Dr. Edward Birzin

Dumar NovYork, born Edward Birzin, began his journey as a graffiti artist in New York City in the 1990s and has since become a distinguished author of graffiti-themed fiction. His notable works include Nov York (2002), What Do One Million Ja Tags Signify? (2016), and Kilroy’s Conformity (2018). Dr. Birzin holds a Ph.D. in Cultural and Literary Studies from Freie University in Berlin, with a dissertation entitled Subway Art(efact) (2019), exploring the evolution of graffiti from a casual pastime to a respected art form in 1970s New York City.

In collaboration with close friends, Dumar also co-founded The Subway Art History Project, reimagining the styles of classic Subway Art through the lens of historical figures and events.

Dr. Birzin rewrote the text for the book Repainting Subway Art by graffiti artist Tripl.