“Hip Hop is the last true folk art.”–Yasiin Bey née Mos Def
It is the early 21st Century, and hip hop, as it has since its beginnings in the 1960′s-1970′s, continues to evolve. From 1520 Sedgwick Avenue to the US Space Station, hip hop is everywhere and in-between. We hear it, move to it, see it in graffiti, film and fashion, and as time moves on, we watch it embraced by our major cultural institutions. Innovative mash-ups like Regina Flores Mir’s, “The Hip Hop Project”, where hip hop artists take you on a curated, virtual tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, demonstrate its permeating influence. Like Jazz before it, this brilliant American art form–whatever your point of view–is worldwide and here to stay.
Seizing the moment, artnet®, a major online auction house and art market resource, is offering, Represent: Iconic Hip Hop Photography, an online auction featuring classic works from some of photography’s most authentic artists. The auction includes photographers like Lisa Leone and Glen E. Friedman who were shooting hip hop culture in its beginnings, along with well-known photographers such as Mark Seliger, Chi Modu and Jonathan Mannion who have all taken archetypal portraits of hip hop’s pioneers.
For those interested, the preview is worth checking out. For collectors, the bidding goes live from the 12th-19th Nov. For everyone else, it’s worth pondering this original, American art form: hip hop is ours. –Lane Nevares