INTRODUCTION
Melbourne’s vibrant street art scene is world-renowned, but the raw, unfiltered energy of its graffiti culture tells a deeper story. Written along train lines and across brick walls, this visual narrative chronicles the city’s evolution through the eyes of its most audacious artists. Understanding this history is essential to truly appreciating the art form and there’s no better way to explore it than through the rich archives captured in high-quality graffiti books. The Criminally Insane book offers a rare glimpse behind the curtain into a Melbourne graffiti crew and the psyche that drives graffiti culture.
THE LEGACY OF CI CREW
Melbourne’s sprawling train network has long been the lifeblood of its graffiti scene, with individual lines defining the territories of different crews. Emerging in the late 1980s, the CI Crew (Criminally Insane) quickly established a strong presence along the Frankston line in the city’s southeast. For more than three decades, the crew has remained a dominant force, their name becoming synonymous with the graffiti that covers the trains and infrastructure of
this area.
The CI Crew’s longevity and influence speak to their unwavering dedication and continual artistic evolution. They have endured shifts in the urban landscape, changes in law enforcement, and the transformation of graffiti culture itself while maintaining a distinctive style that has inspired generations of writers.