Friday 10 June
16:00–16:45
Aberdeen Art Gallery – Cowdray Hall
Schoolhill, Aberdeen, AB10 1JQ
Free entry
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Martha Cooper discusses her new book, ‘Spray Nation’
with Evan Pricco, Editor-in-Chief, Juxtapoz Magazine
Culled from the extensive archives of one of the most renowned graffiti photographers of all time comes this remarkable collection of previously unpublished images of New York’s graffiti scene in the 1980s.
Cooper has spent decades immortalizing art that is often overlooked, and usually illegal. Her first book, 1984’s ‘Subway Art’ (a collaboration with Henry Chalfant), is affectionately referred to by graffiti artists as the bible. To create ‘Spray Nation’, Cooper and editor Roger Gastman pored through hundreds of thousands of 35mm Kodachrome slides, painstakingly selecting and digitizing them. The photos range from obscure tags to intimate portraits, action shots, walls, and subway cars painted inside and out. They are accompanied by heartfelt essays celebrating Cooper’s drive, spirit, and singular vision. The images capture a gritty New York era that is gone forever.