Right from its first instalment in Barcelona in 2016 the subculture responded enthusiastically and turned the Unlock Book Fair into an unmissable celebration of urban and street culture. Unlock has since partnered with international allies to produce new instalments of their travelling Unlock Book Fair in different European and German cities such as Hamburg or Munich . After eight years, and a long list of institutional partners, the Unlock Book Fair is still an insider event attracting the more specialised side of the street art and graffiti scene. Most exhibiting publishers are small, self-supported ventures. If you want to discover cutting-edge books and zines, the Unlock Book Fair is the place.
The Unlock Book Fair is a physical alternative to the usual online purchase of independent publications coming from the subculture. We are more than happy to bring this fair to the European Capital of Culture 2025, embedded in the surrounding of the first of two HALLENKUNST exhibitions taking place end of August 2025.
Come to the fair and touch the books! Publishers from different subcultures such as Graffiti, Street Art, DJing, Dance or Skateboarding will put out outstanding books and zines, the Unlock Book Fair gives visitors the exceptional opportunity to touch, browse through and directly purchase the books of many independent publishers, all in one place.
The scope of the Unlock Book Fair in Chemnitz expands beyond graffiti to cover urban exploration, hobo culture, historical wall-writing, street photography and street art. Graffiti leads to particular readings of the city, and to other fascinating subcultural activities.
At the Unlock Book Fair Chemniutz we support the way independet publishers have naturally incorporated into their work topics such as trainhopping or urbex, often unnoticed as close relatives to graffiti writing.
The public programme of the Unlock Book Fair Chemnitz features unique speakers and exclusive insights into the subculture. Our programme will host the launch of books and rare zines, talks by world-leading artists and specialists, screenings of long-lost films, exhilarating and hilarious readings, and even subculture-inspired dance acts.
The fair is presented alongside the exhibition “HALLENKUNST 2025 – From New York to Europe”, an show featuring over 70 artists that traces the rise of graffiti from a New York culture into the phenomenon that took European cities by storm in the 1980s and ‘90s. In this occasion the Unlock Book Fair expands into four days! The weekend will be devoted to the book fair itself, while the two extra days will feature most of our famed public programme of events. Expect new features and very special guests! Don’t miss it!
Free hotel grants will be awarded to a wide range of exhibiting publishers. The call for publishers and events will be published soon. Please subscribe to our newsletter or keep an eye out our Instagram @hallenkunst to get latest news on the programme and the fair.
UNLOCK BOOK FAIR 2025
28.08.2025 - 31.08.2025
Markthalle Chemnitz
Produced by the UNLOCK Bureau in collaboration with RED TOWER and ILOVEGRAFFITI.DE for the European Capital of Culture 2025 program in Chemnitz.
Photos: UNLOCK BOOK FAIR
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