1UP (graffiti crew) explained

1UP
Other Names:One United Power
Known For:Prolific output
Notable Works:Graffiti Olympics
Style:Graffiti
Years Active:2003 - 2024

1UP (One United Power) is a graffiti crew from Berlin, Kreuzberg.[1] They have been active since 2003.[2]

1UP have been described as "one of the most well-known graffiti crews in the world"[3] and are know for their bombing (large amount of tags put up in one night), rooftop paintings, and full train paintings.[4]

Members

There are between 10 and 50 members, of different genders, with ages ranging from 20-40.[5] The members are not all German, coming from various European countries.[6] All of the members are anonymous, and some do not do solo graffiti, preffering only to tag as 1UP.[7] The group have had over 300 criminal charges filed against them, but none of the members have been caught so far.[8]

Publications

Their film One United Power was released in 2011 on DVD,[9] and their book I Am 1UP published in 2014. In 2018 1UP collaborated with graffiti photographer Martha Cooper as part of their One Week With 1UP tour.[10] A book about the tour was published by Cooper under the same name.[11]

Projects

Their tags are prollific in Berlin and Athens, where part of the A Week With 1UP tour took place.[12] Their work has appeared around the world[13] including an underwater graffiti piece out of live coral at Nusa Penida[14] and a 2017 piece on the Mediterranean Sky shipwreck which was large enough to be visible from satellites.[15] In collaboration with fellow German crew Berlin Kidz and artist Good Guy Boris, the group produced a performance and video art piece titled Graffiti Olympics using drone footage, which was released on 2 March 2018.[16]

Because of the anonymity of the group, it can be difficult to know if some graffiti is done by real members of the crew or by copycats.[17] The group releases videos documentating some of their pieces, which can be used to authenticate them.[18] [19]

A 1UP piece is visible in the video game, in the Overpass map which is set in Berlin.[20]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 032c . 2018-09-03 . “There Is a System of Aesthetics That Only Graffiti Writers Understand”: Martha Cooper Runs with 1UP in Berlin 032c . 2024-08-12 . 032c.com . en.
  2. Book: Bonadio, Enrico . The Cambridge Handbook of Copyright in Street Art and Graffiti . 2019-11-13 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-108-67331-0 . en.
  3. Web site: 2020-06-30 . 1UP Graffiti Crew Discuss the Challenges of Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated Scene . 2024-08-12 . VICE . en-US.
  4. Book: KET . Street Art: The Best Urban Art from Around the World . 2015-01-20 . Michael O'Mara Books . 978-1-78243-384-2 . en.
  5. Web site: 1UP . 2024-08-12 . www.kunstforum.de . de-DE.
  6. Web site: 1UP Crew . 2024-08-12 . BEYOND THE STREETS . en.
  7. Web site: 2018-03-12 . Europe’s Gnarliest Graffiti Crew Basically Shot an Action Film . 2024-08-12 . VICE . en-US.
  8. Web site: Koch-Klaucke . Norbert . 2017-08-25 . Kreuzberger Sprayer-Gang 1 UP One United Power: BVG, S-Bahn und Polizei sind machtlos . 2024-08-12 . Berliner Zeitung . de.
  9. News: Eickhoff . C. . 2011-12-09 . Graffiti-DVD von "1UP": Wie zum Teufel haben die es geschafft? . 2024-08-12 . Die Tageszeitung: taz . de . 0931-9085.
  10. News: 2019-09-13 . Meet the woman who inspired a worldwide art movement . 2024-08-12 . ABC News . en-AU.
  11. Web site: Staff . Noisey . 2018-05-07 . Graffiti-Legende Martha Cooper und 1UP bringen gemeinsames Buch heraus . 2024-08-12 . VICE . en-US.
  12. News: Lorenz . Julia . 2018-05-24 . Ethnografin hinter der Kamera . 2024-08-12 . Die Tageszeitung: taz . 24 . de . 0931-9085.
  13. Web site: 2016-08-24 . The Graffiti Tag That's Taken Over Berlin, Explained . 2024-08-12 . HuffPost . en.
  14. Web site: 2019-01-23 . Berlin Graffiti Crew 1UP Just Made the World's First Underwater Coral Artwork . 2024-08-12 . Highsnobiety . en.
  15. Web site: Daily . Spray . 2019-07-09 . 1UP - Mediterranean Sky - The Ship . 2024-08-12 . Spraydaily.com . en-US.
  16. Web site: Damsch . Nina . Bakunin . Georg . Europe's Gnarliest Graffiti Crew Basically Shot an Action Film . . 15 August 2024 . 12 March 2018.
  17. Web site: 2023-04-28 . Sprayer-Ärger in Garmisch-Partenkirchen: 23 Anzeigen nach nur einer Nacht . 2024-08-15 . www.merkur.de . de.
  18. Web site: Zeitung . Westdeutsche . 2019-11-01 . „Rache für Tuffi“: „1UP“ veröffentlicht Video zu Schwebebahn-Graffiti . 2024-08-15 . Westdeutsche Zeitung . de.
  19. Web site: 2018-01-02 . Video: Berliner Graffiti-Crew besprüht an Silvester kompletten Zugwaggon . 2024-08-15 . stern.de . de.
  20. News: Köhler . Stefan . 2017-04-26 . Counter-Strike: Das steckt hinter Graffiti, Schildern & Co. . 2024-08-15 . GameStar . de-DE.