Instagram story viewer> @passivecrime> Posts

GRAFFITI

@passivecrime

291.3K

followers

504

following

Best from around the world
‎
ㅤby @mopaone

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Somewhere, Italy, 2026.
@eliofurno for @passivecrime
-
-
-
#graffiti #analog by @passivecrime

941

17

3 months ago

How RAMS takes over heaven spots around the world

If you follow the global graffiti scene closely, his name needs no introduction. The anonymous writer from Auckland, New Zealand, is a prominent member of the legendary American MSK crew

His name became known worldwide when his massive piece appeared on the 44th floor of an abandoned 200 meter skyscraper on Park Place in New York City. At the time, the media completely blew up, no one could understand how it was even technically possible to pull off an action of that scale at the insane height of an unfinished building that Trump had once listed among the city’s worst stalled projects

He started out like almost everyone, at 12, when he and his friends went tagging along a local highway with cheap paint. As he says, that was the first time he felt complete freedom. Around that time his tag RAMS was created, сhosen simply because it sounded good and was easy to write, it stuck

In 2019, he went on a three-month trip around Europe, heavily focusing on train bombing, making a lot of new connections. Although at that time he had already been invited to the United States, probation in his home country delayed his travel plans. But when he finally arrived, it was for a tour across the country that ended in LA, where he officially joined MSK

Today, RAMS is one of the most respected and technically skilled rappelling writers. But his first experience in Philadelphia was a pure nightmare. Back then, he and NOTICE decided to hit a 12-story hotel with absolutely zero preparation, just googling basic knots right before. This forced him to change his approach. Instead of learning from climbers, he adopted the techniques of professional lumberjacks, and this method allowed him to literally walk up the wall, rather than pull himself up by pure arm strength

Also, he's been writing under the name STOIC, as his entire lifestyle is based on the philosophy of absolute freedom. It’s been about a decade since he turned away from a traditional 9-to-5. And now he is entirely focused on his personal goals and ambitions, pushing the boundaries of what else can be done in graffiti by @passivecrime

22k

245

3 months ago

Yesterday, a 22 year old Melbourne man, most likely known to you as Pam the Bird, was arrested and charged after scaling the Bolte Bridge and painting his signature bird on one of its towers.

Despite the security alarm being triggered at 3 am, he managed to sneak through maintenance hatches into the tower of the bridge, climbed the technical ladders to the top of the 140 meter structure, painted his giant bird character, and engaged in an 8 hour standoff with the police.

He even made a whole new account @pambirdofficial just for this action, and in just a couple of hours of morning news coverage, it gained more than 29,000 followers. Pam posted stories with the hashtag #notcomingdown and showed his middle finger to the officers below. While sitting on the edge of the pylon, he made a list of demands, including lower taxes and a peanut butter sandwich delivered by drone. Later, when the police actually launched a surveillance drone, the account joked that it did not include the sandwich. However, by noon after his arrest, all posts from there were already deleted.

In our march post we already talked about Pam, his actions, and his arrests, when he came to court hearings on a Ripstik wearing Lightning McQueen Crocs, walked in front of reporters in a Spider-Man costume, and how, despite the police, government, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, his simple bird, visible all over the city, has made him almost a national symbol for the locals.

Photos by @hidden.ny @annakomphoto @pamthebird @complex_au dizbrav0 @allthoseshapes by @passivecrime

64k

822

3 months ago

ZOOT is one of the most active graffiti writers in New York at the moment. His countless throwups, pieces, and rollers in inaccessible and dangerous spots can now be found in almost every borough of the city. The spots he chooses range from bridges to massive billboards, water towers, and skyscraper rooftops, where he rappels down using climbing gear.

While most of his work is concentrated in New York City, it also extends far beyond the state, appearing all over the country, for example in Los Angeles, Miami, Boston and Portland. On top of that, he even manages to get active in several European capitals, such as London and Amsterdam.

Because of this impressive productivity, some people already call him the current «King of New York Graffiti». But despite all this attention, he’s still able to keep his identity completely anonymous to this day. by @passivecrime

17k

543

4 months ago

Richard Mirando, better known to the world as SEEN, often and deservedly called the Godfather of Graffiti.

His story began in 1973 in the Bronx, while he, as an 11 year old boy, was captivated by the painted trains passing through his neighborhood and decided to do the same, for the first time climbing over the fence into the depot with a couple of spray paint cans in his hands. As he says, the name Seen was chosen because, in the chaos and noise of the giant New York, being «seen» was what he wanted more than anything in the world. Very soon, his ambitions turned into hundreds of full color pieces on trains that regularly ran through all five boroughs of the city, making him more and more recognizable.

In the 1970s and 80s, Seen’s work became the gold standard of graffiti at the time. His iconic whole cars with bold letters and pop culture characters, such the Hand of Doom piece, earned him even more legendary status in the community as well as beyond. He constantly refined his skill, focusing on vibrancy and the cleanest possible line work. This commitment to quality made him one of the first graffiti artists who successfully moved from painting in dark subway tunnels to the white walls of art galleries. Вy 1980, he was already exhibiting in Europe and Asia alongside Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, forever changing the world’s perception of graffiti.

And even after that, he didn’t stop evolving, and in the late 80s he dove into the tattoo world, creating his own Tattoo Seen studio, which became one of the most famous in New York. He experimented with sculptures, mixed media, and found objects from the street, for example, by drawing on old subway maps instead of canvases. After appearing in the cult documentary film Style Wars, Seen literally became a symbol of early graffiti and hiphop culture. Even today, living between Paris and New York, he continues to paint. Although Richard sadly notes the excessive commercialization of the modern scene. However, his influence on culture cannot be overstated, and possibly his story could serve as a great source of inspiration for many people. by @passivecrime

21k

170

5 months ago

Razor, one of the most creative graffiti artists

Razor began painting in the early 1990s and has been active for over 30 years, primarily in Germany, but also traveling throughout Europe. Since 1992, he has been a member of the COS (Colors On Steel) crew, which, true to its name, focuses primarily on train bombing.

He continues to focus on trains and traditional graffiti pieces. For the first two decades his works were done in a more classic style, drawing inspiration from 1980s New York graffiti, but over time he moved toward more conceptual pieces, creatively integrating his name into the environment.

In recent years, he has refined his style, gaining wider recognition through social media, and now combining bombing with print releases and works on canvases. In addition, he released his own book called “RAZOR – COLORS ON STEEL” structured much like a black book, featuring photos of his works alongside stories about his creative process, daily life, and actions. by @passivecrime

104k

514

6 months ago

Works by a LA graffiti artist who paints the dreams of homeless people on walls.

The artist, known as Skid Robot, depicts the wishes of each of his subjects, based on their stories about their desires and past, creating their dream homes and retell their stories.

He says his goal is to bring more attention to the problems of homelessness and extreme poverty.

The idea came to him spontaneously when his girlfriend suggested he paint the dreams of a homeless man at a traffic light in the Skid Row area, which later led to hundreds of works, including the famous “Birdman”, which influenced the mayor’s plans in the fight against the crisis.

by @skidrobot by @passivecrime

8k

62

7 months ago

Perspective graffiti works by DAIS (@dais_dk) by @passivecrime

12k

98

7 months ago

Pam the Bird is one of Melbourne’s most famous graffiti figures. This simple, bold cartoon bird began appearing all over the city in 2023, on walls, trains, highway signs and even historically significant landmarks like Flinders Street Station. Its design is simple enough to be quickly painted and versatile enough to appear as a multicoloured character or a simple outline, which is often done alongside the words “MP” or “Srock”.

This combination of simplicity, repeatability and audacity in choice of locations quickly made him a local celebrity and, unfortunately, brought the artist a great deal of trouble, including charges for hundreds of offences and damage amounting to approximately $700 000.

In January 2024, police launched an investigation that led to the arrest of 21 year-old Jack Gibson-Burrell, who was allegedly the artist behind “Pam Bird”, and his accomplice in January 2025. By early 2026, Gibson-Barrell, was facing trial in County Court on charges related to intentional property damage, public endangerment and other alleged offences, continuing to maintain his innocence. Although the case is serious, the majority of public interest has been attracted to his unusual behaviour outside of court.

In July 2025, he appeared in full Spider-Man costume, posing for photographers, attempting to climb the walls and then silently running down the street, turning the court hearing viral. Then, in January of 2026, he arrived at court on a RipStik, wearing red Lightning McQueen Crocs, which was another moment that quickly spread across the internet and gave the case an almost absurd tone.

However, his problems with the law did not begin with “Pam” Back in 2022, he was associated with a number of other alleged incidents, including the theft of a white Volkswagen that crashed into a Nando’s restaurant in Footscray, leaving graffiti reading “We don’t accept cash here” and “Nando dogs”, as well as an unprovoked attack on an Emporium shopping centre employee.

Even before Jack became the center of public attention, he already showed a penchant for theatricality, reportedly cawing at reporters like a bird after one of his early arrests. by @passivecrime

12k

122

7 months ago

One United Power or 1UP is a renowned graffiti crew from Berlin’s Kreuzberg district active since 2003. They are known for their risky, large-scale pieces, ranging from wholecar and wholetrain bombings to rooftop murals and quick team actions done with military like discipline.

It started as a small but close-knit group of people who were more interested in the common project than individual recognition, and over time it has grown into a global collective which, according to the media, now has more than 50 active members, even though over its more than 20-year history it has collaborated with hundreds of other crews, which perfectly reflects their name.

1UP’s pieces stand out with bright, colorful letters or just a standard combo of chrome and black, bold outlines, and huge sizes, which are usually done in minutes. Their actions often involve significant risk, for example, riding on moving trains or climbing tall structures without safety equipment, which is captured in their mini films documenting each of their major actions, demonstrating their coordination.

For example, in the 2018 video “Graffiti Olympics,” they used drones to capture the actions that were happening simultaneously, spreading chaos in Athens by painting all over the city in the middle of the day. Such acts have given 1UP a reputation of the most aggressive graffiti collective in Europe and set new standards in the culture.

They do their thing everywhere, making them the first crew that can truly be called internationally active. You’ll see their work anywhere from their home base in Berlin to the most obscure places, like war zones. It has influenced a lot of graffiti artists around the world, reaching out through social media and creating a huge number of collaborative projects, forever confirming their status of the most legendary and recognizable crew in the world. by @passivecrime

22k

76

8 months ago

Keith Haring being arrested for tagging the New York subway, 1982.

From 1980 to 1985, he created thousands of spontaneous works, often producing up to 30 – 40 drawings a day, reaching millions of daily commuters. Haring used simple white chalk on black paper covered panels meant for ads, featuring bold icons like radiant babies, barking dogs, and flying saucers. This public, accessible style commented on social issues and spoke directly to the viewer, without involvement of galleries.

He was arrested several times for property damage, but the charges were often lenient due to public support and the popularity of his art, sometimes resulting only 100$ fines. More than 5,000 drawings didn’t last long, getting removed or painted over, but the rare ones that survived were later auctioned for millions. by @passivecrime

10k

61

8 months ago

MOSES & TAPS™ is a well known European artist collective founded by two graffiti artists.

Moses and Taps began painting graffiti independently in 1994, focusing on trains across Europe. In 2007, they met and formed the collective, launching their first major project “TOPSPRAYER™” to paint 1,000 trains in 1,000 days, documenting the project in their best selling book “International Topsprayer”.

Their notable projects include a fake train door painted on a Hanover S-Bahn in 2010 that went unnoticed for multiple trips, and “The Wall” in 2015, where a walled up Hamburg train sparked international media debate on graffiti prosecution. Their pieces critique art commercialization, like affixing the word “sellout” made of dollar bills on a train. The “Post Graffiti” project documents the 2023 actions of painting full color pieces on DHL trucks in Hamburg, Berlin, and Dortmund. Among the participants was Code, Otis, Futo, and Thunder, who also moved from trains to everyday trucks, which were more often remained unbuffed, creating a social media boom among spotters.

Beyond graffiti, their work spans graphic design, fashion, and visual arts, with exhibitions worldwide. Pieces like “Das Kann Ich Auch” have sold at auctions for €11,700. by @passivecrime

51k

323

9 months ago