Martha Cooper: Streetwise

The BDC presents a comprehensive survey of Martha Cooper’s six-decade career documenting urban spaces, community life, and creative expression. While Martha Cooper’s photographs of graffiti writers and breaking in New York City are central to the history of Hip Hop, the exhibition also reflects the broader scope of her practice, including a substantial body of work made in the Bronx. Featured series include images of casitas—informal community-built structures in Puerto Rican neighborhoods—alongside photographs of street racing, BMX riding, graffiti, breaking and street art by artists including Banksy and TATScru, as well as scenes connected to Fashion Moda, the influential Bronx art space. The exhibition also presents photographs made in the Sowebo neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore, and selections from Tokyo Tattoo 1970, documenting Japan’s underground tattoo culture at a moment when it was largely unseen by Western media.