Henry Chalfant - Art vs. Transit

154 pages
Text(s) by Henry Chalfant, Sharp, Sacha Jenkins, Carlos Mare 139 and SUSO33
35.5 x 25.4 cm
Language: English
Swiss-bound hard cover case and Smyth sewn with cloth on spine
Publisher: Eric Firestone Press
Edition of 5000 plus 150 special editions with slip case
2019 

Henry Chalfant: Art vs. Transit, 1977-1987 accompanies the eponymous exhibition at the Bronx Museum, on view from September 25, 2019 to March 8, 2020. Widely regarded as one of the most significant documentarians of street art, Henry Chalfant has produced a voluminous body documenting the emergence of the trend since its early days in the Bronx, following its transformation into the international phenomenon it is today. Chalfant’s photographs are a work of visual anthropology and one of the seminal documents of American popular culture in the late twentieth century. Chalfant became interested in graffiti art when he arrived in New York in 1973, after graduating from Stanford University. By 1977, he had developed a technique of capturing exposures in rapid succession on his 35mm camera from different positions on the platform, documenting the entire train in multiple, overlapping shots.  

Looking back at the beginning of the graffiti era launched in the midst of a tumultuous time in New York City history, Henry Chalfant: Art vs. Transit, 1977-1987 features documentation of works no-longer extant by legendary subway writers, including Dondi, Futura, Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, Zephyr, and including Bronx legends Blade, Crash, DAZE, Dez, Kel, Mare, SEEN, Skeme, and T-Kid. The exhibition also includes significant and rare historical ephemera and photographs that register the birth of hip hop. Henry Chalfant: Art vs. Transit, 1977-1987 was originally produced for the Centro de Arte Tomás y Valiente in Madrid, Spain, and curated by SUSO33.