…Everything Remains Raw: Photographing Toronto’s Hip Hop Culture from Analogue to Digital

Patrick Nichols (born 1965)
10013 Michie Mee, 1993
40 x 40 inches
120 mm colour transparency
Digital chromogenic print
Courtesy of the artist

Guest Curator:  Dr. Mark V. Campbell, Founder, Northside Hip Hop Archive

A Primary Exhibition organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival

...Everything Remains Raw is a photographic exploration of the resilience of hip hop culture and asks why this supposed ‘fad’ has not faded away? Archival photographs, as visual representations of hip hop culture in Canada, guide this exhibition’s exploration on the evolution and longevity of this now global cultural phenomenon.

Guided by a sense of rawness—an unsanitized speaking of truth to power—hip hop culture refuses institutional control and thrives outside of formal settings which are too often used to dictate importance. Hip hop instead is a widely appealing form for youth protest in critiquing the current social realities.

“Five great exhibitions to check out at the Contact Photography Festival.”

-Toronto Star

Exhibition Curator Dr. Mark V. Campbell will be creating a monthly playlist for …Everything Remains Raw. Check out the link above for his latest curated compilation!

Photographic works from Craig Boyko, Michael Chambers, Stella Fakiyesi, Demuth Flake, Patrick Nichols, Sheinina Raj, and Nabil Shash, capture the growth of the hip hop scene, as well as the voice, creativity and influence of these artists. These photographs challenge the archival classifications that dismiss or devalue the importance of hip hop as part of Canada’s cultural fabric. Instead, …Everything Remains Raw expresses a different narrative, one that reinforces that hip hop culture is vital to creating a sense of belonging in this country. In addition to the photographic works, painter David Strickland, video artist Mark Valino and new works from renowned graffiti writers Elicser, Eklipz, and EGR, ensure that the possibility of a Canadian hip hop archive is not only plausible, but highly visible, and vibrantly celebrated as Canadian culture.

Following the success of previous intimate Acoustic Conversations, which intertwine conversations and a live performance, the McMichael continues with a series that will provide an in-depth look at the development of the hip hop scene in Toronto.

For a full list of Acoustic Conversations in this series, click here. Featured artists include Fresh Kils, Michie Mee and Maestro Fresh-Wes.