For this immersive installation, vintage-picking virtuoso Hunter Carlin molded an NYC vintage shop into a seventies street art sanctuary.
The shop, Leisure Centre, became a time machine, transporting shoppers to 1977 and dropping them into the Bronx bedroom of a young graffiti writer. Period-accurate spray paint cans, graphic tees, art, button-downs, posters, and hoodies saturate the space–all for sale. The space honors the experience of Bronx graffiti writers, who reclaimed public spaces to cope with economic decline, social unrest, and urban decay.
“The Bronx was burning in 1977,” said Carlin. He cites a citywide blackout, widespread looting, and the Son of Sam killer on the loose as examples of adversity the borough faced.
The young graffiti writers were not only expressing themselves through art, but asserting their identity, resisting oppression, and harvesting community.
Carlin calls this spirit “raw creativity,” which he embodies himself. “Skateboarding, graffiti, art, clothing, and sneakers have been a huge part of my life since grade school,” said Carlin. “Through buying, selling, and collecting, I’ve found a way to continue following these passions and meeting like-minded people.”
Carlin has spent decades learning about and harvesting pieces that resonate with him and symbolize the expressive, rebellious counterculture. Many of the trinkets and gadgets are almost fifty years old, with some nearing one hundred years old. A working Rust-Oleum light-up clock, a 1950s Krylon metal advertising sign, and a medley of spray paint cans are a few of these pieces. “Each of these items holds a unique story for me,” he said.
Carlin calls to mind photos of the rooms of young graffiti artists of the ‘70s and ‘80s, taken by photographers Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper. Artists stocked their bedrooms with more spray paint cans than the average hardware store. “The cans of paint on display here are some of the best-preserved examples in my collection,” he said.
Carlin’s installation is an atmosphere of survival. It’s a shrine of DIY ethics and persevering through adversity. It is evidence that self-expression is a source of power in times of change and turmoil. The artists Carlin evokes redefined the Bronx cityscape and inspired global cultural movements.
Carlin expressed gratitude for store owner Frank Carson, who founded Leisure Centre in 2021, for collaborating with Carlin and making the project possible.
The installation occupies the front of Leisure Centre on Hester Street in the lower east side from January 25 to February 2. Reception January 31st, 6pm-8pm.
