Scratches

Scratches on glass and other smooth flat surfaces are a common way in the namewriting culture to leave your name around town. Although they promise a long-lasting visibility compared to easy to buff marker or spray can tags, not many writers extensively practice the so called ‘scratchies’ in Berlin. This changed in the recent years when THAKI68, XL, YG and variations of these words massively popped up mainly in and on subway and S-Bahn trains in the German capital as well as in stations of the public transportation system.

Since these signs, especially on windows, are hard to capture on camera there is a lack of documentation on this tagging subgenre, also when it comes to print publications. Berlin based photographer Vandal Scum changed that by putting together a 68-paged booklet solely focusing on engraved signatures he collected on his everyday commutes.

Scratches includes almost 120 examples of inscribed words executed on the exteriors of S-Bahn trains, on scratch-protection foil on the city’s subway windows or on nearby station surfaces. A German and English introduction rounds off the limited to 68 hand numbered copies zine. This is the first publication exclusively spotlighting this topic in the Berlin graffiti scene.

68 pages, 14,9 cm x 21 cm, softcover, limited to 68 hand numbered copies
Release date: February 2026
Language: German / English
Publisher: Vandal Scum