THE TAG
CONFERENCE
NEW YORK CITY
2025
HONORING THE LEGACY OF
FALLEN NYC GRAFFITI LEGENDS
JUNE 13 & 14
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
COCO 144 & David Schmidlapp on Phase 2 | Chris Freedom Pape on Stay High 149 | Jay J.SON Edlin & Flint Gennari on Tracy 168 | Louie ‘KR.ONE’ Gasparro on Don 1 | Blue ‘Dero’ Asencio & Henry Chalfant on Dez | Skuf YKK on Kez 5 | Alan Ket on Rambo | Fernando Lions on Zexor | Tats Cru on their RIP memorials | Carlos Mare | Joe Austin | Rafael Schacter | Edward Birzin
The Tag Conference returns to New York City with an exceptional line-up of speakers and a singular focus: honoring the legacy of fallen NYC writers whose impact endures in the city and resonates around the world.
After a capacity-crowd U.S. debut in Brooklyn in 2023, we’re proud to come back to the original graffiti Mecca. This year’s event is hosted at the Museum of the City of New York, where the major exhibition Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection is currently on display.
THE TAG CONFE-
RENCE NEW
YORK CITY
2025
HONORING THE LEGACY OF
FALLEN NYC GRAFFITI LEGENDS
JUNE 13 & 14
MUSEUM OF THE CITY
OF NEW YORK
COCO 144 & David Schmidlapp on Phase 2 | Chris Freedom Pape on Stay High 149 | Jay J.SON Edlin & Flint Gennari on Tracy 168 | Louie ‘KR.ONE’ Gasparro on Don 1 | Blue ‘Dero’ Asencio & Henry Chalfant on Dez | Skuf YKK on Kez 5 | Alan Ket on Rambo | Fernando Lions on Zexor | Tats Cru on their RIP memorials | Carlos Mare | Joe Austin | Rafael Schacter | Edward Birzin
The Tag Conference returns to New York City with an exceptional line-up of speakers and a singular focus: honoring the legacy of fallen NYC writers whose impact endures in the city and resonates around the world.
After a capacity-crowd U.S. debut in Brooklyn in 2023, we’re proud to come back to the original graffiti Mecca. This year’s event is hosted at the Museum of the City of New York, where the major exhibition Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection is currently on display.
Jon Naar, Red Bird in the Bronx (Stay High 149), 1973 ©Jon Naar.
Graffiti is mythology
Graffiti is not only about writing—it is about the stories behind the names. The best writers become folk figures: heroes for many, villains for others. Their feats, along with the rumors and legends surrounding them, form a mythology etched into the very fabric of their cities.
For a dedicated writer, graffiti becomes a way of life, one that involves a permanent friction-filled dive into the real life of the city. Graffiti is a bottomless source of fascinating stories—a rich oral history passed down within the subculture. Mythology is as central for graffiti as the spraycan itself.
Stories about legendary writers can be half-truths that float around. Others come from those who knew the people behind the names, and these are important for understanding their personal paths and artistic legacies.
Preserving graffiti’s heritage
Institutional work on contemporary graffiti heritage is now a reality. Following the success of our recent heritage edition in Groningen, the Tag Conference continues to drive frameworks that honor, respect, and build upon the intrinsic values of graffiti culture.
Working with oral heritage can open exceptional windows upon graffiti’s collective memory and hidden lore. These are stories tied to specific places, times, and people—and without preservation, they risk being lost forever.
The oral history of NYC graffiti
This conference gathers stories about NYC graffiti heroes of all eras who passed away and left an indelible mark on the city, many earning Obituary tributes in The New York Times. The stories are shared by people who knew them and took part in their creative journeys.
The Tag Conference is honored to showcase and archive part of this fundamental chapter in the history of graffiti. As insiders of the culture, we aim to reclaim narrative control over our history, and to ensure that those who shaped this global art form are remembered with dignity and nuance.
Come and celebrate with us the heritage of NYC graffiti.
Graffiti is mythology
Graffiti is not only about writing—it is about the stories behind the names. The best writers become folk figures: heroes for many, villains for others. Their feats, along with the rumors and legends surrounding them, form a mythology etched into the very fabric of their cities.
For a dedicated writer, graffiti becomes a way of life, one that involves a permanent friction-filled dive into the real life of the city. Graffiti is a bottomless source of fascinating stories—a rich oral history passed down within the subculture. Mythology is as central for graffiti as the spraycan itself.
Stories about legendary writers can be half-truths that float around. Others come from those who knew the people behind the names, and these are important for understanding their personal paths and artistic legacies.
Preserving graffiti’s heritage
Institutional work on contemporary graffiti heritage is now a reality. Following the success of our recent heritage edition in Groningen, the Tag Conference continues to drive frameworks that honor, respect, and build upon the intrinsic values of graffiti culture.
Working with oral heritage can open exceptional windows upon graffiti’s collective memory and hidden lore. These are stories tied to specific places, times, and people—and without preservation, they risk being lost forever.
The oral history of NYC graffiti
This conference gathers stories about NYC graffiti heroes of all eras who passed away and left an indelible mark on the city, many earning Obituary tributes in The New York Times. The stories are shared by people who knew them and took part in their creative journeys.
The Tag Conference is honored to showcase and archive part of this fundamental chapter in the history of graffiti. As insiders of the culture, we aim to reclaim narrative control over our history, and to ensure that those who shaped this global art form are remembered with dignity and nuance.
Come and celebrate with us the heritage of NYC graffiti.
Sneaky Don right off the station. Photograph by Gear 1, property of Don 1.
Aging and grieving in graffiti
Professors Joe Austin and Rafael Schacter, both acclaimed for their scholarship on graffiti, will present insights into how writers reconcile the passage of time and how the subculture honors those who have died.
Scholars once assumed that youth subcultures faded with age, but graffiti stands as a compelling counterexample. Austin will examine how many writers sustain their practice for decades—now with even more avenues available—and how graffiti has evolved into a lasting global cultural phenomenon that spans generations.
Memorial murals—such as those by Tats Cru—are iconic graffiti tributes. In contrast, other homages appear as wild tags and pieces across the city, where grieving peers inscribe the name of the departed writer. Schacter will explore how these contrasting yet complementary practices shape the culture’s approach to loss and remembrance.
CAFÉ CON MARTHA:
Martha Cooper’s Roll Call
We are honored to present Forever Up, a special slideshow selected by the legendary Martha Cooper featuring over 100 photographs from her archive.
This unique collection pays tribute to iconic NYC graffiti figures who are no longer with us, showcasing both their artwork and personal portraits.
The slideshow will be displayed on the auditorium’s large screen during the coffee break—a moving visual Roll Call from one of graffiti culture’s most influential chroniclers.
Jack Stewart, Tracy 168 (Wild Style Letters), 1975–6, Collection of the Museum of the City of New York.
PROGRAM
FRIDAY 13 JUNE
➽ 6pm
Museum Welcome
➽ 6:15pm
Dr. Rafael Schacter
«Life after Death: Graffiti, Monumentality, and Temporality»
➽ 7pm
COCO 144 & David Schmidlapp on
Phase 2
➽ 7:30pm
Fernando Lions on
Matthew Rodriguez as Zexor
SATURDAY 14 JUNE
➽ 10am
Roll Call
➽ 10:05am
Alan Ket on
Lance De Los Reyes as Rambo
➽ 10:30am
Blue ‘Dero’ Asencio & Henry Chalfant on
Keith Grayson as Dez
➽ 11am
Chris Freedom Pape on
Wayne Roberts as Stay High 149
➽ 11:30am
Jay J.SON Edlin & Flint Gennari on
Michael Christopher Tracy as Tracy 168
➽ 12pm
CAFÉ CON MARTHA
Coffee break with slideshow
by Martha Cooper
➽ 12:30pm
Prof. Joe Austin
«Youth Culture and Aging»
➽ 12:45pm
Carlos Mare
«Art for the Next Century»
➽ 1:15pm
Edward Birzin
«Toying with Life: All City Schooling»
➽ 1:30pm
Louie ‘KR.ONE’ Gasparro on
Joseph Palattella as Don 1
➽ 2pm
Skuf YKK on
Nestor Sánchez as Kez 5
➽ 2:30pm
Tats Cru on their RIP memorials
PROGRAM
FRIDAY 13 JUNE
➽ 6pm
Museum Welcome
➽ 6:15pm
Dr. Rafael Schacter: «Life after Death: Graffiti, Monumentality, and Temporality»
➽ 7pm
COCO 144 & David Schmidlapp on Phase 2
➽ 7:30pm
Fernando Lions on Matthew Rodriguez as Zexor
SATURDAY 14 JUNE
➽ 10am
Roll Call
➽ 10:05am
Alan Ket on Lance De Los Reyes as Rambo
➽ 10:30am
Blue ‘Dero’ Asencio & Henry Chalfant on Keith Grayson as Dez
➽ 11am
Chris Freedom Pape on Wayne Roberts as Stay High 149
➽ 11:30am
Jay J.SON Edlin & Flint Gennari on Michael Christopher Tracy as Tracy 168
➽ 12pm
CAFÉ CON MARTHA: Coffee break with slideshow by Martha Cooper
➽ 12:30pm
Prof. Joe Austin: «Youth Culture and Aging»
➽ 12:45pm
Carlos Mare: «Art for the Next Century»
➽ 1:15pm
Edward Birzin: «Toying with Life: All City Schooling»
➽ 1:30pm
Louie ‘KR.ONE’ Gasparro on Joseph Palattella as Don 1
➽ 2pm
Skuf YKK on Nestor Sánchez as Kez 5
➽ 2:30pm
Tats Cru on their RIP memorials
Jack Stewart, Phase 2 (Bubble Letters), 1972, Collection of the Museum of the City of New York.
Location & times
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029
Talks
Friday, 13 June | 6—8pm
Saturday, 14 June | 10am—3pm
Tickets
One-day pass: $15
Two-day pass: $25
Includes entrance to the exhibition
Exhibition
Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection
Open for viewing
Friday, 13 June | 5:30pm—6pm
Saturday, 14 June | 10am—6pm
Conference Team
Directors
Edward Birzin, PhD (US)
Javier Abarca, PhD (ES)
Programming Assistance
& Coordination
Sean Corcoran (US)
Production
Unlock Bureau
Museum of the City of New York
Media Partner
Brooklyn Street Art
Communications
Unlock Bureau
This conference is dedicated to the memory of Sacha Jenkins as SHR
Location & times
Museum of the City
of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY 10029
Friday, 13 June
6–8pm
Saturday, 14 June
10am–3pm
Tickets
One-day pass: $15
Two-day pass: $25
Includes entrance to the exhibition
Exhibition
Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection
Open for viewing
Friday, 13 June | 5:30pm—6pm
Saturday, 14 June | 10am—6pm
Conference Team
Directors
Edward Birzin, PhD (US)
Javier Abarca, PhD (ES)
Programming Assistance
& Coordination
Sean Corcoran (US)
Production
Unlock Bureau
Museum of the City
of New York
Media Partner
Brooklyn Street Art
Communications
Unlock Bureau
This conference is dedicated to the memory of Sacha Jenkins as SHR
