Hip-Hop: Conscious, Unconscious “The lifeblood of the exhibition is the era before we knew what hip-hop was.”

Fotografiska New York presents an exhibition that traces the origins of hip-hop, which began in the Bronx in 1973, as a social movement by African, Latino and Caribbean American communities.
A global phenomenon in 50 years.

A massive exhibition of over 200 photographs from 1972 to 2022, the pioneering image-makers who helped codify hip-hop as the most influential pop culture movement of its generation explore 50 years of photography. Through his work, he traces the rise and spread of hip-hop.

From iconic staples of visual culture (presented in new contexts) to rare and intimate portraits of hip-hop’s biggest stars, the works on view traverse intersecting themes such as the role of women in hip-hop. . Regional and stylistic diversification and competition in hip-hop. A humane lens on the 1970s Bronx street gangs whose members contributed to the birth of hip-hop. and the mainstream breakthrough that saw the grassroots movement become a global phenomenon.

Hip-Hop: Conscious, Unconscious amplifies the individual creatives involved in movement while exploring interwoven focal areas, such as a set of pioneering women within hip-hop’s male-dominated environment. Regional and stylistic diversification of hip-hop. And that was the turning point when hip-hop became his billion-dollar industry that continues to create worldwide fame. Created in partnership with Mass Appeal and co-presented with the Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit card, the exhibition is before traveling to several Fotografiska locations abroad, including Fotografiska Stockholm and Fotografiska Berlin. will debut at Fotografiska in New York.

It’s easy to forget that there was a time before hip-hop was an industry, before it made money.

It was not conscious of itself. It was about young people living their lives, dressing themselves, trying to entertain themselves with limited resources, and creating a registered aesthetic among themselves. It wasn’t for It was for a very specific community. Since then, change has taken place at an exponential pace, and hip-hop culture has come to be recognized as an incredibly lucrative global export. The lifeblood of the exhibition is an era before we knew what hip-hop was. “

Sasha Jenkins, Exhibition Co-Curator and Mass Appeal Chief Creative Officer

The exhibition takes the audience through 50 years of history, culminating in recent images of some of the biggest names in hip-hop today. Featuring archival ephemera to enhance its photographic contextualization, the show is laid out primarily by chronology and geography. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, early, east coast, west coast, south, and new wave artists emerging since his mid-2000s.

In addition to world-famous photographs such as Geoffroy de Boismenu’s 1994 Christopher “Biggie” portrait,
Wallace stares at the camera with an off-center blunt object in his mouth (also
Same shoot), the exhibition features fascinating early career snapshots of hip-hop legends such as Run
DMC’s feet under the table at the Freshfest press conference (1985). 20 year old Mary J. Blige in New
York (1991); Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean shooting a music video on a rooftop in East Harlem
Bocav (1993); a candid photo of Tupac and Biggie together backstage at a mutual friend’s concert (1993). His Nas during the debut studio recording sessions for his album Illmatic (1994). His The Roots outside the studio while working on Illadelph Halflife (1996). During a break from filming his artwork for the acclaimed album Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998), Talib Kweli and his Mos Def enjoy a meal at a diner in Brooklyn.

Among other interwoven themes, the exhibition highlights the role of women in hip-hop. Cardi B, Eve, Erykah Badu, Faith Evans, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill, Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, Megan Thee Stallion, Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, Queen Latifah, Salt Npepa.

We have made a thoughtful effort to accurately represent the presence of women rather than overtly identify them.

Around the corner you’ll see a stunning portrait of Eve and a rare and intimate shot of Lil’ Kim that most visitors have never seen before. There are far fewer women than men in hip-hop, but those who made their mark have a moving presence, much like the effect of the portraits sprinkled throughout the show.

Sally Berman, Exhibition Co-Curator

Alongside portraits of formative names like DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash, documentary images of the larger cultural climate (Savage Skulls street gangs, graffiti writers, block parties, etc.) capture the Bronx zeitgeist. I catch The first hip-hop artists innovated the musical style itself. Examples of the show’s body of work include Jean-Pierre Lafont’s oeuvre of early 1970s Bronx Street Culture, focused on the Savage Skull. Henry his Chalfont images of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and downtown Manhattan in the early 1980s. Focuses on graffiti writers, breakdancing, block parties, and youthful antics. A portrait of the living legend of Janet Beckman’s street style hip-hop from the late 1980s to his early 1990s.

The early work of the program

“More reportage or documentary style. You start to realize that the photo shoots are going to get more flashy, the clothes get more flashy, the settings change, and you’re embracing icons of mainstream luxury: private jets, fancy cars, icy chains, and swagger poses. The photographic timeline itself reflects the evolution of hip-hop, from documentary style to full-scale production.”

The sequence became a model of success for young hip-hop artists of similar geographic and socioeconomic means to the original superstar.

Also key to the show is gang culture, Jenkins explains

“It was the predecessor of hip-hop in terms of creating your own identity.”

Especially when it comes to hip-hop’s core philosophy of self-identification.

When you’re a gang member, you can call yourself “Bozo Five Ohive,” right? So hip-hop was the same idea.

You brought your name as a rapper, you brought your name as a graffiti artist
And you took that name and tried to create something of your own and something of a name.

So the idea is that people who are not normally recognized by society find ways to create a society for themselves by creating identities they can own. Because ownership is the key to hip-hop. Young people could build their own. If you’re a breakdancer and your name is his Frosty Freeze and you’re really good, you own his Frosty Freeze brand and people look up to you for it . “

Tracing the collective trajectory of the cultural genre over more than 50 years, the exhibition goes from the early documentary photography of hip-hop in the 1970s to the young hip-hop photographers who are helping to popularize the genre’s aesthetic. It covers.

Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious – 21 May 2023, curated by Sacha Jenkins & Sally Berman, Fotografiska New York

Hip-Hop: Conscious, Unconscious at Fotografiska New York was created in partnership with Mass Appeal and co-curated by Sacha Jenkins (Chief Creative Officer, Mass Appeal) and Sally Berman (Visual Director, Hearst, former Mass Appeal Director of Photography). is ration. ). In-house support is provided by Amanda Hajjar, Exhibition Director at Fotografiska New York. Meredith Breech (Exhibition Manager, Fotografiska New York); Johan Vikner (Fotografiska Global Exhibitions Director) and Pauline Bentede (Fotografiska Global Exhibitions VP).

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