The guest of honor at Muros de Arte, the event dedicated to muralism, street art and youth countercultures at the cultural center Sa Manifattura in Cagliari, is a true legend of street photography. Today at 7 pm, the protagonist of the talk “Writing through the lens” will be Martha Cooper , 81, a native of Baltimore who later moved to New York, where for more than half her life she has portrayed the graffiti and street art scene. Among her works is Subway Art (1984), a photographic collection that has become a “bible” of its genre.
"It all started when I worked at the New York Post, to get to the newsroom I passed through very poor neighborhoods. One day I met a child who showed me the tag of his name, He3. It was the first time I understood that the writings I saw on the walls were names", she says. "He was the one who introduced me to Dondi, a "king" of the subject. From that moment my obsession began, I understood that it was not vandalism, but art". An art that however often still unfolds on the border with illegality. "Yes, many forms are still illegal, and I am very interested in this side: the kids risk their freedom for that art".
For the photographer, it is the first time ever in Sardinia and Cagliari. «I think I arrived at the best possible time, few tourists and beautiful weather. The streets of the historic center fascinated me». Those streets also contain numerous writings. «I am not a fan of graffiti on old buildings. There are some beautiful old buildings that would be better left clean».
Where Cooper began photographing, the context was very different. “My idea was that I was documenting a phenomenon exclusive to the city of New York, where there were economic problems and places like tunnels, the subway, buildings in ruins,” he continues. “Instead it became a universal feeling, which has nothing to do with the conditions of the city but with wanting to leave a mark, a brand as powerful as your name. This is why muralism has also spread to clean places with excellent social services, like Scandinavia.”
"Museums have been slow to follow everything that is happening, they have only recently started to take an interest and are still missing out on a lot."
