Helge ”BOMBER™” Steinmann

born in Hofheim/Ts.
raised up in Hattersheim near Frankfurt/M.
moved 1992 to Frankfurt/M.
write Graffiti since summer 1988
artistname: Bomber

At the age of 6 years, Bomber brushed his first illegal wall at home. He painted a manikin with a bulbous nose on the garage wall. The strong influence of the comic painter UDERZO (Asterix), who is his favorit painter until today, was not to disregard. For that reason, his grandma slapt his ears, so he further took care of not being caught on his illegal activities. 1988, at his first visit in Paris, he saw a lot of tags (tags are signatures on walls) of a sprayer named Boxer. Impressed by this, he choosed a similar name for himself and tried to be like him.

In France, the spraycan is called „Bomb“ in the colloquial speech. It was obviously clear to choose that name. Later, he learned that the name was also a definition for a part of the Graffiti area. „Bombing“ is the meaning for spraying the most as you can.

1992, he organized in cooperation with Cutmaster G.B. the first biggest Hip Hop Jam – Spring Jam Frankfurt – with more than 4,500 visitors. A sensation were the gig of the „Die Fantatischen Vier“, whose were nearly unknown at this time in Germany, and the legendary „Rocksteady Crew“. A breakdance formation which made the Breakdance popular worldwide in the beginning 80‘ies. They had their first gig after a ten-year long break. All of the best of the European sprayers of that time, especially „Mode 2“ from Paris, were joining this Jam.

The second Spring Jam in 1994, were represented by some famous New York sprayers like Futura 2000 (who worked close together with Keith Haring), A-One, Sharp, Koor and Quik. Furthermore, some famous „oldschool“ Hip Hop stars like The Coldcrush Brothers, Grandmaster CAZ and Grandmixer DXT („ROCK IT“ with Herbie Hancock) were engaged for the music.

In the meantime, Bomber is working mainly at the computer, makes layouts and creates flyers, posters, covers and catalogues. On the one hand, he works in a classic style and on the other hand, in a very graffiti-oriented style. Further, he develops and transforms from typical Graffiti signs into new scriptural structures and three-dimensional objects at the computer and believes in the survival of Graffiti, especially in the computer age.

Organisator of the biggest german hiphop jams at this times, SPRING JAMS 1992 and 1994 in Frankfurt am Main
founder of the international writercrew GBF (gummibaerchenfront) (founding city: Frankfurt/ Germany)
member of the international writercrew FBI (Fab bomb inability) (founding city: Paris/ France)
member of the international writercrew TRD (The real deal) (founding city: Dortmund/ Germany)
member of the international writercrew SUK (stick up kids) (founding city: Mainz/ Germany)
member of the international writercrew DBL (die bahn lackierer) (founding city: Frankfurt/ Germany)
member of the international writercrew SAA (scientific art association) (founding city: Mannheim/ Germany)
member of the international writercrew HS (hidden steel) (founding city: Oakland/ USA)
member of the international writercrew YCP (founding city: Zagreb/ Croatia)


visited the school, break down without matura
1984 Electric- boogie dancer
1988 first contact with spraycan, since then legal works and more
1989 civil work instead of army
1990 eclected to one of the CEOs of the EGU-European Graffiti Union, founded in 1986 by Prof. Peter Kreutzer at Munich
1990 til 1994 studied graphic and design at the university of aplied science, bachelor of arts, Darmstadt
1994 bought the first ”holy” Macintosh computer, worked as a freelancer
1995 Co founder of the graffiti art agency OXYGEN
1997 first music projects
1998 left the first worldwide graffiti art agency OXYGEN
1998 free designer and graffiti artist, studio behind the studio of photographer Will Mcbride
1999 founded the advertising agency HEADLAB (the website from 2001, flash required)
2003 left the advertising agency HEADLAB (the website from 2001, flash required)
2003 works as an free creative director, illustrator, conceptioner and graffiti artist
2006 starts a artist collaboration together with ATOM,CAN2 and ZEBSTER called ABSOLUTE GRAFFITI™.

Exhibitions:
1989 Euro Graffiti Union, Groupexhibition, Karlsruhe Germany
1990 Vonderaumuseum, Singleexhibition, Fulda Germany
1991 Café Flot, Singleexhibition, Hofheim/Ts., Germany
1992 Wunderbar, Singleexhibition, Frankfurt-Hoechst Germany
1992 Coming from the dark, Groupexhibition, Kommunikationsfabrik Frankfurt Germany
1993 Galeria Nova Visualidade, Groupexhibition, Frankfurt Germany
1993 Eastside Galery, Berlin Germany
1994 Spring Jam 2, Groupexhibition, Frankfurt Germany
1996 Art Fair Frankfurt, Groupexhibition, OXYGEN-Stand Germany
1997 Krautsalat, Groupexhibition, Frankfurt Germany
1997 Aufstand der Zeichen, Toskanische Saeulenhalle, Groupexhibition, Augsburg Germany
1997 Ritzenhoff Graffiti-Milkglascollection, Limited edition, Marsberg 1997 Germany
1998 ITA gallery, Groupexhibition, Lucerne, Switzerland
1998 Open air gallery Parterre Kulturraum, Groupexhibition, Lucerne, Switzerland
1999 Graffiti 2000, Shedhalle, Groupexhibition, Zuerich, Switzerland
1999 Crazy Colors, KFZ, Groupexhibition, Marburg, Germany
2000 Just writing my name, Groupexhibition, Bremen, Germany
2000 Graffiti 2000, Groupexhibition Rote Fabrik, Zuerich, Switzerland
2002 Zeilgalerie, Singleexhibition, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2003 Still crazy, Klingspormuseum, Groupexhibition Offenbach, Germany
2003 Mauritiusgalerie, Singleexhibition, Wiesbaden, Germany
2003 Kunstschlacht, Schlachthof, Groupexhibition, Offenbach, Germany
2004 13 days between, Groupexhibition, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2005 ”Coolhunters” Groupexhibition - at the ZKM / Staedtische Galerie, Karlsruhe, Germany and Kunsthaus Wien/Vienna, Austria
2005 Markant, Groupexhibition,Darmstadt, Germany
2006 Nickel & Nickel lawyers, Single show, Hanau, Germany
2006 Interdependenzen, Groupexhibition, Offenburg, Germany
2007 Gallery Perpetuel, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

worked for:
AEG · ZDF · L.A. Gear · Linde · Young & Rubicam · Ogilvy & Mather · M. Conrad & L. Burnett · SNAP · BMW · Virgin · GGK · Bundeskanzleramt Bonn · Tetrapak · MTV · Coca Cola · Mercedes Benz AG · Deutsche Bahn AG · TBWA · SAT 1 · IMAX · Playstation · Hama · Hermann Vaske´s Emotional Network · MacWorld Expo · Sony Music · Axa Direkt · Binding Bier · Scholz & Friends · UGW · Kinopolis · HR · NDR · SWF · RTL · Red Bull · Toolhouse Recordings · Zeilgalerie Frankfurt · McCann Erickson · Toyota · VOX · Marks & Spencer · Aktion Mensch · Logic Records BMG· Atari · JoWood · Bally Wulff · Commerzbank · Deutsche Fussball Liga · Schiesser · Puma · ECC · Deutsche Bank · Lufthansa Cargo · Eurocard · Lowe & Partners · 3P (Roedelheim Hartreim Projekt) and many more...look in here.


Bibliography:
Graffiti Art Germany, Schwarzkopf Verlag, Berlin in 1995
Localizer 1.0 the techno house book, Gestalten Verlag - Berlin_1995
Graffiti Art 5 Rhein-Main Area, Schwarzkopf Verlag, Berlin in 1996
Graffiti Art 9 Graffiti on Walls, Schwarzkopf Verlag, Berlin in1998
Graffiti Lexicon, van Treeck, Aragon Verlag, Cologne in 1995
Graffiti calendar 1996, van Treeck, Aragon Verlag, Cologne in 1995
Graffiti calendar 1998, Oxygen, Selfprinted, Frankfurt am Main in 1997
Backjumps Sketchbook, A. Nabi, Selfprinted, Berlin in 1996
Theory of style, Style only workgroup, Selfprinted, Munich in 1996
20 Jahre Hip Hop in Deutschland. Hannibal Verlag, Hoefen - Austria_2000
Best of German graffiti, Issue 1, Verlag H.M.Hausschild, Bremen in 2001
Graffiti-Enzyklopedy. Von Kyselak bis HipHop-Jam, Oesterreich. Kunst & Kulturverlag, Vienna in 2001
French Connection, Hannibal Verlag, Austria in 2003
Futura, ISBN 1-86154-134-1, USA in 2004
French Connection, Hannibal Verlag, Austria in 2003
DPI Magazine Volume 76, Taiwan in 2005
Darco Code Art, Wasted Talent,ISBN Editeur 235081002, ISBN Diffuseur 2862274755, Paris 2006
Quartet Kings of Hip Hop, Kazik-Berlin ISBN 3-938864-03-6
also magazines like Spiegel, Stern, FAZ, Frankfurter Rundschau, Horizont, W &V (Werben & Verkaufen), MAX 11/1994