THE TAG CONFERENCE
VIENNA 2025
JOSEPH KYSELAK 200 YEAR JUBILEE
7—9 NOVEMBER
LITERATURE MUSEUM, AUSTRIAN NATIONAL LIBRARY
BEZIRKSMUSEUM MARIAHILF
THE TAG CONFEREN-
CE VIENNA 2025
JOSEPH KYSELAK
200 YEAR JUBILEE
7—9 NOVEMBER
LITERATURE MUSEUM, AUSTRIAN NATIONAL LIBRARY
BEZIRKSMUSEUM MARIAHILF
The Tag Conference lands in Vienna for a special event hosted by the Literature Museum at the Austrian National Library and Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf. Our three-day programme features lectures and readings by over 20 speakers from America and across Europe, as well as exhibitions and guided tours into lesser-known Vienna.
Now in its ninth year, the travelling Tag Conference continues to spearhead and deepen the study of tagging, a pivotal yet often overlooked form of public art. This Vienna instalment is produced in partnership with Kyselak.at and Spraycity.at.
The conference will be held in English, with the exception of the Friday evening programme, which will be conducted in German.
The Tag Conference lands in Vienna for a special event hosted by the Literature Museum at the Austrian National Library and Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf. Our three-day programme features lectures and readings by over 20 speakers from America and across Europe, as well as exhibitions and guided tours into lesser-known Vienna.
Now in its ninth year, the travelling Tag Conference continues to spearhead and deepen the study of tagging, a pivotal yet often overlooked form of public art. This Vienna instalment is produced in partnership with Kyselak.at and Spraycity.at.
The conference will be held in English, with the exception of the Friday evening programme, which will be conducted in German.
THE UNSUNG TAGS
OF THE ROMANTIC ERA
THE UNSUNG TAGS OF THE ROMANTIC ERA
In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Joseph Kyselak’s iconic journey across the Alps, this instalment of the conference lays a special focus on the rich legacy of public name-writing in Romantic times.
Kyselak, a Vienna-born civil servant, was a pioneer in the exploration of natural landscapes. The many marks he left along his travels made him a legend in Europe and established him as the foremost trailblazer of modern-day graffiti.
Yet Kyselak was far from the only tagger of his time. From the Romantic period onwards, inscribing one’s name on ancient ruins was commonplace among early leisure travellers, as evidenced by the layers of autographs that survive to this day—including those of Byron and Rimbaud.
This wave of public name-writing marked the first widespread graffiti craze in modern Western history, and can be seen as a direct precursor to today’s tagging.
In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Joseph Kyselak’s iconic journey across the Alps, this instalment of the conference lays a special focus on the rich legacy of public name-writing in Romantic times.
Kyselak, a Vienna-born civil servant, was a pioneer in the exploration of natural landscapes. The many marks he left along his travels made him a legend in Europe and established him as the foremost trailblazer of modern-day graffiti.
Yet Kyselak was far from the only tagger of his time. From the Romantic period onwards, inscribing one’s name on ancient ruins was commonplace among early leisure travellers, as evidenced by the layers of autographs that survive to this day—including those of Byron and Rimbaud.
This wave of public name-writing marked the first widespread graffiti craze in modern Western history, and can be seen as a direct precursor to today’s tagging.
Some of the hundreds of signatures on the statues and walls of the Abu Simbel temple in the far South of Egypt, among them one left by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria in 1838. Uncredited photograph from 2000, courtesy of Hania El Houry.
CELEBRATING KYSELAK
CELE-
BRATING KYSELAK
Beyond his graffiti, Joseph Kyselak holds an important place in Austrian literary history. The book he published about his 1825 hike is a milestone in local Romantic literature exploring natural landscapes, and has spawned many interpretations in writing and art.
As a special feature of the conference, the Literature Museum of the Austrian National Library is curating a reading and panel discussion dedicated to Kyselak’s legacy in Austrian culture, featuring prominent figures from Austrian philosophy, literature, and media theory.
This programme will be held in German on the evening of Friday, 8 November, at the Literature Museum. While at the museum, be sure to visit the permanent installation on Joseph Kyselak, where you’ll find original autographed documents and other artefacts from his time.
A YEAR-LONG JUBILEE
This conference is part of the Jubilee celebrations organised throughout 2025 by Kyselak.at. Events take place across several countries along the route Joseph Kyselak described in his seminal travelogue “Sketches from a journey by foot through Imperial Austria”.
The Jubilee features exhibitions, screenings, readings, walks, alpine hikes, live music, and more. Follow Kyselak.at for updates on this unique celebration.
LECTURE PROGRAMME
Our program highlights the tags of the Romantic era, yet extends to examine marks from all periods, including today. This continues the Tag Conference’s mission to connect historical and contemporary graffiti research.
FRIDAY 7TH
Literature Museum
1010 Wien, Johannesgasse 6
➽ 10:30am
Epos 257 and Vladimir 518 (CZ)
«Ich War Hier: Tracing Historical Inscriptions at the Broumov Churches»
➽ 11am
Lothaire Arnoux (FR)
«Pastoral Graffiti at the Merveilles Valley»
➽ 11:30am
Ilaria Hoppe (DE)
«The Writer as Romantic Artist: Kyselak and the Rise of Modernity»
➽ 12pm
Coffee Break
➽ 12:15pm | KEYNOTE
Gabriele Gofriller (AT)
«Higher, Bigger, and the More the Better: i·KYSELAK»
➽ 1pm
Lunch Break
➽ 2pm
Stefan Wogrin (AT)
«@: Social Media Handles in Graffiti»
➽ 2:30pm
Sven Niemann (DE)
«Toys Will Be Toys: Graffiti on Miniature Trains»
➽ 3pm
Nico Barrios (ES)
«Political Graffiti Lettering for Hire in Argentina»
➽ 3:30pm
Coffee Break
➽ 4pm
Narciss M. Sohrabi (IR/US)
«Written Presence: Graffiti and Everyday Urban Resistance in Iranian Cities»
➽ 4:30pm
Charles Nolan Van Linden (US)
«Landmarks: When Graffiti Lasts»
➽ 5pm
Tobias Barenthin Lindblad (SE)
«Stockholm’s Klotterplanket: The World’s First Legal Graffiti Wall»
Special Friday Evening Programme
Literature Museum
1010 Wien, Johannesgasse 6
This programme will be conducted in German
Information in German on the Museum’s website
➽ 7–9pm
«I Was Here: Literature in Public Spaces»
Speakers:
Clemens J. Setz (AT)
Lisz Hirn (AT)
Ramón Reichert (AT)
SATURDAY 8TH
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf
1060 Wien, Mollardgasse 8
➽ 10:30am
Camille Martinet (FR)
«Tracing the Traces: Engraved Graffiti at Metz Cathedral»
➽ 11am
Mick La Rock (NL)
«Musica Graffitica: Graffiti and Classical Music»
➽ 11:30am
Sven Gerhardt (NL)
«Writing in the Marl Quarries of Limburg, The Netherlands»
➽ 12pm
Coffee Break
➽ 12:15pm | KEYNOTE
Hania El Houry (DE/LB)
«Romantic Traveller Graffiti Along the Nile»
➽ 1pm
Lunch Break
➽ 2pm
Jacob Kimvall (SE)
«Words of Prophets on Subway Walls: Wall Writing in Album Covers»
➽ 2:30pm
Hugo Engwerda (NL)
«The Kladmuur Foundation: Ten Years of Graffiti Heritage Work»
➽ 3pm
Kate Long Stellar (US)
«Graffiti Zines: How DIY Publications Preserve Ephemeral Culture»
➽ 3:30pm
Coffee Break
➽ 4pm
Sascha Blasche (DE)
«Survivors: Berlin 90s Tag Aesthetics»
➽ 4:30pm
Ksenia Chizhova (US)
«Revolutionary Graffiti: The Slogan Trees of North Korea»
➽ 5pm
Ulrich Blanché (DE)
«The ‘V for Victory’ Resistance Graffiti of World War II»
LECTURE PROGRAMME
Our program highlights the tags of the Romantic era, yet extends to examine marks from all periods, including today. This continues the Tag Conference’s mission to connect historical and contemporary graffiti research.
FRIDAY 7TH
Literature Museum
1010 Wien, Johannesgasse 6
➽ 10:30am
Epos 257 and Vladimir 518 (CZ)
«Ich War Hier: Tracing Historical Inscriptions at the Broumov Churches»
➽ 11am
Lothaire Arnoux (FR)
«Pastoral Graffiti at the Merveilles Valley»
➽ 11:30am
Ilaria Hoppe (DE)
«The Writer as Romantic Artist: Kyselak and the Rise of Modernity»
➽ 12pm | Coffee Break
➽ 12:15pm | KEYNOTE
Gabriele Gofriller (AT)
«Higher, Bigger, and the More the Better: i·KYSELAK»
➽ 1pm | Lunch Break
➽ 2pm
Stefan Wogrin (AT)
«@: Social Media Handles in Graffiti»
➽ 2:30pm
Sven Niemann (DE)
«Toys Will Be Toys: Graffiti on Miniature Trains»
➽ 3pm
Nico Barrios (ES)
«Political Graffiti Lettering for Hire in Argentina»
➽ 3:30pm | Coffee Break
➽ 4pm
Narciss M. Sohrabi (IR/US)
«Written Presence: Graffiti and Everyday Urban Resistance in Iranian Cities»
➽ 4:30pm
Charles Nolan Van Linden (US)
«Landmarks: When Graffiti Lasts»
➽ 5pm
Tobias Barenthin Lindblad (SE)
«Stockholm’s Klotterplanket: The World’s First Legal Graffiti Wall»
Special Friday Evening Programme
Literature Museum
1010 Wien, Johannesgasse 6
This programme will be conducted in German
Information in German on the Museum’s website
➽ 7–9pm
«I Was Here: Literature in Public Spaces»
Speakers:
Clemens J. Setz (AT)
Lisz Hirn (AT)
Ramón Reichert (AT)
SATURDAY 8TH
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf
1060 Wien, Mollardgasse 8
➽ 10:30am
Camille Martinet (FR)
«Tracing the Traces: Engraved Graffiti at Metz Cathedral»
➽ 11am
Mick La Rock (NL)
«Musica Graffitica: Graffiti and Classical Music»
➽ 11:30am
Sven Gerhardt (NL)
«Writing in the Marl Quarries of Limburg, The Netherlands»
➽ 12pm
Coffee Break
➽ 12:15pm | KEYNOTE
Hania El Houry (DE/LB)
«Romantic Traveller Graffiti Along the Nile»
➽ 1pm
Lunch Break
➽ 2pm
Jacob Kimvall (SE)
«Words of Prophets on Subway Walls: Wall Writing in Album Covers»
➽ 2:30pm
Hugo Engwerda (NL)
«The Kladmuur Foundation: Ten Years of Graffiti Heritage Work»
➽ 3pm
Kate Long Stellar (US)
«Graffiti Zines: How DIY Publications Preserve Ephemeral Culture»
➽ 3:30pm
Coffee Break
➽ 4pm
Sascha Blasche (DE)
«Survivors: Berlin 90s Tag Aesthetics»
➽ 4:30pm
Ksenia Chizhova (US)
«Revolutionary Graffiti: The Slogan Trees of North Korea»
➽ 5pm
Ulrich Blanché (DE)
«The ‘V for Victory’ Resistance Graffiti of World War II»
Joseph Ignaz and Eduard Gurk: “Baden. Schloss Rauheneck. Le château de Rauheneck.” Coloured lithograph, c. 1825, 13,7 × 9,2 cm. From a series of commercial prints depicting picturesque sites around Vienna, issued by the prestigious Viennese publisher Tranquillo Mollo. Rauheneck Castle was a celebrated Romantic-era ruin and remains a popular hiking destination today.
SOCIAL
PROGRAMME
Discover Vienna’s graffiti legacy firsthand through our social programme: explore centuries-old inscriptions with expert guides, celebrate a new exhibition in the heart of Mariahilf, and connect with the graffiti research community at our welcome reception.
Times and booking information in the schedule section.
HISTORICAL GUIDED TOURS
Don’t miss our guided tours exploring lesser-known layers of Vienna’s cultural history.
Stefan Wogrin will lead a special tour exploring Vienna’s rich historical graffiti heritage, including a close-up look at centuries-old inscriptions on the Tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral and other remarkable traces across the city.
For those with a deep appreciation of Kyselak’s legacy, the conference offers a rare chance to visit a mark believed to be carved by Kyselak himself at the top of a tower not far from the city centre of Vienna.
EXHIBITION OPENING
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf is the district museum for Vienna’s historic Mariahilf neighbourhood, a long-standing local hub for graffiti and street art.
In a collaboration between the Tag Conference and the museum, local expert Stefan Wogrin curates Graffiti-Mikrokosmos Mariahilf, a photo exhibition documenting decades of graffiti in this iconic neighbourhood with images from his enduring archive Spraycity.at.
Welcome Reception
Join speakers and attendees for a pre-conference gathering Thursday evening at Das Moped, a welcoming bar in central Vienna. We’ve reserved a private room where you can enjoy lentil soup and snacks while mingling with the graffiti research community in a relaxed atmosphere.
Joseph Heicke, “Heimkehr der Truppen aus Ungarn 1848 bei der Spinnerin am Kreuz bei Wien”, 1848, watercolour, 35,7 × 58,5 cm, Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Vienna. The image depicts a misspelled Kyselak signature on the base of the Spinnerin am Kreuz, a 1375 monument marking the southern approach into the city of Vienna.
OUR VENUES
Literature Museum
The Literature Museum of the Austrian National Library is housed in the historic Grillparzerhaus, an 18th century Baroque building that once accommodated the Imperial Court Archives. The museum installation retains the original furnishings and interior style, and includes among its features a display on the figure of Kyselak.
Kyselak was employed as a civil servant at the Archives, although in a different building, as the institution moved into what is now the museum only shortly after his death.
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf
Located in a protected early 20th-century Art Nouveau building, the Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf is a City of Vienna District Museum dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the Mariahilf quarter. Lectures will be held beside an expansive 1:60 scale model built between 1887 and 1904 that recreates the district as it was during Kyselak’s time.
SCHEDULE
SCHE-
DULE
Lectures
Friday, 7 November
Literature Museum
1010 Wien, Johannesgasse 6
➽ Conference talks: 10:30am—5:30pm
➽ Evening programme (in German): 7—9pm
Free access, book here
Saturday, 8 November
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf
1060 Wien, Mollardgasse 8
➽ 10:30am—5:30pm
Free access, book here
Guided Tours
Visit to Kyselak’s Signature
➽ Sunday 9 November, 8—11am
With Gabriele Goffriller (Kyselak.at)
Limited spaces, book here
Hidden History of Vienna
➽ Sunday 9 November, 11am—2pm
With Stefan Wogrin (Spraycity.at)
Limited spaces, book here
Exhibition Opening
Graffiti-Mikrokosmos Mariahilf
Curated by Stefan Wogrin
➽ Saturday 8 November, 6pm
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf
1060 Wien, Mollardgasse 8
Free access
Welcome Reception
➽ Thursday 6 November, from 6:30pm
Das Moped
1030 Wien, Salmgasse 23
Free access
From a 1903 stereograph titled “Resting on top (30 ft square) of Great Pyramids, our photographer and Bedouin guides, Egypt”. Among the visible signatures is that of Lorenzo Dow Covington, a North American Egyptologist best known for his 1899–1911 excavations around the pyramids and the Sphinx. Photographer uncredited. Library of Congress, USA.
Conference
Team & Partners
Director
Javier Abarca, PhD (ES)
Programme Chair
Prof. Susan Hansen (UK)
Conference Committee
Orestis Pangalos, PhD (GR)
Edward Birzin, PhD (US)
Dr. phil. Ulrich Blanché (DE)
Production & Programme
Dr. phil. Gabriele Goffriller (AT)
Unlock Bureau (ES)
Literature Museum (AT)
Stefan Wogrin (AT)
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf (AT)
Archivists
Dr. phil. Hania El Houry (LB/DE)
Dr. phil. Gabriele Goffriller (AT)
Design & Art Direction
Unlock Bureau (ES)
Communication
Unlock Bureau (ES)
Cococlick.at (AT)
The Tag Conference Vienna 2025 is presented by Unlock Bureau and Kyselak.at, with support from Stadt Wien, Literature Museum (Austrian National Library), Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf, and Spraycity.at.
The Tag Conference is part of Unlock Bureau’s ongoing international culture program of graffiti-related events.
Poster image: “Eduard Gurk, Ansicht der Ruine Gutenstein”, watercolour, c. 1825, Wien Museum.
Director
Javier Abarca, PhD (ES)
Programme Chair
Prof. Susan Hansen (UK)
Conference Committee
Orestis Pangalos, PhD (GR)
Edward Birzin, PhD (US)
Dr. phil. Ulrich Blanché (DE)
Production & Programme
Dr. phil. Gabriele Goffriller (AT)
Unlock Bureau (ES)
Literature Museum (AT)
Stefan Wogrin (AT)
Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf (AT)
Archivists
Dr. phil. Hania El Houry (LB/DE)
Dr. phil. Gabriele Goffriller (AT)
Design & Art Direction
Unlock Bureau (ES)
Communication
Unlock Bureau (ES)
Cococlick.at (AT)
The Tag Conference Vienna 2025 is presented by Unlock Bureau and Kyselak.at, with support from Stadt Wien, Literature Museum (Austrian National Library), Bezirksmuseum Mariahilf, and Spraycity.at.
The Tag Conference is part of Unlock Bureau’s ongoing international culture program of graffiti-related events.
Poster image: “Eduard Gurk, Ansicht der Ruine Gutenstein”, watercolour, c. 1825, Wien Museum.
Presented by
With support from
THE CONFERENCE
IN PICTURES
THE CONFE-
RENCE IN PICTURES
FRIDAY AT LITERATURE MUSEUM,
AUSTRIAN NATIONAL LIBRARY
FRIDAY AT
LITERATURE MUSEUM,
AUSTRIAN NATIONAL LIBRARY
SATUDAY AT
BEZIRKSMUSEUM MARIAHILF
SATURDAY AT
BEZIRKSMUSEUM MARIAHILF
