Photographer Martha Cooper is best known for documenting the New York City graffiti scene during its heyday in the 1970s. After graduating from college at 19 with an art degree, the Baltimore native served in the Peace Corps, studied ethnology at Oxford, and worked as a staff photographer for the New York Post. A new exhibit at LA’s Carmichael Gallery, Martha Cooper: Remix features images by the legendary photographer, as well as tributes by the likes of Kenny Scharf, Shepard Fairey, Lady Pink, and dozens of others. Click through below to see works by contemporary street artists alongside Cooper’s inspiring original photographs.
Martha Cooper, Lady Pink in Yards (1982) and Lady Pink, Martha-Pink Remix (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Dez, Daze and Friends in Yard (1982) and Flying Fortress, Members of the J.B.C.B. (Jukebox Cowboys) (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, The Bartender (1978) and Ioke of Fumakaka, Go to Skull (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Go Cart Race on abandoned Westside Highway (1978) and Meki of Fumakaka, Downhill Extremo (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Boy Running on Train (1982) and Seimiek of Fumakaka, Running on Trains (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Dondi in Yards (1980) and Crash, Untitled (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Scharf Tag (1982) and Kenny Scharf, Rosie Mandala (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Blade Whole Car 2, Bronx (1980) and Dearraindrop, Untitled (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Tattooed Woman, Tokyo (color, 1970) and Aiko, A Lady with Tattoo (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery
Martha Cooper, Scavenging for Bicycle Parts (1978) and Chris Stain, N. 9th St. (2011), courtesy Carmichael Gallery