathering points within the graffiti scene. In New York, the platform at 149th Street Grand Concourse Station was considered an ideal location since the two and five IRT trains converged there and thus showcased the work of graffiti writers from the Bronx to Brooklyn. At the physical bench of the platform, writers would congregate to watch and discuss the painted trains as they passed by, to study and teach styles, to meet other writers, and to sign each other’s black books. “Benching“ became a verb in its own right, describing the action of watching graffiti pieces move into the station.

Berlin had its own legendary “bench” at the Friedrichstraße station, around the time that the nearby wall came down. Combining elements from both platforms and the remodeled mosaic tiles, Rocco and His Brothers pay homage to the “bench” tradition from which social graffiti culture emerged.

Commisioned work