The Art Gallery of Ontario recently welcomed The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. The exhibit explores the extraordinary impact of the genre through painting, photography, sculpture, video and fashion and has made its only Canadian stop at the AGO until April 6.
According to the press release, the exhibition was inspired by the long-standing hip hop phrase, “[do it] for the culture,” which has implied for a sense of commitment and service to hip-hop’s roots, practices, ethics, viewpoints and values to ensure that that culture is committed to achieving a communal goal. The exhibition also celebrates Toronto’s contributions to contemporary art and hip-hop culture and features artists like Caitlin Cronenberg who is known for her iconic photograph of the CN Tower for Drake’s Views album cover. Also on display is Craig Boyko’s portrait of a young Snoop Dogg and Patrick Nichols’ photographs of some of Toronto’s hip hop pioneers.
Curated by Asma Naeem, the Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art; Gamynne Guillotte, former Chief Education Officer at the Baltimore Museum of Art; Andréa Purnell, Audience Development Manager at the Saint Louis Art Museum; and Hannah Klemm, former Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Saint Louis Art Museum, the exhibition also includes works by Julie Mehretu who prsents the Six Bardos: Transmigration (2018) and Alvaro Barrington‘s tribute to Tupac Shakur with They have They Can’t (2021).
Julie Crooks, Curator, Arts of Global Africa & the Diaspora, AGO said in a statement, “No conversation about hip hop would be complete without recognizing the many contributions made by Canadian artists. In bringing this exhibition to Toronto, we have an exciting opportunity to affirm our place in the global conversation about it. The artworks on view here are as multifaceted as hip hop itself and in their conceptual and material innovations, reveal hip hop as a wellspring that has and continues to challenge Eurocentric ideals of beauty and power.” The exhibit features over 100 artworks and objects.
Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas St W
Toronto, ON
M5T 1G4
Canada