Martha Cooper - Spray Nation

If you were a graffiti writer in 1980s New York City, you wanted Martha Cooper to document your work—and she probably did. Cooper has spent decades immortalizing art that is often overlooked, and usually illegal. Her first book, 1984’s »Subway Art« (a collaboration with Henry Chalfant), is affectionately referred to by graffiti artists as the »bible«. To create »Spray Nation«, Cooper and editor Roger Gastman pored through hundreds of thousands of 35mm Kodachrome slides, painstakingly selecting and digitizing them. The photos range from obscure tags to intimate portraits, action shots, walls, and subway cars painted inside and out. They are accompanied by heartfelt essays celebrating Cooper’s drive, spirit, and singular vision. The images capture a gritty New York era that is gone forever. And although the original pieces (as well as many of their creators) have been lost, these resplendent photos feel as immediate and powerful as a subway train thundering down the tracks.

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Limited Edition Box Set

For Martha Cooper’s latest release, Beyond the Streets dove deep into her unpublished archive of early 1980s NYC graffiti. Working closely with Cooper, BTS selected and assembled over 800 photos, carefully culling from dozens of boxes of slides, many unopened for decades to create this exclusive box set.