MARTHA COOPER, GRAFFITI & PHOTOGRAPHY

Recently, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of spending a bit of time with Martha Cooper. Almost always recognized for her Graffiti and Hip Hop photos, few people know that Marty has actually been taking pictures virtually her entire life. Her father, who once sold cameras, gave Marty her first camera at the tender age of two years old back in the 1940’s. In the 1960’s she would intern for National Geographic Magazine and years later, travel the world documenting archeological digs and relics for them. In the 1970’s Marty moved to New York City and worked as a staff photographer for the New York Post. With degrees in Art and Anthropology, and a passion for photography, perhaps Marty was destined to document the graffiti movement as it was developing on the trains and streets of New York.

Having co-authored “Subway Art” along with Henry Chalfant back in 1984, Marty’s name, as well as the fame she’s acquired from the photos of writers and pieces she’s taken, is often mentioned with a similar respect and admiration as the writers and work she’s documenting. Though Marty had been chasing graffiti on the walls of New York City’s Lower East Side since the 1970’s, she received her formal introduction to graffiti under the personal tutelage of the Style Master General - Dondi himself. As such, Marty’s roster of friends and portfolio of shots reads like a who’s who of style. Like many of them, her efforts at photographing their work required her to go all-city and crawl through the very same tunnels and yards as the writers themselves. The results of these efforts and Marty’s experiences are beyond impressive. When digging through Marty’s archives, classic shots like FBA’s Sab Kaze whole car with Tack’s mind-blowing alien and shark characters, and Dondi straddling between two number 2 trains in the Newlots yard as he puts the finishing touches on one of his Children of the Grave whole cars, are just some of what you’ll see amongst the thousands of shots Marty caught during this era.

The other night, myself, Os Gemeos and visiting Brazilian friends Coyo and Ise took the uptown 1 train to 103rd Street to swing by Marty’s studio. In between a couple of beers, incredible stories from Marty, and the best Chinese-Cuban food I’ve ever had, we all were blessed with the opportunity to dig through some of her archive. Here are a couple shots I took between being blown away by slide after slide of the most amazing shots of some of the most incredible cars ever painted in New York City’s transit system.

Heads up… Marty has another amazing new book coming out soon, so definitely keep your eyes peeled for it.