Presented by
Contact High with support from Mass Appeal and Invictus Black
Curated by
Vikki Tobak; Associate curator: Syreeta Gates
“Contact High” spotlights the photographers who have played
critical roles in bringing hip-hop and music culture imagery onto the
global stage. Photographers share their era-defining stories’ iconic
images, what legendary street photographer Henri Cartier Bresson called
‘The Decisive Moment’. “Contact High” offers a rare glimpse into the
creative process and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the
imagery that shaped hip-hop and music visual culture. Getting access to
the original and unedited contact sheets, we see the ‘big picture’
visual legacy being created. Contact sheets let you look directly
through the photographer’s lens and observe all of the other shots taken
during these legendary moments.
Hip-hop and rebel cultures have always been about self-definition,
especially when it comes to visuals and style. For artists, that one
iconic pose, press shot or album cover would play a major role in
shaping them into icons by any means necessary—skills, style, swagger,
bravado and visuals. Today, the way we digest and create cultural
imagery has radically changed. Today’s visual landscape is haphazardly
shaped from every direction. The contact sheets reveal how photographers
shaped the evolution of a visual cultural phenomenon.
Let’s get analogue for a minute. Contrary to the iPhone’s dominance,
film is not dead. In fact, there’s a whole movement of analogue film
photographers hashtag bragging: #FilmIsNotDead #35mm #ishootfilm
#analogphotography #analogvibes… the list goes on. In this digital age
of Instagram and Photoshop, it’s easy to hide imperfections. Analog film
reveals beauty and individuality by exposing imperfection and process.
There is individualism and eccentricity in every shot, like the dust and
grooves of vinyl records. Photographers typically don’t show their
contact sheets. It’s their visual diary. Not every shot worked, in fact,
most didn’t. Back when every photo was methodically shot on analog
film, the negatives on a roll of film would be contact printed on
photographic paper allowing you to see the full range of images that
would eventually develop into the ‘money shot’.
ORGANIZATION BIO
“Contact High: Hip-Hop’s Iconic Photographs and Visual Culture”
spotlights the photographers who have played critical roles in bringing
hip-hop and music culture imagery onto the global stage.
The exhibition encompass more than 40 years of history and celebrates
what and how photographers saw as hip-hop evolved into a global force.
Coinciding with the publication of “Contact High: Hip-Hop’s Iconic
Photographs and Visual Culture” (Clarkson Potter/Penguin Random House)
to be published fall 2018.
Source: http://photoville.com/contact-high-hip-hops-iconic-photographs-visual-culture/
