Martha Cooper:
Streetwise
On View: April 9 – June 14, 2026
Opening Reception: April 9, 6-9PM
RSVP for the opening reception here
Bronx Documentary Center Annex
364 E. 151st St.
Bronx, NY 10455
Gallery Hours:
Thur-Fr 3-7PM
+ Sat-Sun 1-5PM
Free admission.
The BDC presents a comprehensive survey of Martha Cooper’s six-decade career documenting urban spaces, community life, and creative expression.
Exhibitions at the Bronx Documentary Center are made possible by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Foundation support is provided by the Clif Family Foundation, Chris Hondros Fund, Four Friends Foundation, Ford Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Lawrence Foundation, Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Peck Foundation, Scherman Foundation, and the Van Agtmael Fund. Special thanks to our corporate sponsors Adobe, BronxCare Health System, Fujifilm, and Montefiore Health System.
Header image: Boys racing their homemade go carts on the portion of the West Side HIghway which has since been demolished; Lower East Side; 1978. © Martha Cooper
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.
Martha Cooper (@marthacoopergram) has specialized in documenting urban culture for over forty-five years. Her books include Subway Art, a collaboration with Henry Chalfant, R.I.P.: Memorial Wall Art, Hip Hop Files 1980-1984, We B*Girlz, Street Play, New York State of Mind, Tag Town, Going Postal, Name Tagging, Tokyo Tattoo 1970, Remembering 9/11, and One Week With 1UP. Her latest book, Spray Nation, with previously unpublished New York City graffiti photos from the 1980s, was released in the fall of 2022. Martha lives in Manhattan but frequently shoots projects in far-flung places around the globe.
