60 pages Edited by Jens Besser 21 x 15 cm Language: English Paperback Publisher: Self-published First edition of 55 hand-numbered and signed copies 2024
Rubus Hobos follows artist Jens Besser on a 2024 journey across Germany and the Czech Republic, traveling by freight train to collect wild blackberries, from Děčín to Krefeld and Maschen near Hamburg, and transform them into his signature jam. Rubus evokes the common blackberry, while Hobos references the migrant workers who historically traveled by freight train, linking movement, labor, and landscape.
This handmade zine documents Besser’s process through photographs, drawings, and texts, capturing the act of traveling, foraging, and creating. Alongside the printed pages, sections of murals collected on paper during further European journeys are reproduced as screen-printed spreads, revealing the interplay between public art and intimate documentation.
Each copy of Rubus Hobos is accompanied by a jar of 50 ml of the actual jam made from berries gathered along the rail lines, making the experience both visual and edible.
