Moving Murals: Henry Chalfant & Martha Cooper’s All-City Graffiti Archive

A new gallery opened in the L.E.S. of  New York City earlier this month. Gallery City Lore's inaugural exhibition is uniquely New York from a bygone era. Moving Murals: Henry Chalfant & Martha Cooper’s All-City Graffiti Archive celebrates a “Golden Age of Graffiti." When the city's subway cars became a rolling steel gallery that only the most daring artists got to exhibition in.

Shot in the ‘70s and early ‘80s this artwork has long gone and some of the artists have themselves passed. With over 850 trains covering the gallery's walls, top to bottom, this is the first time such a historic and complete collection of images has been shown in one gallery. (Some of Henry Chalfont's work was shown as part of the Art in the Streets exhibition in Los Angeles.)

“We want [visitors] to be astonished by the creativity of these kids who at the time took their life into their hands and risked jail, basically, to be able to go into trainyards to create these beautiful if ephemeral murals,” said City Lore founding director Steve Zeitlin.

“What started out as what you might call vandalism, putting up a tag on a wall or a train, evolved into a real art form,” Mr. Chalfant added. “And it’s an art form which has influenced an extraordinary number of people around the world.”

Back to the 21st-century  Henry Chalfont's iBook entitled "Big Subway Archive" was also at Gallery City Lore to offer visitors an insider's look into the art of subway graffiti trains. The iBook experience is immersive with 800 multimedia photos, 50 artist interviews and videos.

"These classic train murals, which have been the inspiration and guide for thousands of youthful artists around the world, did not survive on the trains for long before the city cleaned the cars, or the artists’ rivals painted over them. Chalfant and Cooper’s patience and determination in hunting down and capturing these ephemeral masterpieces with their cameras has left the world with a representative cross section of some of the best work by the most talented young artists who painted New York City’s subway cars in the seventies and eighties. 

These images pay homage to the young artists from the City’s underserved outer boroughs whose work—though often dismissed as vandalism—challenged contemporary fine arts standards, and lit the fuse for the street art and hip hop explosion heard around the world." Henry Chalfont's Big Subway Archive.

Gallery City Lore is part of City Lore, the 28-year old cultural organization whose mission is to "foster New York City – and America’s – living cultural heritage through education and public programs."

City Lore Gallery
56 E 1st St. New York, NY 10003

Exhibition runs until July 10th, 2014.
Opening hours: Weds - Sat 12 PM – 6 PM
(Take the F train to 2nd Ave or 6 train to Bleecker St.)

The South Bronx history documented

"It was one of the worst times, but it was the best time," said Franscisco Molina Reyes II in the "Voices of Seis del Sur" documentary. This 10 minute interview brings to life, in words and moving image, the exhibition subtitled, "Dispatches from home by six Boricua photographers."

Ricky Flores, Edwin Pagán, Joe Conzo, Jr, Angel Franco, David Gonzalez, Francisco Molina Reyes II (credit: Adi Talwar)

The opening last month, at the Bronx Documentary Center, brought together many cultural ambassadors of the South Bronx. Of particular interest to this blog was the "Steel Canvases" panel discussion featuring graffiti legends, Crash, Nicer and Bio from Tats Cru and Henry Chalfont, co-author of Subway Art. See the video below.

"I grew up in the South Bronx during the '60s, '70s and '80s, probably during one of the most turbulent time in the city. There was rapid transformation from a community heavy populated by blacks and Latinos, to being aggressively depopulated over a short period of time in the '60s and '70s...Building after building, block after block started disappearing. I didn't understand what was going on at the time..." Ricky Flores, photographer

"The Bronx was burning, or as I like to say, the Bronx was burnt. Drugs were rampant, gangs were rampant, but the family community aspect was very, very tight..." Joe Conzo, photographer and author

Crash painting (credit: David Gonzalez/New York Times)

"If it wasn't for him [Henry Chalfont] and Marty [Martha Cooper] what's happened globally wouldn't have happened because there was no Internet, no nothing. It was just us...Their thing had nothing to with money...it was the love for what we were doing and it's very evident in the photographs... 

The first time I went to Europe they were bombing all over Amsterdam and it was because of the fact they had these books out. If it wasn't for the books...we wouldn't be sitting here today. We built it and the books underlined it. They put the stamp on it." John "Crash" Matos, artist

Seis del Sur: Dispatches From Home by Six Nuyorican Photographers
Photographs by Joe Conzo, Jr, Ricky Flores, Angel Franco, David Gonzalez, Edwin Pagán, Francisco Molina Reyes II

614 Courtlandt Avenue (@ 151st St.) Bronx, New York 10451
Directions

Opening Reception January 19th, 4PM
Runs January 19- March 8, 2013
Gallery hours:
Thur.-Fri. 4-7pm
Sat-Sun 1-5pm

A walking tour of Bristol's street art scene #graffiti #banksy

I was in Bristol this past Christmas and documented my walking tour of the new (to me) street art centers. Weapon of Choice in St. Michael's Hill; King of Paint in the Bear Pit under the coach station; and Peoples' Republic of Stokes Croft (home to at least two Banksy murals) and some other parts of Bristol.

The Bristol street art scene has exploded in recent years and is even getting some local government support thanks to community organization via groups like the Peoples' Republic of Stokes Croft that cover Ashley Rd., Jamaica St. and Moon St. where art has been prevalent for years. I got to see some of the artists at work and to talk with Jake of the PRSC Gallery on Jamaica St.

Lakota Club, Moon St.

King of Paint, Bear Pit

Mack Daddy's salon, Colston St.

Teef  Although there's a lot of great work in my hometown, I did see a few derivatives that were stolen from well-publicized Californian artists. Notably, Sam Flores' figure clothed in animal costume and the infamous Rick Ordonez whose kitty cat graffiti got him locked up in L.A. It happens everywhere, but I was lil' surprised since the Internet reveals fakes pretty quickly. This was almost like when "Subway Art" first came to the UK and kids copied outlines!

Let your fingers do the walking  Here's an interactive map of my nearly 100 photos I created using C&B's *free* Mapaset application. Just click on the red dots or the photos. (Unfortunately, on this page the scrolling photo bar is hidden, but click on this version for the full experience!)

#EXCLUSIVE: Inteview with Florian Gaag, writer/director of #graffiti film, "Wholetrain" [ #hiphop #wholetrain]

The award-winning graffiti film, "Wholetrain," is being released on DVD this Tuesday, so I managed to track down Florian Gaag, the writer/director, to get under the skin of the film, the film-making process and his next project.

Backstory "Wholetrain" is a German film production that took several years to complete because Gaag wanted to capture some of the essence and drive of illegal graffiti writers and what they do. That meant developing believable characters and filming bombing scenes. Unlike Wild Style, Florian Gaag choose to cast actors who had an appreciation of hip hop, rather than choose graff writers to play the roles. The conversation continues below....

Stevio: You were a graffiti writer (Aero One) and have now written and directed an award-winning film and traveled the world. If we fast forward 5-10 years where do you think the KSB crew members will end up?

FLORIAN: "Well, the story in the film leaves that open. All is possible, I´ve seen graffiti writers turn into sophisiticated fine artists, drug pushers, teachers, highly successful business men, drug addicts etc., so the whole spectrum of the human condition is reflected within this culture.
 
"Wholetrain" really focuses on that moment in the protagonists' lives where they´re just doing what they´re doing, totally devoted, without overly reflecting or intellectualizing it from a distanced point of view – a moment every writer who has been seriously involved with the (graffiti) culture can relate to. Of course people´s viewpoints change when they get older, they see the multi-dimensionality of this movement, things like promoting your name and getting up is probably less important. But to me..."Wholetrain" is about the essence, that´s where it all started. That´s the beauty."

ATL piece from the film "Wholetrain"

Stevio: We have both gone back to school and have moved from Europe to live in the U.S. Do you think you could've made "Wholetrain" without film school? What did (film school in) New York give you that Germany/Europe could not?

FLORIAN: "Could I have made "Wholetrain" without film school? Probably, yes. But I´m sure it would´ve been a lot harder – harder than it already was.

I went to New York because so many things that have influenced me have their roots there. So being in New York, in the graffiti-mecca, and meeting people who have been central in the evolution of writing culture, certainly pushed me towards turning the idea of "Wholetrain" first into a screenplay and then the finished film."


Stevio: What storylines did you want to develop, but had to drop for whatever reason and why?

FLORIAN: "I basically wrote the screenplay and shot the film just the way i wanted to. I didn´t have to make adjustments for the producers or anybody else. I made that very clear in the first production meetings that i wouldn´t compromise in terms of making the movie more accessible by over-explaining the protagonists' wants and needs or adding certain elements to give it an appeal for a mainstream audience. I really wanted to focus on the crew and on the characters lives, without moralizing or judging what they´re doing.

I had to drop one part of a scene, though, for budgetary reasons. In that scene the protagonists – all boozed up and smoked out – would´ve ran into Dr. Funkenstein himself and helped him to get the Mothership back into the air...And I have no idea if I could have pulled it off, but my funk-infested brain couldn´t help but coming up with the idea."




Stevio: People compare your film to "Wild Style" and "Style Wars" for obvious reasons. How conscious were you about following in their footsteps? What other films were most influential to you during the film making process?

FLORIAN: "These two iconic films were of course highly influential for me – as for all European first generation writers. They really made us understand the scope of this culture with all its elements. I was scribbling on public walls before, but when i first saw "Wild Style" and "Style Wars" it all made sense.

When doing "Wholetrain" it wasn´t really about following in the footsteps of these films, "Style Wars" is a documentary, "Wild Style" a docudrama. "Wholetrain," however, is a fictional feature film with actors (or self-taught actors), so the whole approach was very different.

There weren´t a lot of films that i could use as a reference. "Kids" by Larry Clark was definitely an important one. "La Haine" by Mathieu Kassovitz, although the cinematic style is very different. And there´s a French director by the name of Siegfried whose work i really like. But in general my film taste is very eclectic and i appreciate the work of many different directors from all over the world."




Stevio: You wrote and directed "Wholetrain," but what partnerships were vital to enabling you to make it happen?

FLORIAN: "Actually, I was also the co-producer and in many instances the main producer, especially in putting all the different parts together and making them work.

I had production partners who I worked with to secure the funding and shooting permission – an odyssey of about two or three years, since no one wanted to invest in a movie with such a controversial subject. And the German transportation company refused to collaborate and threatened to inform all other transportation companies in Europe so the project would be blocked.

I already had access to the graffiti community. I started writing in 1984 and was actively doing it up until the early nineties, so I already knew most of the guys I worked with from back in the days.

The artists who I collaborated with on the soundtrack I didn´t know personally, so I just linked up with them, met them after a show, contacted them online or through people who were close to them and then sent them my beats, clips from the film and rough ideas what I wanted them to express in the lyrics.

The most important partnership however was the comissioning editor at the German TV station ZDF who was the first guy to believe in the project and, thus, paved the way for others to follow. (Nice coincidence: this is the same editorial department that funded "Wild Style.")"

Stevio: To all those folks who are tempted to watch pirated versions of "Wholetrain" instead of buying a copy can you give an outline of how much time you invested in this project?

FLORIAN: "I started working on "Wholetrain" 2002, so about 10 years ago and I´m still working on it! The process of financing, getting shooting permission, pre-production, the shoot, post-production and dealing with the promotion, distribution, finding foreign partners etc. took about six or seven years. Not very lucrative if you look at it from a commercial point of view. But it was never about the money for me. It was all about making the movie I wanted to make and giving something back to the culture that has given me so much. I hope I succeeded."


Stevio: How did you manage to make the film and also produce the sound track album?

FLORIAN: "That was pretty difficult at times. At the last minute, the production company refused to support the production of the soundtrack, in contradiction to their earlier statements, so I was forced to finance it myself. Coming up with the money during post-production and at the same time mixing the film, finishing the beats, hooking up with the artists, organizing the sessions and recording the tracks put me under a lot of pressure. But I´m really glad it all worked out and we could finish the film on time for the premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.  I then released the album on my own label Stayin´ Up."


Stevio: I asked Charlie Ahearn once why he created the "Wild Style" white label records for most of the party scenes instead of using the classic break beats and rap tunes. He said that the licensing fees were too high for his budget, but also for control and continuity since the hottest rap tunes favored by the rappers changed on a weekly basis. What were you reasons for creating a soundtrack to the film?

FLORIAN: "Licensing fees were definitely a reason. But, more than that I wanted to create a unique soundtrack with exclusive graffiti-themed tracks. And I wanted to work with people whose music I dig and who have either been active as writers themselves or have love for the culture, guys like Tame One and El Da Sensei (Artifact), KRS-One, Planet Asia, Afu-Ra. It was a great moment for me when KRS-One presented "Wholetrain" at S.O.B.´s in New York. I bought "Criminal Minded" right when it came out in 1987 (when they had tiny crates with hip hop-vinyls in stores, direct import records) and was spinning it forever. So seeing him embracing the film was really cool."



Stevio: What advice do you have to other (hip hop) storytellers who want to get into film making? Do you have a Top 5?

FLORIAN: "I have a Top 3: Be persistent, be patient, and most importantly: Don´t fake the funk!"


Stevio: What is your next project? Have you received any interesting offers since "Wholetrain" hit the screens?

FLORIAN: "You know how it is sometimes when you make a film in a certain genre or about a certain scene or culture. They want you to reproduce that same film over and over. So i got many offers doing films about other so called youth cultures or urban, subcultural movements. But I hate to repeat myself so I wrote a new screenplay and will be doing a very different film next year. More like a thriller / horror-drama."

1980's New York graffiti re-lived: Subway Art history project

Flashback! Ed Koch was Mayor of New York City for nearly a decade during the height of graffiti in the city, 1978-1989. His battle against graffiti on the subway was immortalized in the film "Style Wars," produced by L.A.'s Tony Silver (R.I.P.) and Henry Chalfont.



Stuck in time Two decades later, I read in the New York Times a retro graffiti movement has been spotted near the Prospect Park area of Brooklyn. Whilst Seen (United Artists) has been spending time in Paris, France over the past couple of years it seem fans have taken his infamous "Hand of Doom" whole train (1980) and recreated it at Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

"The original work — among those canonized in Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper’s 1984 landmark photographic history, “Subway Art” — was a token of its troubled urban times, a reference to the Black Sabbath song of the same title with the words flanked by a hooded executioner and a time bomb. The 21st-century version, on closer inspection, turns out to be a bit gentler and a lot more oblique. It reads “Joan of Arc,” and the hatchet man has been replaced by an armored representation of the martyred French saint." New York Times

Graffiti "Slavery" The artists behind these classic tributes are part of a collective called "Slavery" and made up of, predominately, graffiti writers who grew up studying "Subway Art" like many others born too late to see the real deal rolling gallery.

Inspired by another New York artist, Steve Powers, aka ESPO, (whose project brightened up a rundown West Philadelphia commercial district as part of the city’s Mural Arts Program,) the Slavery collective has chosen 50 seminal old-school graffiti murals to recreate and customize as part of a project imaginably called "Subway Art History."

R-E-S-P-E-C-T As Subway Art co-author, Henry Chalfant, says, the "Subway Art History" project is a rare  form of tribute in the world of (New York) graffiti: “I think it’s a wonderful reverse of what usually happens, which is that these people whose shoulders everyone has stood on don’t get any credit,” he said.

Blade (taken from Miss Rosen)

“It’s nice the attention guys my age are finally starting to get for our work,” he said. “It kind of amazes me actually. People in their teens and 20s come up to me, and they know every detail of my life story. I’m like, ‘Wow, I don’t even remember dating that girl back in ’72, but this kid here knows all about it.’ ” Blade, graffiti legend

Support and collect The "Joan of Arc" piece will be available as a print from Edition One Hundred, a new online art gallery that sells only 100 limited-edition prints, all signed by the artists. 10% of the profits go to charity.

Subway Art - It's come a long way...graffiti art!

The 25th Anniversary edition of "Subway Art" was launched at Helenbeck Gallery in New York last week amongst the "Whole in the Wall" art exhibition, 1970 - Now. There's a cool video below. I also blogged about my visit to the show. Check it out.


"...a subculture of less than 200 people to eventually a global movement of 1000s..." Sharp.



Below is a classic interview with Henry Chalfont and Martha Cooper about Subway Art and the new 25th anniversary edition.

Iz The Wiz...R.I.P

Next week I'm heading to New York for the annual graffiti Hall of Fame event. Think of the legends of graff with hours to paint their murals, rather than snatched minutes at the train yard!

One legend will be missing this year. Iz The Wiz died today, he was only 49 years old! R.I.P.



Who is Iz the Wiz? Ask Lee Quinones who honored this graffiti legend last night in NYC at the Subway Art 25th Anniversary edition book signing. Check it out this tribute on video. Thanks to Rachel Cepeda sharing it.

Trivia Who knew Iz played a transit cop in Charlie Ahearn's "Wild Style."

Martha Cooper book launch

Last night Subliminal Projects in Echo Park had a book launch for prolific New York photographer, Martha Cooper. I was hoping she'd be in attendance so I took a pic of her and me from 2004.

Although billed as an exhibition of her pics of NYC street life, rather than her usual hip-hop snapshots (graffiti, b-boys, writers) the show was actually the most comprehensive retrospective of her photography spanning decades.

Whole car I'd never seen the photos of the graffiti and the writers behind the art printed so large (and displayed so raw.) These photos that we know and love are timeless and, even though I wasn't in the US, feel very familiar to me as a devotee to Subway Art. The new, unseen photos included Keith Haring painting (in colour) and kids playing in the streets of urban NYC (in black and white). The latter captured a sort of innocence rarely seen amongst the hustle and bustle in the city today. Or may be it was monochrome that did that for me ;)

Martha Cooper signing photo of me and her taken in Los Angeles, 2004.

Piece and quiet I left last night with a numbered poster set (#69) which included a pre-order for the augmented Subway Art book coming out in the spring. I went back to Subliminal to get a closer look when the hipsters aren't blocking the view. Enjoy the video below.