DHL delivery trucks adorned with large, colorful graffiti artwork have been rolling through Hamburg's streets, creating a significant stir in the German city. The eye-catching designs are the work of renowned graffiti artists Moses and Taps, who have transformed hundreds of the company's yellow delivery vehicles into mobile canvases as part of their provocative "Post-Graffiti" project.
Anyone who has received a package in Hamburg over recent months would have been hard-pressed to miss these distinctive vehicles. Instead of the familiar monotonous yellow paint job, the trucks now display "Moses" or "Taps" in vibrant, colorful letters across their sides and rear panels. The decorated vehicles have become a common sight, particularly in neighborhoods like St. Pauli and Altona.
Photos of the painted delivery trucks have been circulating widely on social media platforms, where they are collected and shared like trophies by admirers. The two artists have opened a new chapter in Hamburg's graffiti culture history with their bold campaign, ironically dubbing their work "Post-Graffiti." They even published a photo book about their actions last year, documenting their artistic intervention.
Moses and Taps rank among Germany's most famous graffiti artists, with their work appearing not only on delivery trucks but also on subway cars and various infrastructure along railway lines, including bridges, walls, and sound barriers. Moses, who allegedly used to spray under the name "Jesus," has been active in the scene since the 1990s. According to German newspaper "Die Zeit," he is in his early forties, and while the Hamburg public prosecutor's office knows his real name, he has been convicted multiple times for illegal graffiti.
Despite repeated complaints filed by DHL, larger consequences for the spray painters have apparently not materialized so far. The problem authorities face is significant: to prove that Moses and Taps are actually responsible for the artwork, police must catch them in the act or at least find sketches of their graffiti designs. In principle, any copycat could spray their names on vehicles, making prosecution challenging.
Reactions to the rolling graffiti have been mixed throughout the city. While some residents view the colorful trucks as a creative enhancement to urban life, DHL takes a much less relaxed stance on the matter. The company has filed complaints for "all cases" according to their own statements, describing the artwork as unambiguous property damage.
According to the company, over 500 vehicles were affected by the graffiti campaign. The writers, as graffiti artists call themselves in scene slang, presumably snuck into distribution center parking lots to spray their artwork onto the DHL vehicles. They could not have applied the graffiti during regular operations, as the trucks would have been in constant use for deliveries.
The action was not limited to Hamburg alone. Painted DHL vehicles have also appeared sporadically in other cities, some created by different artists entirely. The majority of the images circulating from Hamburg were apparently created in 2024. Whether Moses and Taps continue to create their "Post-Graffiti" works on DHL vehicles remains unknown, but many of the already-sprayed trucks continue to drive through the city streets.
The campaign has sparked ongoing discussions about the intersection of street art and corporate property, with some viewing it as vandalism while others see it as an innovative form of public art. The artists' ability to transform mundane delivery vehicles into moving art installations has certainly achieved their apparent goal of generating conversation and attention in Hamburg's cultural landscape.
