In hommage to Martha Cooper and her perfect 70's photo series Street Play,
John Ahearn is presenting Walton Avenue Kids. In the 80's, Ahearn, in
collaboration with Rigoberto Torres regularly used the sidewalk in front of
his building as a life casting studio and a display of all the neighborhood
portraits.
This was especially exciting during summer Block Parties with DJs and
crowds of people. Unlike most parts of NYC, many neighborhoods in the
Bronx now have the same families as they did thirty years ago. In 2008,
Walton had a reunion Block Party. John Ahearn set up casts from the 80's and
life cast the cousin of his old friend Raymond Garcia. Martha Cooper was
present to beautifully capture the mood.
For the installation Walton Avenue Kids, all the 80's casts of kids (seen in
context in Martha Cooper's photos) will be arranged at the
Dorian Grey Gallery
437 East 9th Street @ Avenue A
Manhattan, New York
