*Hip Hop and its influence on popular culture will be the focus of a new Smithsonian exhibit to debut next month at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Common and Erykah Badu are among the artists featured in Recognize! Hip-Hop and Contemporary Portraiture, which will be on display from Feb. 8 through Oct. 26.
Photographs by David Scheinbaum will be available for viewing, as well as paintings by Kehinde Wiley, video self-portraits by Jefferson Pinder and several works commissioned specifically for the show. Poetry, spoken word and graffiti will also be included.
“Recognize! Hip-Hop and Contemporary Portraiture shows that much of the art inspired by the Hip-Hop movement is a form of portrayal,” said Gallery director Marc Pachter. “Music, photography, painting, poetry and even graffiti provide a medium for self-expression and establishing identity.”
Award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni wrote an ode to hip hop, titled “It’s Not a Just Situation,” that will be published in an accompanying booklet for the exhibition as well as displayed in the gallery. Brooklyn, N.Y.-based artist Shinique Smith will interpret the poem and create an installation in the same gallery that will include an audio component.
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