French photographer Brassai wrote with curiosity about graffiti he saw in Paris in the 1930s, “Its authority is absolute, overturning all the canons of aesthetics.” This inspired Gordon Matta-Clark’s own graffiti photos, now part of Gordon Matta-Clark: NYC Graffiti Archive 1972/73, which chronicle a moment of experimentation in Matta-Clark’s career as well as a mind-blowingly comprehensive documentation of graffiti’s aesthetic birth before its international growth later in the decade. The book will be published by BEYOND THE STREETS.
To coincide with the release of the book, BEYOND THE STREETS' Control Gallery will host an exhibition of the photographs in EXHIBITION 010: GRAFFITI ARCHIVE 1972/73 with an opening reception held on Friday, March 1, 2024 from 6PM - 9PM, running through April 13, 2024.
