Martha Cooper & Logan Hicks on Street Art's Evolution from Trains to Auction Houses

The Evolution of Street Art

• 💡 Street art, including murals and graffiti, has transitioned from an underground subculture to a recognized art form in museums, galleries, and auction houses.
• 🎨 The Urban Art Fair in Paris highlights this thriving market, featuring over 100 artists and showcasing the commercial viability of urban art.
• 📸 Martha Cooper, a photojournalist, documented the early days of graffiti in 1970s New York, capturing ephemeral works that no longer exist, which she believes is key to her photographic interest.

Collaborative Art and Legacy

• 🤝 Martha Cooper and Logan Hicks, a stencil artist, have collaborated on a project that blends photography with stencil art, aiming to bring wider recognition to Cooper's diverse body of work beyond graffiti.
• 🖼️ Hicks's collaboration with Cooper's photography allows for a more idealized and composed artistic interpretation, a contrast to the spontaneous nature of street art photography.
• 📚 Cooper's 1984 book, "Subway Art," co-authored with Henry Chalfant, is cited as a foundational text for contemporary urban artists worldwide.

Iconic Projects and Artistic Philosophies

• 🚇 Logan Hicks created "Underbelly," an underground gallery in an abandoned subway station, featuring 75 artists, to explore the importance of art even if unseen, questioning the role of the art market.
• 🇯🇵 Martha Cooper's early work also includes documenting the secretive world of Japanese tattoo artistry in Tokyo in the 1970s, focusing on the meticulous process and tight-knit community.
• 🌳 Hicks's mural "Tunnel Vision" in East Harlem is a massive 19,000-square-foot piece featuring New York State birds and greenery, intended to bring nature and a space for birdwatching to an urban environment.

Shifting Perceptions of Urban Art

• 📈 The perception of graffiti has dramatically shifted from vandalism to a globally appreciated art movement, with its underground origins now widely recognized for skill and aesthetics.
• 🌍 Both Cooper and Hicks emphasize that exciting street art can be found wherever the artist's camera or presence is, highlighting the dynamic and global nature of the movement.
• 🏛️ The transition of street art into mainstream art institutions is seen as a positive development, allowing artists to make a living from their creations.