Burning down the house : a photographic study of Berliner graffiti writers

To be a writer is a big secret. It s the biggest secret that I keep from my parents.

You don t tell many people, you only tell people who you can trust.

There is a big impulse to maintain secrecy. Duko The photobook Burning down the house offers an in-depth look at Berlins graffiti writer scene.

Instead of accompanying and photographing the graffiti writers on their nocturnal adventures even forgoing the depiction of the graffiti itself, Behrendt aims to introduce the anonymous authors of Berlins public space and put a new complexion on the often-discussed subject of the illegal writing on the wall.

For the first series in analog medium format, Behrendt gave the protagonists freedom to choose where and how they were photographed.

For the second series he portrayed the writers on polaroid film, who afterwards had the opportunity to alter the pictures.

The resulting photographs reflect on their conflict between visibility and anonymity, recognition and ownership.

Over a period of five years, Behrendt accumulated 80 portraits and interviews that draw an up-close and personal picture of the scene.