Martha Cooper's 'Streetwise' at Bronx Documentary Center Surveys 40 Years of Urban Youth Culture

The Bronx Documentary Center is presenting 'Martha Cooper: Streetwise,' a survey of the photographer's career from the late 1970s through the 2010s. Known for documenting New York City's graffiti and breaking culture in the early 1980s, Cooper's work spans New York, Baltimore, Tokyo, and Soweto. The exhibition includes her iconic image 'Cops patrolling on the number #1 line, Harlem' (1981) and a 'Street Play' section focusing on the Lower East Side (1978–1980). Cooper's photographs of hip-hop's infancy feature breaking, graffiti, and the physical relationship between youth and the city. The show also highlights her documentation of Bronx artists Rigoberto Torres and John Ahearn, who create live cast portraits attached as 3D murals. One image captures friends playing double dutch below a mural of themselves. The exhibition continues through June 14 at the Bronx Documentary Center Annex.