All posts tagged: Martha Cooper Library at Urban Nation Museum

Books In The MCL: Buff Monster. Stay Melty

Books In The MCL: Buff Monster. Stay Melty

May 19, 2026 ,

Stay Melty. Buff Monster. 2021

Reprinted from the original review.

Stay Melty is a vibrant and comprehensive chronicle of Buff Monster’s world—a visual universe that has grown from his early wheatpastes and stickers in Los Angeles to large-scale murals, collectible toys, and fine art editions recognized internationally. The volume functions as a mid-career survey and an update to the artist’s earlier 2015 book of the same name, expanding the original scope with six additional years of work and hundreds of full-color illustrations. The edition captures Buff Monster’s relentless productivity and his unbroken commitment to the “melty” aesthetic that has defined his visual identity for more than two decades.

The book opens with an essay by New York critic and curator Carlo McCormick, who contextualizes Buff Monster’s approach within contemporary art’s dialogue between pop imagery and personal mythology. McCormick identifies how the artist’s playful surfaces and consumer-inspired imagery mask a deeper commentary on impermanence and sentimentality—qualities that resonate beneath the glossy veneer. Rather than approaching graffiti or street art as rebellion, Buff Monster frames his practice as a celebration of optimism, humor, and the handmade mark. Design and advertising are part of the language, along with immediacy and accessibility of the street.

Each section of Stay Melty blends process documentation with finished works: sketches pinned to studio walls, murals under construction, and limited-edition sculptures lined up for production. This structure mirrors the artist’s own fluid boundaries between mediums. Murals become the basis for prints; trading cards evolve into paintings; street interventions feed back into gallery pieces. Across these transitions, Buff Monster maintains a notable consistency of tone and color. His signature pink palette—applied to characters that drip, ooze, and smile—is both brand and philosophy, a way of confronting chaos with playfulness and control.

Text Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo     Fotos Eveline Wilson

Title: Buff Monster. Stay Melty
Published: Ginko Press, 2021
Author: Buff Monster
Language: English

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Books in The MCL: Chris “Daze” Ellis. Dazeworld.

Books in The MCL: Chris “Daze” Ellis. Dazeworld.

March 5, 2026 ,

Dazeworld. The Artwork of Chris “Daze” Ellis. Chris “Daze” Ellis. 2016

Reprinted from the original review.

Daze’s world has always been kinetic—its energy drawn from the tracks, tunnels, and streets that once defined New York City’s pulse. Dazeworld: The Artwork of Chris “Daze” Ellis captures that charge across four decades of work, documenting his evolution from teenage train writer to established painter and mentor. Published by Schiffer, the 168-page monograph gathers over 250 photographs—many previously unseen—that chart an artist moving between public space and private reflection.

In these pages, Daze’s early graffiti runs again across the MTA’s rolling stock, documented by Martha Cooper and others who witnessed the golden age firsthand. Those images, raw and archival, sit beside luminous canvases and murals that reveal a mature painter unafraid of introspection. As Daze writes in his introduction, this is not an autobiography in the literal sense but a guided journey through formative moments – “the seminal points that shaped my art and allowed me to continue to evolve as an artist.”

Text Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo     Fotos Eveline Wilson

Title: Dazeworld. The Artwork of Chris “Daze” Ellis.
Published: Schiffer Publishing LTD, 2016
Author: Chris “DAZE” Ellis
Language: English

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Books In The MCL: Vladimir Manzhos. WAONE: Worlds of Phantasmagoria, Vol. 1

Books In The MCL: Vladimir Manzhos. WAONE: Worlds of Phantasmagoria, Vol. 1

February 10, 2026 ,

WAONE: Worlds of Phantasmagoria, Vol. 1. Vladimir Manzhos. 2020

Reprinted from the original review.

Worlds of Phantasmagoria, Vol. 1 is a comprehensive exploration of the monochromatic works of Ukrainian artist Vladimir Manzhos, known as WAONE. Spanning the years 2013 to 2020, this 208-page hardcover book provides a chronological view of his artistic evolution. It highlights his transition from large-scale, colorful murals in public spaces to intricate black-and-white compositions created in the studio.

The book features a range of works, including murals, ink drawings, etchings, and lithographs, each accompanied by detailed narratives from the artist. These descriptions provide insight into WAONE’s creative process and the philosophical themes that underpin his work. Drawing inspiration from mythology, folklore, science, and personal introspection, his pieces weave together surreal imagery with symbolic depth.

With the aesthetics of a musty and mythical library, the illustrations open the preconceptions of psychology, offering myriad views through recombining familiar elements into unusual associations. In the process, you travel with Waone as he dedicates himself to this uncolorful view, which is nonetheless rich, if not tinged with a bit of antiseptic horror.

Text Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo     Fotos Eveline Wilson

Title: WAONE: Worlds of Phantasmagoria, Vol. 1
Published: WAWE 2020
Author: Vladimir Manzhos (WAONE)
Language: English

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Books In the MCL: Bill Posters “The Street Art Manual”

Books In the MCL: Bill Posters “The Street Art Manual”

February 5, 2026 ,
Bill Posters. The Street Art Manual. September, 2020.

Reprinted from the original review.

A field guide to resistance and reinvention, The Street Art Manual by artist and agitator Bill Posters is equal parts DIY toolkit, art history primer, and subversive etiquette handbook. Structured with the confidence of a seasoned practitioner and the welcoming, humorous tone of a supportive older sibling, the book offers practical instruction and philosophical grounding for anyone intent on engaging with public space creatively—and responsibly.

Posters, co-founder of the Brandalism project and known for controversial deep-fake online campaigns like Spectre, brings a broad knowledge of global activist art movements to the table. From Beuys’ notion of “social sculpture” to John Fekner’s typographic landmines and the ACT UP visuals of the AIDS crisis, the opening chapters trace a lineage of public dissent that informs his own practice. These references aren’t dusty citations but sharp reminders that creativity in the streets has always been more than aesthetics—sometimes it feels like survival, strategy, and classic satire.

Text Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo     Fotos Eveline Wilson

Title: The Street Art Manual
Published: Laurence King Publishing. September 08, 2020
Author: Bill Posters
Language: English

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Books In The MCL: “Graffiti Grrlz: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora”, Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón.

Books In The MCL: “Graffiti Grrlz: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora”, Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón.

March 4, 2025 ,

Books in the MCL: Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón. Graffitti Grrlz: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora

Reprinted from the original review.

“Graffiti Grrlz: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora” by Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón provides an insightful look into the world of women graffiti artists, challenging the perception that graffiti is a male-dominated subculture. This book highlights the contributions of over 100 women graffiti artists from 23 countries, showcasing how they navigate, challenge, and redefine the graffiti landscape.

From the streets of New York to the alleys of São Paulo, Pabón-Colón explores the lives and works of these women, presenting graffiti as a space for the performance of feminism. The book examines how these artists build communities, reshape the traditionally masculine spaces of hip hop, and create networks that lead to the formation of all-girl graffiti crews and painting sessions. This aspect is particularly useful in understanding how digital platforms have broadened the reach and impact of women graffiti artists, facilitating connections and collaborations worldwide.

MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY: BOOK RECOMMENDATION⁠

? | Title: Graffitti Grrlz: Performing Feminism in the Hip Hop Diaspora
? | NYU Press. June 2018. Softcover.
? | Author: Jessica Nydia Pabón-Colón
? | Language: English

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Text: Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo Fotos: Sebastian Kläbsch

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Books In The MCL: “Born In The Bronx”

Books In The MCL: “Born In The Bronx”

February 20, 2025 ,

Books in the MCL: Johan Kugelberg (ed.). Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop.

Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop. Johan Kugelberg (Hrsg). Expanded edition 2023

Reprinted from the original review.

“Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop”  is an in-depth exploration of hip-hop’s roots in the Bronx during the 1970s and early 1980s. Edited by Johan Kugelberg, this hardcover serves as a historical archive and a tribute to the pioneers who transformed a local movement into a global cultural phenomenon.

The book’s heart lies in the photography of Joe Conzo, known as “the man who took hip-hop’s baby pictures.” His candid images vividly capture the scene’s raw energy—block parties, breakers (break dancers), and iconic figures like Grandmaster Flash, the Cold Crush Brothers, and Afrika Bambaataa. Conzo’s photos spotlight the performers and document the surrounding community and atmosphere, reflecting the creativity and resilience that defined hip-hop’s grassroots beginnings. His work reveals a culture inventing itself amidst the social and economic challenges of the Bronx.

MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY: BOOK RECOMMENDATION⁠

? | Title: Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop
? | 1xRUN. August 2023. Hardcover.
? | Author: Johan Kugelberg
? | Language: English

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Text: Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo Fotos: Sebastian Kläbsch

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Books In The MCL: Alan Ket. The Wide World of Graffiti

Books In The MCL: Alan Ket. The Wide World of Graffiti

February 13, 2025 ,

The Wide World of Graffiti. Alan Ket. 2023

Reprinted from the original review.

The Wide World of Graffiti by Alan Ket is a comprehensive exploration of graffiti art, tracing its evolution from a marginalized expression to a globally recognized art form. The book delves into the origins of graffiti in the late 1960s and 1970s, primarily in Philadelphia and New York City, where it began as a voice for youth who felt excluded from mainstream society. Ket, a graffiti writer and co-founder of the Museum of Graffiti in Miami, provides an informed perspective, blending personal experience with scholarly insight.

The narrative chronicles the development of graffiti, emphasizing its grassroots beginnings and connections with other subcultures such as skateboarding, hip-hop, and tattooing. This holistic approach provides a broad understanding of the cultural milieu that nurtured graffiti’s growth. Ket documents how graffiti evolved over decades from simple tags to complex murals, reflecting the changing social and political landscapes. The book offers a detailed account of various styles and techniques, highlighting how graffiti artists and street artists have pushed the boundaries of traditional art forms.

MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY: BOOK RECOMMENDATION⁠

? | Title: The Wide World of Graffiti
? | The Monacelly Press. December 2023. Hardcover.
? | Author: Alan Ket
? | Language: English

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Text: Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo Fotos: Sebastian Kläbsch

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Books In the MCL: “Protecting Art In The Streets: A Guide To Copyright In Street Art And Graffiti”, Enrico Bonadio

Books In the MCL: “Protecting Art In The Streets: A Guide To Copyright In Street Art And Graffiti”, Enrico Bonadio

February 6, 2025 ,

Enrico Bonadio. Protecting Art in the Street: A Guide to Copyright in Street Art and Graffiti. 2020

Reprinted from the original review.

Enrico Bonadio, a seasoned expert in copyright law, delves into the complexities of legal rights surrounding street art and graffiti in this insightful book, “Protecting Art in the Street.” Accompanied by a foreword from renowned graffiti writer, artist, and historian Zephyr, the book is a thorough and accessible guide for artists in understanding and navigating copyright laws.

Bonadio underscores the heightened vulnerability of street art and graffiti to unauthorized use and exploitation. He highlights that these art forms, often placed in public spaces, face greater risks of misappropriation and destruction compared to traditional fine art. This vulnerability, he points out, has led to an increase in legal actions against those who commercialize these works without the artists’ consent or proper compensation.

MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY: BOOK RECOMMENDATION⁠

? | Title: Protecting Art in the Street: A Guide to Copyright in Street Art and Graffiti.
? | Dokument Press. December 2020. Soft cover.
? | Author: Enrico Bonadio
? | Language: English

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Text: Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo, Fotos: Eveline Wilson

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Books In The MCL: Golden Boy as Anthony Cool: by Herbert Kohl and James Hinton

Books In The MCL: Golden Boy as Anthony Cool: by Herbert Kohl and James Hinton

March 28, 2024 ,

As founding members of the Martha Cooper Library at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin, Brooklyn Street Art (BSA) proudly showcases a monthly feature from the MCL collection, illuminating the extensive and diverse treasures we’re assembling for both researchers and enthusiasts of graffiti, street art, urban art, and its numerous offshoots. Below, we present one of our latest selections.

Text Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo Photos by Sebastian Kläbsch

Herbert Kohl and James Hinton, Golden Boy as Anthony Cool. 1972.

Herbert Kohl and James Hinton’s “Golden Boy as Anthony Cool,” published in 1972, is a seminal work in the study of urban graffiti and street culture. Not only an academic exploration; it’s a journey into the heart of graffiti as a form of personal expression, rebellion, and cultural identity. Kohl’s insightful essays paired with Hinton’s evocative photographs provide a window into the lives of young people in the urban landscapes of New York City and Los Angeles as they simultaneously boil, wane and flourish in the late 60s and early 70s. These vibrant and vibrating communities are chronicled, whether affluent suburbs or struggling neighborhoods, each appears to brim with stories cryptically told through tags and murals on walls and doors.

As a crucial part of street art history, “Golden Boy as Anthony Cool” is an essential resource for anyone interested in the roots of modern graffiti culture. Its compelling blend of vivid imagery and profound analysis not only makes it an invaluable addition to any collector’s library but also a portal to the dynamic world of urban street art. Simple and unassuming, the book is testament to graffiti’s evolution, offering a deeper appreciation for the art form and the voices that shape it.

GO TO MCL AT URBAN NATION MUSEUM BERLIN TO CONTINUE READING.

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Martha Cooper Library / MCL PRESENTS #4: Political Graffiti

Martha Cooper Library / MCL PRESENTS #4: Political Graffiti

February 27, 2024

For the 4th installment of the Martha Cooper Library at Urban Nation Berlin’s series MCL Presents, the theme for discussion will be Graffiti and politics. Many people have argued that all art is political, and, graffiti wouldn’t be an exception. From the American writer Toni Morrison who famously declared “All good art is political! There is none that isn’t. And the ones that try hard not to be political are political by saying, ‘We love the Status quo.’ To the American performing artist Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote in an article for The Atlantic “All art is political. In tense, fractious times—like our current moment—all art is political. But even during those times when politics and the future of our country itself are not the source of constant worry and anxiety, art is still political.” The MCL Librarian Mrs. Eveline Wilson will lead the talk with hosts René Kästner, Sven Niemann, and a mystery surprise host.

Talk with René Kästner, Sven Niemann, and a special guest from a street art crew

February 29, 2024, 6.00 to 7.30 pm
URBAN NATION Museum | Bülowstr. 7, 10783 Berlin

Vandalism or message? Sprayers reach for the can when they want to convey a political message to a broad audience in highly visible and public places. The volume “Political Graffiti” was recently published in the Guernica Society’s “Art and Politics” series. René Kästner and Sven Niemann discuss graffiti as a tool of political agency with an artist from an internationally renowned street art crew.

For more details and information about the guests and related exhibitions at the museum click HERE

René Kästner (photo courtesy of Martha Cooper Library. Urban Nation Berlin)
Sven Niemann (photo courtesy of Martha Cooper Library. Urban Nation Berlin)
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Book Review: 10 Years Later – “Banksy in New York” at MCL in Berlin

Book Review: 10 Years Later – “Banksy in New York” at MCL in Berlin

October 19, 2023 ,
Banksy In New York. Ray Mock. NYC 2019. Martha Cooper Libray at Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Eveline Wilson)

As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of Banksy’s iconic residency on the streets of New York, we also mark the beginning of our reviews for the Martha Cooper Library (MCL) collection at Urban Nation in Berlin. As stewards of the library and holders of the #2 and #3 library cards, we take pride in introducing you to the ever-expanding collection of materials dedicated to the global street art and graffiti movement. This repository is a valuable resource not only for academic researchers but also for ardent enthusiasts. Our aim is to transform it into a world-class hub for research on this remarkable grassroots art movement, and we believe it’s essential to acquaint you with its contents.

Books in the MCL: BANKSY IN NEW YORK. Ray Mock. 2019

MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY: BOOK RECOMMENDATION⁠

? | Title: Banksy in New York
? | Media group: Book
? | Author: Mock, Ray (author); Banksy (artist)
? | Year: 2019
? | Language: English

Text: Steven P. Harrington & Jaime Rojo

Banksy In New York. Ray Mock. NYC 2019. Martha Cooper Libray at Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Eveline Wilson)

For 31 days in October of 2013, UK street artist Banksy “gifted” New York City with daily new surprises on the streets in all five boroughs – effectively involving citizens in his self-designed residency. It is traditional for graffiti writers in New York to claim to go “all-city,” and author Ray Mock has covered the tags, fill-ins, and pieces by hundreds of writers as a one-man documentarian of graffiti at Carnage NYC Publishing. Here he tracks the daily movements of Banksy through the city to document the usual, unusual, and often witty acts of one of the most famous, yet anonymous, street artists and his presumed team of assistants, actors, and performers. Each installation has a social or political story, often with a deep sense of critique.

Banksy In New York. Ray Mock. NYC 2019. Martha Cooper Libray at Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Eveline Wilson)

Banksy in New York is well-illustrated with shots of the odd and interesting installations of his “Better Out Than In” show as it was unveiled via social media. He also captures the scenes, sometimes containing mayhem, that popped up around them as word spread on social media that a new Banksy had appeared. For a New Yorker proud of his turf and a wizened observer of the rise in popularity of street art, Mock examines the various installations and looks for a personal firsthand voice to describe the art and the events so the reader may feel like they understand what it was like to be there.

To learn more about the Martha Cooper Library at Urban Nation Museum Berlin and to continue reading the review, click HERE to go to the Urban Nation website.

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BSA Film Friday: 01.28.22

BSA Film Friday: 01.28.22

January 28, 2022 ,
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Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening:
1. BSA & Martha Cooper Discuss the Opening of MCL at UN

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BSA Special Feature: BSA & Martha Cooper Discuss the Opening of MCL at UN

IN CONVERSATION WITH MARTHA COOPER, STEVEN P. HARRINGTON, AND JAIME ROJO (BSA) AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY AT URBAN NATION BERLIN.

In November 2021, Martha Cooper was in Berlin together with Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington of Brooklyn Street Art for a viewing of her exhibition “Taking Pictures”. Simultaneously the three announced the official opening of the Martha Cooper Library. They were each presented with the first MCL library cards in the MCL Reading Room at the Museum. With this, the library was formally inaugurated and has been open to the public since the second of November.

With Chief Librarian Eveline Wilson at the desk and Library Director Dr. Hans-Michael Brey leading the way, we are pleased that BSA’s vision and Martha’s vision of establishing an unrivaled library resource for scholars and students of graffiti and street art and related art movements across the globe will now have a dedicated collection for all.

Martha Cooper. MC Library at Urban Nation Museum. Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Already, we are growing. Through the contact of Sascha Blasche, Hitzerot, we received a generous donation from the Dutch Graffiti Library in January of this year. The Dutch Graffiti Library was founded in 2018 by the twins Marcell and Richard van Tiggelen. Together with Sanne van Doorn, they built an extensive private collection on graffiti with a focus on the Netherlands and published several publications on the subject. Books from the Dutch Graffiti Library can be found in the OPAC. We also received an interesting donation from Kathryn Nussdorf. During a VHS (Berlin’s community education university) seminar, she created a fan book about the Berlin graffiti group CBS with many photos. In an exchange with the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy we have also received more catalogs. And in April there will be the first event: “MCL presents…”

Together with Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington of Brooklyn Street Art, UN interviewed Martha Cooper about the opening on its very first day – about their common ideas, wishes and visions for the library.

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