Escapizm Magazine - Issue 1 - 2018

Original inaugural issue of Escapizm Magazine, an independent Dutch graffiti publication devoted to tags, handstyles and marker culture.

Published in the Netherlands in 2018 and produced with the assistance of Chemistry Publishing, this is the first issue of the limited Escapizm series. The magazine was conceived as a publication focusing specifically on graffiti tags and writers’ handstyles—an aspect of graffiti culture that was seldom treated as the principal subject of European graffiti magazines at the time.

This example is hand-numbered 68/250, from a total edition of only 250 copies.

The magazine contains interviews, documentary photographs and first-hand accounts from graffiti writers from the Netherlands and the international graffiti scene. Its focus includes marker tags, inks and paints, preferred writing tools, individual handstyles, tagging in streets and public transport environments, and the wider underground culture surrounding graffiti writing.

Writers and contributors represented in the publication include Bates, Ces53, Cizer, Drax, Farao, Jake, Surch, Timer, Xeme, Zenga, Amaze, Sliks, Spark and others.

The striking front cover features a photographed collection of specialist graffiti markers arranged beneath the distinctive Escapizm logotype. The internal acknowledgements credit ZIMA Design with assistance on the front cover, Ream KWC for providing part of the marker collection, Roel N. with assistance on the back cover and Ces53 for the back-cover photograph.

The magazine is in very good condition. The staple binding is intact and the interior pages appear clean and complete. There are minor signs of handling and storage, including light surface marks, slight edge and corner wear and gentle waviness to the covers. No major tears, detached pages or moisture damage are visible.