Apart Magazine Online

Grand Opening: Thursday April 17th
Place: Studio Apart, Prinsengracht 715
Time: 17:00 till 22:00

Martha Cooper 1958 – 2008: a fifty-year retrospective a photo exhibition and Tag Town book release in Amsterdam

From April 17th – May 10th art gallery Studio Apart (Amsterdam) will host Martha Cooper 1958-2008: a fifty-year retrospective. Martha Cooper will be present at the opening night for the European release of her new book, aptly titled Tag Town. The exhibition is organized by “untitled” and sneaker store Patta and gives a complete overview of the career of this ‘Grande Dame of hip hop documentation.’
Perhaps most well-known for such celebrated books as Subway Art, Street Play and Hip Hop Files, this 300-picture exhibition gives an in-depth view into her entire career. The exhibition also consists of a mixture of photographs from Cooper’s National Geographic days with documentations of her travels throughout countries such as Japan, Afghanistan, Guatemala and Suriname.

“I have traveled far and wide to see and photograph artistic creations such as the painted Djuka houses in the rain forests of Suriname, flower carpets in Antigua, Guatemala, elaborate dovecotes on the island of Tinos in Greece, the intricately stitched molas of the Cuna Indians on the San Blas Islands in Panama or the huge sculptures created of oranges and lemons at the Fete du Citron in Menton, France. I’ve also kept my eyes open at home in New York City and across the United States. My photo files are full of examples of painted mailboxes, yard decorations, murals, unusual hairstyles, homemade clothing and, of course, all kinds of graffiti and street art. In a mass produced world, it’s pure pleasure for me to discover art in unlikely places.” – Martha Cooper

Recent works will also be shown, including photographs from her new book, Tag Town. The imagery for this book was gathered throughout Cooper’s career and documents tags from all over the world.
Presently, this distinguished photographer resides in Sowebo, a Southwest Baltimore neighborhood, where she is working on her most recent project.
These photos illustrate the harsh reality of living in Sowebo, one of the most violent and dangerous neighborhoods in the United States.

In conjunction with this event, sneaker store Patta will release a 3-shirt collaboration together with “untitled” and Martha Cooper.

Notorious for their ‘documents of street culture’ exhibitions, and having invited Martha Cooper earlier this year to kick off their “untitled” No.8 expo in Barcelona, this event is a continuation of the “untitled” No. 8 tour. Among the many artists involved in this traveling exhibition are Jeremy Fish, Don Pendelton, Zedz, Inocuo, False, Aerosyn-Lex, and Foreign Family.