Tokyo Tattoo 1970- The artwork!

Here are some images from the Martha Cooper AIKO show. These images due no justice to the great colors of Aiko's pieces and the great photos from Martha. You can see a full catalog with prices here
Enjoy, and call or email the gallery with any questions. 718 643 1610

Martha Cooper AIKO book release artshow coverage

The turnout was great, we had a blast, sold a bunch of books and some prints as well. Thanks to everyone who came out! Below are some shots of the opening, we'll post links to the artwork soon. We have plenty of books left for sale (Martha will sign them). So get in touch if you want to be the first to get your hands on one! 

Co Curator/artist Robert Bonhomme, Writer of Martha's book introductionAiko Ishikawa, AIKO, Martha Cooper, Publisher Tobias Barentinthin Linblad, Co Curator/artist Adam Suerte

Martha

Photo by Alex Bershaw

The show

Charlie Ahearn (director of 'Wild Style') and Martha

Tobias Barenthin Lindblad, publisher at Dokument Press and Co Curator/ artist Adam Suerte

Photo by Alex bershaw

      

   

             

 Erik Foss, Carlo McCormick and friends

12 Prophet showed up!

The two stars of the night! Thanks guys!

Next show Martha Cooper and Lady Aiko!

Update! The show was awesome, Here is a set of pics from the opening, we'll post more shots of the art soon!


We are very proud to present for our next show photographer Martha Cooper and renowned stencil artist Lady Aiko. It is the book release for Martha Cooper's new book 'Tokyo Tattoo 1970' from Dokument Press which documents the tattoo master Horibun and other tattoo related image Martha took in 1970!. These photos have never been see before! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tokyo Tattoo 1970: Martha Cooper and Aiko

Presented by Urban Folk Art©

Date of Exhibit – Dec 9-30th  2011

Opening Friday, December 9^th 7-10pm

Urban Folk Art© is pleased to present the the art installation and book release celebration for Martha Cooper’s’s latest book ‘Tokyo Tattoo 1970’ by Dokument Press.

Martha Cooper will be exhibiting photos from her book, and Aiko, internationally renowned stencil artist will be displaying work inspired by Martha’s work directly related to the book. Martha Cooper is an American photographer best known for documenting the New York graffiti scene in the 70’s and 80’s. She started getting noticed for her personal work while working at the NY Post in the 70’s. The landmark book Subway Art published in 1984 which Cooper co-authored with Henry Chalfant is frequently credited as the catalyst and foundation for aerosol art movements worldwide. In the 70’s She was living in Tokyo with her anthropologist husband and became interested in Japanese tattooing after seeing a tattoo on display at a festival. She documented the tattoo Master Horibun I at work on clients as well as others involved in the tattooing scene there. She tried to publish these photos in the early 70’s but found that tattoong back then had an unsavory reputation, and no one was interested.

An original member of the art collective Faile, Aiko has been making art that has been shown and recognized internationally for many years. Aiko and Martha met in 2006,  and since then have traveled to Japan, Amsterdam and Berlin together on various projects, Aiko helped install Martha’s photos at the MOCA ‘Art in the Streets’ exhibit, as well as participated in the Carmichael gallery’s show “Remix” where artists made work inspired by Martha’s photos. Aiko’s piece was inspired by one of the photos in ‘Tokyo Tattoo 1970’. www.ladyaiko.com

In 2004 Martha met the guys at Dokument Press. Their magazine ‘Underground Productions’ was one of the first graffiti magazines in Europe. In 2008 Dokument press published Cooper’s ‘Tag Town’. Martha says: “Dokument has always been interested in publishing work about underground cultures, so the tattoo photos were a good fit for them.”

On choosing Urban Folk Art© Gallery for her book release, Martha says, “Aiko and I attended the Atlantic Avenue Art Walk last year and I was surprised to see a tattoo studio (Brooklyn Tattoo) and gallery with the name ‘Urban Folk Art©’ on the event map. So first of all, the name attracted me and I wanted to see what the place was. When I found out that there was a graffiti connection, I thought it would be the perfect place to launch my tattoo book”.

Co-Curated by Martha Cooper, Aiko, Adam Suerte, Robert bonhomme

For Further Information/images please contact –

Adam Suerte

718 643 1610

info@urbanfolkart.com

urbanfolkart.com

About Urban Folk Art© Collective/ Gallery and Dokument Press

Urban Folk Art© is an artist collective headed by Adam Suerte. The first studio was in Bushwick Brooklyn in the early 90's. They set up a silkscreen studio printing for small businesses, bands and artists, not-for profits, these jobs would fund the collective’s other endeavors. These endeavors included Guerilla art projects, curating their own art shows, self publishing underground comic books, a line of tshirts that sold at style purveyors of the time such as Union, Patricia Fields, and 99X, and teaching art to kids at schools and organizations. In the late 90’s the studio had moved to Williamsburg, feeling as they were becoming too much of a commercial print shop, the collective shut down its physical presence, but continued their fine art projects for years including curating art shows all over Brooklyn, mural projects, teaching art, the ongoing tshirt line, and publishing the underground comic books all under the title of "Urban Folk Art© Presents".

Urban Folk Art©Gallery was opened in January 2011 and the physical manifestation of the collective was reborn. The gallery exhibits various genres of work from contemporary painting, drawing, illustration, printmaking and photography, legendary graffiti artists to comic art. The gallery exhibits a range of undiscovered, emerging, and established artists. The collective’s belief is that cross marketing of each other and the gallery as a whole as a mutually supportive resource is a valuable way for emerging artists to gain a wider audience for it’s members, the group, and the artists the gallery supports. 

Urbanfolkart.com

Dokument Press started from the Underground Productions graffiti magazine which was published the first time in 1992. Since the first book came out in the year 2000 Dokument have released almost 50 books, mostly on subcultural phenomenons like graffiti, urban fashion, tattooing, music, street art and photography. Dokument Press’ books are distributed globally, in the US by SCB. Dokument Press arranges events for graffiti and writing culture, lectures, workshops, battles, jams and taking part in media as an important force against zero tolerance and repression against subcultures.

http://www.dokument.org/

Devils and Demons show coverage. 10/29/11

Once again, we had a blast, especially despite the crappy weather. Tons of people showed up to check out the awesome work and eat candy and drink beer. Below are some photos. But go here for full shots of the art and the opening night. Cheers!

Maniac Pumpkin Carvers

 Dan Springer and costumed guest

Leah Perrota

 da crowd

Keo, pal Ibrahiem Rose (Shizel One), and Suerte

Dean Haspiel and Jonathan Ames

 Noc 167 and Karen Merz

 Adam Suerte

 Jeff Ortega

 Peter Conlon (Wutitis)

 Keo

 Frank Russo

Myke Maldonado

Next Show "Devils and Demons" Sat Oct 29th 7pm

BOO!  Our next show is a group show for Halloween with over 25 artists ranging from Painters, Graffiti artists, comic book makers, printmakers, toy makers, Photographers and so on. This will be a great one to stat the halloween weekend with...

Guest Check Opening night!

Our art opening showcasing the artwork of the bar and restaurant workers of Smith Street was a great time, thanks to everyone involved! It was packed, and the Brooklyn Bugle was there as well as the Brooklyn Paper. Below are a few pictures from that night, for a more in depth look at opening night go here to see Sara Antoinette Martin's photos. And go here to see most of the artwork in the show. Thanks to Smith and Vine and Stinky Brooklyn for the wine and cheese. The show will be up through Monday the 24th at 7pm-9 when we will have an artist reception/closing. Please join us!

Some great coverage from The show Brooklyn Bugle

And the Carroll Garderns Patch

And here's an article from The Brooklyn Paper

 Edgartista

Photo by Sara Antoinette Martin

 Mike Dulle

 Suzy Fedor

 Edgartista

 Renata Marrallo

Photo by Sara Anoinette Martin

Our next show "Guest Check"

Our next show Oct 7th is "Guest Check" a group show of artists who work in the bars and Restaurants of Smith Street where the Gallery is located here in South Brooklyn.

We were surprised and not surprised to see some of the amazing work done by the fine people in the service industry here on Smith S

Facebook event page here