We are thrilled to once again announce the Martha Cooper Scholarship, in partnership with Urban Nation. This scholarship offers a promising photographer the chance to spend 10 months in Berlin in 2026—fully supported and immersed in the city’s dynamic creative environment.
This extraordinary opportunity provides not only free accommodation in an artist residence and full coverage of travel and living expenses but also regular mentorship, collaboration with artists across disciplines, and participation in Urban Nation’s projects and partnerships.
Now in its second year, this scholarship continues to celebrate the vision and legacy of Martha Cooper, who remains an integral part of the selection committee. Berlin is a global epicenter of urban contemporary art, where history, rebellion, and creative experimentation collide. Its streets are an open-air gallery, layered with decades of graffiti, murals, and artistic interventions that reflect the city’s ever-evolving identity. A magnet for artists, Berlin fosters a culture of artistic freedom, collaboration, and innovation, making it one of the most dynamic places for street art, photography, and contemporary expression. As the first recipient fo the Martha Cooper Scholarship embarks on their journey in Berlin right now, we are eager to welcome the next photographer ready to explore and capture the spirit of Berlin.
Applications for 2026 are now open—we look forward to seeing your work!
Read an excerpt from the official Call below:
The Martha Cooper Scholarship (MCS) offers a unique opportunity for an individual from Africa or Latin America to dedicate themselves for eleven months to an artistic project through the medium of photography. With the newly announced MCS, the Foundation Berliner Leben acknowledges the importance of documentary photography and purposefully offers a production scholarship for documentary photographers with an ethnographic focus to apply for this scholarship, seeking projects that critically and thoughtfully engage with the places, communities, and social realities they document. Prioritizing work that captures the context between people and their environments, we support projects that reflect everyday life, shifting cultural landscapes, and the ways communities adapt and change. The scholarship encourages applications from photographers whose work offers fresh, honest perspectives on lived experience, community, and identity with depth and optimism. The scholarship is based on the annual topic of Fresh A.I.R., the scholarship programme of Stiftung Berliner Leben. It addresses social and political developments that affect us in the present and highlights the diversity of human experience and perception of the world.
The scholarship is based on the annual topic of Fresh A.I.R., the scholarship programme of Stiftung Berliner Leben, which addresses social and political developments that affect us in the present, and highlights the diversity of human experience and perception of the world.
The chosen photographer will be invited to live and work in one of our Fresh A.I.R. residencies in Berlin Schöneberg.
The current call is for the 11th class starting in February 2026 and ending in November 2026.
Application for a scholarship in 2026
Application deadline: Sunday,16th March, 2025
Applications are only accepted via Email: FreshAIR-office@stiftung-berliner-leben.de
For a successful application please hand in the following documents:
• Curriculum vitae
• Project outline/description
• Budget plan
FOR MORE DETAILS, HOW TO APPLY AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION CLICK HERE
Books in the MCL: John P. Jacob (ed.). Kodak Girl: From the Martha Cooper Collection
Kodak Girl: From the Martha Cooper Collection. John P. Jacob (ed.). 2012
Reprinted from the original review.
“Kodak Girl: From the Martha Cooper Collection“, edited by John P. Jacob with essays by Alison Nordström and Nancy M. West, provides an in-depth examination of Kodak’s influential marketing campaign centered around the iconic Kodak Girl. With a riveting collection of photographs and related ephemera, the book dives into the intersection of technology, culture, and the role of gender in the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. It offers readers a comprehensive look at how Kodak not only transformed photography into a widely accessible hobby but also significantly influenced societal perceptions of women.
MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY: BOOK RECOMMENDATION
| Title: Kodak Girl. From The Martha Cooper Collection / Edited by John P. Jacob | Steidl. Germany, 2011 | Authors: John P. Jacob, Alison Nordstrom, and Nancy M. West | Language: English
As the year comes to a close, we are pleased to present our 14th curated list of books—a reflection of our ongoing commitment to building a world-class library in Berlin. As co-founders of the Martha Cooper Library, our mission is to develop and maintain one of the most comprehensive collections dedicated to art books, photography archives, urban culture studies, street art monographs, graffiti history, and public art anthologies. These works serve as a vital resource for researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts who engage deeply with these fields.
Looking ahead to 2025, we are thrilled to announce the inaugural Martha Cooper Scholarship, which will launch next year in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum, the Martha Cooper Library, and Martha herself. This scholarship will support outstanding achievements in photography, underscoring her and our dedication to fostering new generations of talent and scholarship in visual culture.
Numerous publications explore street art, graffiti, and related practices each year, adding valuable perspectives and insights to the field. While our focus for this year’s list includes some recent releases, we’ve also highlighted significant works from previous years that help us put today in a better context. We invite your suggestions for books you’d like to see featured or added to the Martha Cooper Library collection and featured here. Your recommendations are invaluable as we continue to expand and diversify our offerings.
Below is our selected shortlist – books that make meaningful additions to any library and thoughtful gifts for family, friends, or even yourself. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have.
Bartek Świątecki, aka Penner, has a style that is a confidently defined blend of bold colors, geometric shapes, and abstract forms harmoniously intertwined. It’s a graphical minimalism that speaks volumes, with straight lines and pure colors forming complex, geometrical clusters. This unique visual language demonstrates his mastery of blending traditional graffiti with modern abstraction and reflects a deep engagement with high art and youth culture. His murals and canvas works, often large-scale, are known for their dynamic and vibrant nature, inviting viewers into a world where street art and fine art converge.
Books In The MCL: Golden Boy as Anthony Cool: by Herbert Kohl and James Hinton
From BSA:
Herbert Kohl and James Hinton’s “Golden Boy as Anthony Cool,” published in 1972, is a seminal work in the study of urban graffiti and street culture. Not only an academic exploration; it’s a journey into the heart of graffiti as a form of personal expression, rebellion, and cultural identity. Kohl’s insightful essays paired with Hinton’s evocative photographs provide a window into the lives of young people in the urban landscapes of New York City and Los Angeles as they simultaneously boil, wane and flourish in the late 60s and early 70s. These vibrant and vibrating communities are chronicled, whether affluent suburbs or struggling neighborhoods, each appears to brim with stories cryptically told through tags and murals on walls and doors.
Text Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo Photos by Sebastian Kläbsch
Books In The MCL: The Self-Titled “NeSpoon” by NeSpoon.
From BSA:
“NeSpoon,” a monograph on the work of the Polish artist, provides a comprehensive examination of her unique integration of lace patterns into urban and natural landscapes. The book, limited to 111 copies, each spanning over 420 pages, showcases the artist’s extensive portfolio and delves into the anthropology, cultural, and historical significance underlying her chosen medium.
“Why lace? It just came to me. Lace chose me, not the other way around. I’ve never liked lace. Before I started working with it, I thought lace was something old-fashioned, from a grandmother’s dusty apartment. Today it seems to me that each lace harbors harmony, balance and a sense of natural order. Isn’t that just what we are all searching for instinctively?”~ NeSpoon
Text: Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo, Photos: Sebastian Kläbsch
Books In The MCL: Tokyo Tattoo 1970. Martha Cooper. Stockholm, Dokument Press.
From BSA:
In “Tokyo Tattoo 1970,” photographer Martha Cooper, well-known for her definitive work on New York City’s graffiti scene, applies her ethnographic skills to document traditional Japanese tattooing. This book provides a clear and respectful portrayal of a secretive and highly specialized art form, preserved in black-and-white film photography. Through Cooper’s lens, readers gain access to the traditional techniques and cultural narratives embedded in Japanese tattoo art, offering insights into an art form that was largely inaccessible during the early 1970s.
Text: Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo Fotos: Sebastian Kläbsch
Books In The MCL: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora. Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón.
Graffiti Grrlz: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora. Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón. 2018. New York. New York University Press.
From BSA:
“Graffiti Grrlz: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora” by Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón provides an insightful look into the world of women graffiti artists, challenging the perception that graffiti is a male-dominated subculture. This book highlights the contributions of over 100 women graffiti artists from 23 countries, showcasing how they navigate, challenge, and redefine the graffiti landscape.
From the streets of New York to the alleys of São Paulo, Pabón-Colón explores the lives and works of these women, presenting graffiti as a space for the performance of feminism. The book examines how these artists build communities, reshape the traditionally masculine spaces of hip hop, and create networks that lead to the formation of all-girl graffiti crews and painting sessions. This aspect is particularly useful in understanding how digital platforms have broadened the reach and impact of women graffiti artists, facilitating connections and collaborations worldwide.
Text: Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo Fotos: Sebastian Kläbsch
ESCIF / “The Foundations of Harmony and Invention”
FROM BSA:
It would be challenging to extricate Escif’s work from the city and its daily routines. The city, with its cacophonous soundtrack created by its inhabitants’ constant movement and the fluidity of their industry and agency, remains central to the artist’s focus and relevance.
For Escif, the city is not just a muse but the bedrock of his artistic inspiration, a canvas, and an outlet for addressing its contradictions and inequalities. In his work, the city is not an abstract subject but a perpetual, tangible, and knowable presence, manifested in myriad encounters, journeys, dreams, observations, and experiences, later reassigned onto paper, canvas, or concrete.
Urban Nation’s Love Letters to the City, curated by Michelle Houston, is both an exhibition and a fulsome, sophisticated incantation. It invites audiences to confront the layered realities of urban life through the interpretation of its anonymous visual rebels, graffiti writers, and street artists and a generous representation of activists.
The show embraces the chaotic energy of unsanctioned art in the streets while seeking to decode its deeper meanings. It moves beyond the aesthetic to probe the social and political forces that shape these messages, sometimes manifestos. With themes ranging from urbanization and gentrification to environmental degradation and social inequality, Houston challenges visitors to imagine and reimagine the role of art in public spaces and consider its potential to transform the everyday into something with weight and impact.
“Painting in public spaces is inherently political,” Houston says, emphasizing the power of public art to reflect and react to the environment in which it exists. This exhibition showcases that power, exploring how artists navigate and reinterpret public spaces to create works that are as much about dialogue as they are about visual impact. The concept of “love letters” broadens here to encompass affection, critique, sarcasm, and hope—as multifaceted as the modern city.
One of the exhibition’s defining features is its indoor and outdoor elements integration. Lady Pink’s monumental mural on Urban Nation’s façade is a vivid testament to her approximately fifty-year legacy of painting on city walls and the interconnected histories of New York and Berlin. Her work, swirling with trains and iconic tags, serves as a personal love letter and a broader commentary on the universal city—a place of movement, reinvention, and resilience. Inside, installations like Moses & Taps’ suspended parcel truck and Rocco and His Brothers’ reconstructed graffiti writers’ benches disrupt the museum space with some of the raw energy of the street, blurring the lines between the institution and the public sphere.
The show also delves into Berlin’s complex history with walls and paint, with artifacts from the Stiftung Berliner Mauer prompting viewers to consider the dualities of oppression and liberation that define the city’s narrative.
“What is it about the glorification of a symbol of oppression by painting one side, and how was that commercialized?” Houston asks, pushing audiences to think critically about how art interacts with history and commodification. These questions resonate deeply in a city where the walls bear witness to decades of struggle and transformation.
The exhibition combines an impressive roster of artists, from early pioneers like Blek le Rat and Shepard Fairey to contemporary innovators like Bordalo II and Jazoo Yang. Each work offers a distinct perspective on the urban experience, whether through critiques of environmental decay, explorations of social identity, or celebrations of urban resilience. Houston’s curation creates space for these voices to intersect, offering unity and tension as the exhibition’s themes unfold.
At its heart, Love Letters to the City is a call to reconsider how we interact daily with the designed/built/neglected/destroyed human-made environment. It asks us to see the city as a backdrop and an active participant in our lives—a canvas where personal and collective histories collide.
As Houston asserts, “Paint in public space has a different potency in the city than anywhere else.” That potency lies in its immediacy, ability to provoke, offend, and inspire, and capacity to reflect urban life’s complexities. Through this exhibition, Urban Nation affirms the enduring relevance of this kind of public art and its power to illuminate the cities we call home.
2501, Banksy, Blek le Rat, Bordalo II, Carlos Mare aka Mare139, Chop ’em Down Films, Crash, Dan Witz, Daze, Drew. Lab_One, Elfo, Evol, HA Schult, HOGRE, Isaac Zavale, James Reka, Jaune, Jazoo Yang, Joel Daniel Phillips, Johannnes Mundinger, Jordan Seiler, Kenny Scharf, Lady Pink, Liviu Bulea, Martha Cooper, Matthew Grabelsky, MILLO, Moses & Taps, Nika Kramer, Octavi Serra, Owen Dippie, OX, PAINTING DHAKA Project, Mr. Paradox Paradise, Rocco and his brothers, Sebas Velasco, Shepard Fairey, Stephanie Buer, Stiftung Berliner Mauer, Stipan Tadić, Susanna Jerger, Tats Cru, THE WA, Vhils, and Zhang Dali.
Video credits: Commissioned by Stiftung Berliner Leben. Shot by Alexander Lichtner & Ilja Braun. Post-production, additional footage, graphics, and a final version by Michelle Nimpsch for YAP Studio/YES, AND… productions GmbH & Co. KG
LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY
September 14, 2024 – May 30, 2027. For a schedule of events, hours of operation, directions, and more details click HERE
Book review by Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo/Brooklyn Street Art. Martha Cooper Library
Martha Cooper. Tokyo Tattoo 1970. 2012.
In “Tokyo Tattoo 1970,” photographer Martha Cooper, well-known for her definitive work on New York City’s graffiti scene, applies her ethnographic skills to document traditional Japanese tattooing. This book provides a clear and respectful portrayal of a secretive and highly specialized art form, preserved in black-and-white film photography. Through Cooper’s lens, readers gain access to the traditional techniques and cultural narratives embedded in Japanese tattoo art, offering insights into an art form that was largely inaccessible during the early 1970s.
A place you may not have heard of, Réunion Island has quickly become a remarkable hotspot for urban art, largely due to the Réunion Graffiti Festival. This annual gathering showcases a rich range of talent from graffiti and street art communities worldwide, offering something refreshingly unique for this type of festival.
Eko, the festival’s founder, extends an open invitation: “Come to Réunion, see the artists, see the walls, and the beautiful city.”
Born in 1976 on Réunion Island, Eko began his graffiti journey in 1989, inspired by hip-hop culture and gaining recognition under the tag “Saphir.” As one of the pioneers of graffiti on the island, he collaborated with local crews like SRD (Syndicat du Rap Dionysien) and later joined LSA (Le Syndicat des Artistes). Eko’s creative reach extends beyond graffiti to music and performance, and his time in mainland France deepened his appreciation for Réunion’s vibrant culture, which he was eager to elevate upon his return.
With respect for his homeland and a vision of global recognition, Eko founded the Réunion Graffiti Festival in 2019. Each year, the festival expands, now including an impressive lineup of international and local artists, community-focused programs, and interactive events for diverse audiences.
A French overseas department in the Indian Ocean, Réunion is located approximately 679 km east of Madagascar and 175 km southwest of Mauritius. Known for its stunning volcanic landscapes, including the active Piton de la Fournaise, Réunion is home to about 885,700 residents. The island’s unique blend of French, African, and Indian influences is evident in its culture, cuisine, and language, with Réunion Creole widely spoken alongside French. Since 1946, it has been governed as a French region, making it one of the European Union’s outermost regions and a part of the eurozone. This blend of European governance and Creole heritage gives Réunion its distinct identity, celebrated through its music, arts, and now, street art.
Since its inception, the festival has showcased global talent across graffiti and street art practices, hosting more than 100 artists, including renowned figures from countries such as Germany, Argentina, Spain, the U.S., India, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Switzerland, and Togo. This mix brings a dynamic blend of styles, reinforcing the island’s position as a hub for global urban art.
A key feature is Graff Park in Saint-Denis, a dedicated space for free expression where artists—from beginners to veterans—can experiment and showcase their work. Supported by both public and private funds, the festival emphasizes inclusivity, offering community workshops, recreational activities, and sessions that help budding artists learn techniques and connect with mentors.
Beyond murals, the festival highlights Réunion’s cultural vibrancy with exhibitions, live music, and dance battles. These programs blend local talent with international flair, complemented by Acts, an outreach initiative that provides regular updates and information on Réunion’s street art scene. This effort helps keep art enthusiasts connected to the evolving urban landscape on the island.
This year, renowned photographers Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer were honored guests, hosting a symposium to discuss their work documenting the hip-hop scene over many decades. New images of Réunion’s street art were captured, and Ms. Kramer conducted interviews with participants, further enriching the festival’s archive and legacy.
From conversation with Nika Kramer, we learn that a young enthusiastic fan of the work of photographer Martha Cooper was not only attending, but participating in the painting of walls this year at the festival. One of the youngest graffiti writers interviewed for BSA, Patcha Pax shares personally his experience here for BSA readers. Afterward is a full interview with the writer by Nika Kramer.
“I knew Martha Cooper before I met her. I had seen a report about her and the 1UP on YouTube, and my mom gave me Subway Art for Christmas 2022. So when I saw that Martha Cooper was coming to the Graffiti Reunion this year, I jumped for joy! My mom signed us up for the conference right away.
I know what Martha Cooper has done so well that during the conference, I answered the questions that Olivier Cachin asked before she did.
I also was very familiar with the 1UP video that was shown.
Meeting her was incredible because I felt as if I was living through her moments with the vandal graffiti artists, especially the 1UP crew. In my mind, I was running with her and them to secretly paint on the subways. It was like touching the real world of graffiti with my fingertips.
I saw that there was still room on the wall.
I saw MC taking a picture of Miaou, so I decided to take a photo of her and reproduce the drawing on the wall. A photograph captures a moment for a lifetime… it was my way of capturing this moment forever. It is painted forever on the wall. And so every time I see this graffiti, I will think back to that moment when MC was there, that she was taking pictures of all of us. And also of the moment when Sally and you were taking a picture of her in front of my Graffiti of her. It brings back a lot of good memories forever.
For MC’s drawing, I think I wanted to please her by drawing her. It was a gift so that she would be happy” ~ PP
NK: When did you see graffiti for the first time? PP: I first saw graffiti when I was 7 years old. I loved it straight away. I had to give a presentation in class and I chose the theme of Graffiti. So I asked Eko LSA by message on Instagram if he would be willing to come during my presentation. He accepted. It was the first time I met him.
NK: How did you get into graffiti PP: I really got into graffiti when I went to see a graffiti festival for the first time, Le Réunion Graffiti in 2021. I saw all these artists painting on huge walls. I asked Eko if I could have one. He replied “train a lot and one day I promise you that you will have your wall”. The next day, I asked my mom to sign me up for drawing classes. Then I practiced whenever I could on paper and my garden wall.
NK: Why did you start writing PAKS? PP: For my tag, I wanted a name that meant something positive. I searched for the word “Peace” in all languages. I found “Patcha” in Romani (India I think), “Pax” in Latin, and “PAKS” in Polish. So my name is Patcha Pax but I write it PAKS most often.
NK: What do you love about the graffiti scene in Réunion? PP: In Réunion, I like the fact that there are many different styles of graffiti. I mainly like the lettering, like that of Arêm and Lego. But I also like certain drawings like those of Macak, Bayko, and Ador.
My mother immediately accepted my passion for graffiti because she always says that she prefers to see me express myself on walls outside rather than sitting for hours in front of a television screen. So she left me a huge wall in the garden to paint whatever I wanted.
My grandparents were not interested in graffiti at all, but now, when they travel, they look for graffiti walls in cities and send me photos. On Sundays, instead of watching television shows about cars, my grandpa watches videos about graffiti with me.
PP: So ! I think I answered all your questions. My vacation is almost over. I go back to school on Monday.
I was very sad at the end of the Réunion Graffiti Festival because it was an incredible week. In 2 weeks I will be at the Run Colorz festival in St Louis so it will be awesome! I will send you photos if you want. I hope your vacation ended well in Réunion and you liked our island.
NK: When did you see graffiti for the first time? M: I discovered graffiti when I was in primary school, a little before the 2000s.The teacher gave us a lesson on prevention against damage, particularly graffiti. It had the opposite effect on me (ha, ha), On my way to school from home I started to spot all the graffiti, (a lot of “kope” tags at the time). But at that time, in Réunion, it was still mysterious. I didn’t understand much about it.
NK:How did YOU get into graffiti? M: In 2005, a friend tagged it in my school notebook. I was impressed by his hand style, which was brutal, precise, and aesthetic. I immediately felt in love with this universe: since that day, graffiti has taken an important place in my life. I quickly started drawing, meeting people on the scene, testing the equipment, finding spots, and understanding the history behind this movement.
It was a brilliant passion for the teenager that I was: diving into a mysterious universe, where you had to make yourself known while remaining anonymous, where you had to come close to the forbidden just for the sake of painting,… Something to break the monotony of my days!
NK:Why did you start writing Miaou? M: Miaou was my nickname as a child, so it was quite natural that I decided to use it on the wall. In the end, it’s cool because it’s also a fun and memorable name, which allowed me to stand out to people who aren’t necessarily from the graffiti scene.
NK: What do you love about the graffiti scene in Réunion? M: The graffiti scene in Réunion is cool because you can paint in flip flops (ha ha)… More seriously, the scene is constantly active and has nothing to envy from other countries. I find that there is a very good level on the island, regardless if you are getting up illegally or legally, in graffiti or street art. The fact that there are many players around challenges us to improve and to stay in the game. But this competition is healthy, we all know each other.
From an interview with Nika Kramer, Ceet talks about his life in China and how his chicken character developed.
“So the first time I saw graffiti was in about 1983-84. I began painting in 1988, but my participation with the culture before that was break dancing.” Nika Kramer:How did you get into the chickens?
CEET: My chicken story started 22 years ago in China. I was in Shenzhen. I couldn’t speak Mandarin, and the Chinese couldn’t speak English, so we had a big problem communicating. So I started to draw everything: what I was doing, everything I wanted to eat, everything I wanted to do. I started to draw everywhere. And I communicated like this for the first time.
And then, step by step, I learned Mandarin. And I live in Hong Kong. Why? Because a company brought me to China to do graffiti work. I came one time, two times, three times, and I stayed longer each time. One day I got the apartment and I stayed there and I lived there. It’s very simple. I like to live there because it is amazing. Many people respect me. I learned a lot about how to paint graffiti using brushes, oil, and sculptures, and I started to have very nice connections with the many people there. This is how I matured my art practice and now and I put my chickens everywhere.
Næstved Kunstby stands as a beacon for the preservation and celebration of graffiti culture, reflecting a deep respect for the evolution of street art from its origins in New York to its current global stature. Recently, the festival once again showcased its commitment to this vibrant culture with a special invitation to Martha Cooper, one of the most renowned photographers in graffiti history, to come and shoot the work, old and new. Her visit to Denmark is another chapter in capturing the raw, transformative power of graffiti and street art, underscoring the festival’s role in maintaining this artistic tradition.
Rooted in the early days of New York’s graffiti movement and inspired by its evolution, Næstved Kunstby has developed into a premier space for showcasing pivotal speakers, painters, and graffiti writers. With a foundation reference to early 70s New York graffiti, organizers site this rebellious form of self-expression in the DNA of the modern movements, with initial groups like the United Graffiti Artists (UGA) collective as pivotal in bringing this underground art form into the mainstream. Today, Næstved continues this legacy by hosting artists from around the world and offering a platform for both seasoned legends and rising stars in the graffiti scene to lecture and to get up on a wall.
“30 years has granted Næstved a special status within international graffiti and hip-hop culture. Hip hop and graffiti culture came to Europe and to Næstved more than 30 years ago,” says long-time curator William Hjorth (aka SWET). “Since that time the city has continuously had several unofficial street galleries. For this reason Næstved has always had a regular flow of visiting graffiti artists from all over the world.”
When describing the origin and focus of the festival Hjorth is clear about the role of graffiti. “All the works belonging to Næstved Kunstby are made by an array of international artists selected and curated because of their focused efforts and commitment to graffiti culture,” he says. “Each artist belonging to Næstved Kunstby comes from the graffiti culture and plying their skills in the streets was always part of growing up.”
The festival’s recent edition was a testament to its dedication. From live painting sessions to mural installations, the event offered a comprehensive view of graffiti’s evolution. With past artists including OSGEMEOS, Loomit, and ARYZ, the festival has consistently featured top-tier talent. Næstved Kunstby isn’t just about celebrating paint or plugging artists; it’s about understanding its impact on society and fostering future creativity. The festival’s educational component includes workshops and artist talks, providing valuable insights into the techniques and cultural significance of graffiti. These sessions not only engage the local community but also inspire young artists to explore and contribute to the evolving graffiti tradition.
The festival is entertaining for more general audiences to enjoy as well. But at the root, the origin story never waivers when Hjorth describes the life of graffiti writers and related art-makers. “Their learning and development came from hours of dedication in the streets or by the railroad tracks as opposed to training in art schools and professional environments. Subsequently, they now do more than just create works of art. They all actively contribute to the culture of hip-hop, and both inspire and educate young talents worldwide. This was also a driving force behind their agreeing to participate in this project.”
Næstved Kunstby offers a unique platform for international artists from New York, Barcelona, São Paulo, and other major cities to contribute to a dynamic collection of murals reflecting a diverse range of styles and influences. This global perspective, combined with the festival’s deep-rooted appreciation for the origins of graffiti, creates a cultural dialogue that is both forward-thinking and historically informed.
These recent photos by Martha Cooper not only document the festival’s impact but also reaffirm Næstved Kunstby’s role as a dedicated protector of graffiti history and a supporter of artistic innovation.
This is part 2 of a series of new works from the 10th Annual Street Art Fest Grenoble, with photographs by veteran photographer Martha Cooper. The massive variety, quantity, and quality of works at Grenoble place it ahead of many festivals, as you can see here. Many of the murals are in context with their surroundings and collaborate with them in a meaningful way. For its 2024 edition, the Street Art Fest Grenoble-Alpes celebrates its 10th anniversary under the direction of Jérôme Catz and The Spacejunk Art Center. Today we focus strictly on the big statements, and there are many.
Today, we have new works from the 10th Annual Street Art Fest Grenoble, with photographs by veteran photographer Martha Cooper to show us the way. This is the first of two installments. Grenoble, surrounded by majestic mountains, once again becomes a dynamic canvas for artistic expression in a way that distinguishes this region from many others. The 2024 edition of the Street Art Fest Grenoble-Alpes celebrates its 10th anniversary with a diverse showcase.
The Spacejunk Art Center, under Jérôme Catz’s direction, organizes the festival, which features a variety of street art styles, from large-scale murals to digital installations. The robust program aims to inspire and educate through concerts, exhibitions, guided tours, and workshops. The event promotes accessibility and cultural dialogue, encouraging interaction between artists and the public. Luckily for Brooklyn Street Art readers, Ms. Cooper has an investigative mind and also treats us to fresh shots of graffiti in the open and hidden spots.
This year’s lineup includes prominent artists such as Madame, STOM500, JACE, Fintan Magee, Innerfields, Belin, Maye, and Jimmy Dvate. They join the collection of over 400 murals already in the city, adding new layers of creativity and commentary. Although the artists do not all arrive simultaneously, the festival’s evolving schedule ensures fresh installations throughout the event.
We invite you to explore this series of photographs showcasing the latest additions to Grenoble’s artistic landscape. Stay tuned for the next installment.
The WOOL Urban Art Festival, held annually in Covilhã, Portugal, is a renowned celebration of street art that has been transforming the city walls since its inception in 2011. This festival, sponsored and organized by a dedicated team committed to promoting social, cultural, and economic transformation through public art, has become a pivotal event in the urban art calendar. Covilhã, a city with a rich history in the wool industry, provides a unique backdrop – with its steep cobblestone streets and historic architecture, offering a perfect canvas for murals and installations.
The 2024 edition of the WOOL Urban Art Festival features an impressive lineup of artists from around the globe. This year’s participants include Daniela Guerreiro from Portugal, Isaac Cordal from Spain, Millo from Italy, Mots from Poland, Mura from Brazil, and Spy from Spain. Each artist brings a distinctive style to the festival, from Cordal’s thought-provoking miniature sculptures to Millo’s large-scale monochromatic murals of giants in the city. The festival continues to embrace a philosophy of community engagement and urban regeneration, aiming to democratize art and involve the local population in the creative process.
A highlight of this year’s festival was the presence of renowned photographer Martha Cooper – her photographs here offer an intimate glimpse into the artistic process and the vibrant cultural exchange that defines WOOL.
In addition to creating new murals, the festival also featured “Wool Talks,” a series of discussions that delved into the impact of urban art on society and its potential for fostering cultural cohesion and sustainability. Attendees took guided tours of the murals, which include visits to iconic sites such as the Burel wool factory, linking the city’s industrial heritage with its contemporary artistic endeavors.
Welcome to BSA’s Images of the Week. We decided to dedicate this weekly survey to the artists of “Return 2 Burn”, its organizers, and the streets that brought us here.
The new “Return 2 Burn” exhibition at the old train station in Hunts Point, Bronx, serves as a modern continuum of pivotal artistic moments from New York’s vibrant past, echoing the groundbreaking energies of the Fun Gallery, The Times Square Show, and initiatives by Collaborative Projects Inc. (Colab) and Fashion Moda. These seminal venues and events of the early 1980s, such as the Fun Gallery (1981-1985) and The Times Square Show of 1980, were instrumental in merging the diverse cultural and artistic energies of “uptown” and “downtown” scenes. They featured artists whose names would become prominent, like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Futura, Rammelzee, Crash, Jenny Holzer, and many others whose work intertwined and intersected with the emergent graffiti and street art movements against a backdrop of punk, hip-hop, and an unprecedented cultural fusion that was happening across the city.
This week, the art world mourned the loss of Patti Astor, the trailblazing founder of the Fun Gallery and a pivotal character in Charlie Ahearn’s iconic film “Wild Style.” Her legacy, which has deeply influenced the intersection of hip-hop, graffiti, and urban culture, remains a testament to her visionary impact on New York City’s vibrant art scene.
“Return 2 Burn” builds upon this legacy by featuring contemporary and enduring artists from those earlier movements like Skeme, Tkid 170, Martha Cooper, John Fekner, and Al Diaz—who notably co-created SAMO tags and cryptic texts on the street with Basquiat—linking the historical narrative of New York’s street art from its inception to the present. These artists’ work stood alongside others such as Chris from Robots Will Kill, Indie, Buff Monster, UFO907, and Wane for the vibrant opening night, celebrating an ongoing narrative of experimentation and discovery in the street art/graffiti scene today across this city’s boroughs. The atmosphere was electric, charged with the energy of fans, collectors, storytellers, and historical figures of the graffiti and street art scene.
This collection of photos was shot while the exhibition was still being assembled—”work in process” shots. Their sometimes raw quality signals that the exhibition is a living entity produced by many hands; curator Robert Aloia says it is expected to evolve throughout the spring and summer.
The opening night crowd underscored the exhibition’s role as more than just a collection of artworks but also a gathering place for the community and a hopeful signpost for our collective creative future as we enter such uncertain times. It is a testament to the evolution of graffiti, street art, conceptual art, sculpture, public art, and muralism and their enduring significance in urban culture and public dialogue. The installed pieces—captured before the doors officially opened—are a diverse and dynamic reflection of the art movement, a snapshot of this moment at this location that recognizes the hundreds of artists whose work is on New York streets at any moment.
Through the visionary efforts of curators like Robert Aloia and Jennifer Giraldo of Outlaw Arts, and their collaboration with Majora Carter and James Carter of Bronxlandia, “Return 2 Burn” reminds us how exhibitions can serve as cultural synthesizers. The dedication of independent curators and organizers ensures that the legacy of New York’s unique art scene not only persists but also adapts and thrives, engaging new generations of artists and audiences alike. Moreover, the vital role of those who document, write about, and archive these events is crucial; without their work, such exhibitions’ rich history and transformative impact would not be preserved.
New York City has consistently nurtured subcultures by providing ample space, resources, and an environment conducive to growth—a spirit deeply embedded in the Punk D.I.Y. tradition. This creation of spaces for artists truly captures the essence of the city. And while we appear to be losing gallery spaces, we always have the streets. In New York City, D.I.Y. isn’t just a concept—it’s synonymous with NYC itself.
Skeme creating his latest for “Return 2 Burn”. Skeme, known as “Skeme the 3 Yard King,” is a prominent graffiti artist, celebrated within the graffiti community for his work in New York City during the movement’s early days. He was featured in the documentary “Style Wars,” a seminal film directed by Tony Silver and produced in collaboration with Henry Chalfant. The film is significant because it was one of the first documentaries to capture the graffiti subculture of New York City in the early 1980s.
The lineup includes: Aiko, Al Diaz, Austin Pinon, Basie Allen, BlusterOne, Buff Monster, Camella Ehlke, Cassandra Mayela, Chris RWK, Dr. Revolt, Faust, Ghost, Giz, Indie 184, JJ Veronis, John Fekner, Jon Burgerman, Judith Supine, Kade198, Lamour Supreme, Martha Cooper, Matt Siren, Modus, Peter Paid, Pork, Queen Andrea, Roycer, Saman & Sasan Oskouei, Sheryo & Yok, Skeme, Tkid, Totem, UF0907, VFR, and Wane One
Nestled within the bustling city of Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera is a testament to its inhabitants’ challenges and its collective indomitable spirit. Known as one of the largest urban slums in Africa, Kibera is a vibrant community where resilience and creativity sometimes flourish against a backdrop of economic hardship. This neighborhood, originally established as a settlement for Nubian soldiers in the early 20th century, has grown significantly due to continuous migration and the pursuit of economic opportunities near Nairobi’s urban core.
The Kibera Creative Arts (KiCA) organization emerges as a beacon of hope and transformation in a compelling blend of art and altruism. KiCA empowers the community through various artistic expressions, including dance, music, visual arts, and comedy. Their mission is bold and clear: to rewrite Kibera’s narrative from one of mere survival to one of thriving talent and greater opportunities.
Recently, Kibera had the privilege of hosting two renowned figures in the world of street art—French painter Julien “Seth” Malland, known as Seth, and American photographer Martha Cooper. Their week-long visit was not only a journey through the creative landscapes of Kibera but also an effort to collaborate with and uplift the local artistic talents.
Martha Cooper captured the essence of this vibrant community with her lens, focusing on the joyful expressions of children engaged in art, music, and dance, thanks to KiCA’s programs. Her photographs depict the daily life and creative spirit of Kibera’s youth, who find joy in the simplicity of homemade toys and the rhythm of street games.
Seth created a series of murals that meld naturally with the fabric of Kibera. His works include a striking depiction on a small wall resembling a sardine can’s rolled top, and a large mural adjacent to a soccer field featuring silhouetted heads with a Swahili slogan translating to “We Are One.” Seth’s art decorates and encourages dialogue with the community, bringing messages of unity and reflection.
The collaborative efforts culminated in vibrant new murals that incorporate local cultural elements and in some cases, the active participation of Kibera’s youth. “After 7 days of painting, we are proud to present to you the end result, a new look of Kibera street arts filled with beauty and diversity,” remarked KiCA organizers on Facebook. These projects are a testament to the power of art in bridging communities and fostering a sense of shared identity and hope.
Both artists reflected on their experiences. Seth shared on his Instagram, “I painted this can opener on the facade of the community center of @kicakibera, which welcomed me to the largest slum in East Africa, Kibera in Nairobi.” Meanwhile, Martha noted, “Here were some of the poorest conditions I have ever seen. We were working with KICA – a cultural organization inside Kibera that teaches art, dance, music, photography, and filmmaking, among other things.”
Throughout the year and with the contributions of visitors, lecturers, performers, and people like Seth and Martha, Kibera may be seen not as a place of despair but as one of immense potential and artistic wealth. The community’s often enthusiastic engagement in these projects highlights a collective aspiration to not only dream but to manifest dreams into reality, painting a new story of Kibera—one stroke at a time.
For a decade, SaveArtSpace has transformed New York’s streets into open-air galleries, reclaiming advertising spaces as canvases for public expression. …Read More »
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
| Title: Kodak Girl. From The Martha Cooper Collection / Edited by John P. Jacob
| Steidl. Germany, 2011
| Authors: John P. Jacob, Alison Nordstrom, and Nancy M. West
| Language: English
