Henry Chalfant is an American photographer, videographer, and sculptor best known for his pioneering work chronicling New York City’s graffiti and hip-hop culture
Beginning in 1977, Chalfant started photographing graffiti on the subway cars of New York City, capturing hundreds of ephemeral artworks by legendary writers such as Lee, Dondi, Skeme, Blade, Cap and Seen. His technique, shooting from one position while the train moved, allowed him to create single, highly detailed images constructed from multiple exposures, setting a standard for graffiti documentation worldwide. Over his career, he amassed an archive of more than 1,500 photographs that preserve a visual record of a fleeting urban art movement.
Chalfant co-authored Subway Art with Martha Cooper, a seminal book often referred to as the “Bible” of graffiti, and later co-authored Spraycan Art, which documented the global spread of the phenomenon.
In 1983, Chalfant co-produced Style Wars with director Tony Silver, a groundbreaking PBS documentary that explored the battle over public space between the city’s authorities and its graffiti writers, while also highlighting the parallel rise of breakdancing, MCing, and DJing. Style Wars became the first major film to capture hip-hop culture in its infancy, giving a global audience a look at the voices, rivalries, and creativity of New York youth. It went on to win the Grand Prize for Documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival, cementing Chalfant’s role as both participant and historian in the culture’s early years.
Today, his photographs are housed in major exhibitions and collections worldwide, including retrospectives like Art vs. Transit, 1977–1987 at the Bronx Museum, ensuring his legacy as the preeminent visual chronicler of New York’s graffiti and hip-hop era.
A writer whose journey through graffiti started early and never let go, Mach is a long-time member of Sydney’s KGB crew. From tagging with his friends in school to finding his voice through letter forms and style, Mach shares how graffiti shaped his path and perspective
He speaks openly about the way graffiti is viewed by the public — often reduced to vandalism by the media — and how those perceptions miss the deeper truth: this is a culture driven by connection, creativity, and purpose
Name: Brutal
Crew: Run Amuck, Fine Impression
Painting since: 1991
Favourite MTN product: For realism: 94’s. For everything else; Hardcore with an Orange Fatcap
Favourite surface: Any wall.. Unbuffed Limestone and red brick takes him back to the 90’s, flat concrete underpasses
Meet Peque — one of the OG’s. He started painting in the streets of Guadalajara back in the 90s, rocking flare tags and figuring things out with his crew. He has been living in Sydney over a decade now
In this video, he shares stories from his youth, reflects on the evolution of his style, and speaks about why painting for the love of it still matters most. A tribute to the roots—and the future—of graffiti
Name: Peque
Team (if applicable): VRS
Painting since: 36 years
Favorite MTN product: Alien was his favorite
Favorite surface: Anything paintable
Personal motivation: his daughters
Biggest inspiration: his brother, who inspired him to draw
Name: TenFold
Crew: DE
Painting since: 95
Favourite MTN product: 94
Favourite surface: Concrete
Personal motivation: Enjoying the process and trying to keep it fresh
Biggest inspiration: The Alphabet
Name: Krimsone
Painting since: 2008
Favourite MTN product: Cherokee Red (MTN94)
Favourite surface: All surfaces are great. From metal to mineral to canvas to concrete
Biggest inspiration: The natural world
Personal Motivation: Time
Name: Combo/Kombo 43
Crew: RTS NHC CBS DRS
Painting since: I’ve been painting since about 98/99. Not seriously until about 2002/3.
Favourite MTN product: Hardcores
Favourite surface: North American steel, preferably Autoracks
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