Hip-Hop: Seen/Unseen - My Archival Images Included in Boston Outdoor Exhibit

Having my images from the 1980s included in the Hip-Hop: Seen/Unseen exhibit is a highlight of my creative life.  I recently donated prints, negatives and writings to The Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archives at UMass Boston.  My hope was that the community and scholars could benefit from access to my work.  This Boston exhibit is near South Station, in Dewey Square Plaza on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.  The following images and curatorial statement are from the opening reception.  The exhibit runs through October.

FEATURING
The Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive at Mass Boston, the personal collection of Chico Silvera, and select photography by John Nordell, John Brewer, Gabriel Ortiz, and more.

Curated by: Liza Quiñonez @streettheorygallery, Edo G @edogpics, Chico Silvera @chicosilvera77, and Pacey Foster @libraryofvinyl

Visitors examine my photographs on the left panel.

In honor of Hip-Hop's 50-year golden anniversary, Street Theory and The Greenway Conservancy are proud to present Hip Hop: Seen/Unseen, showcasing a carefully curated collection of early concert flyers and rare photographic archives from 1979 to the present. This mini-exhibition, nestled within the Dewey Square Plaza on The Greenway, is a tribute to the raw, captivating allure of Hip-Hop and its deeply embedded roots in Boston's social and cultural tapestry.

T. Nyne looks on as curator Chico Silvera points to T. Nyne's younger self in one of my images from The B-Town Rap Battle held in 1986 at The Institute of Contemporary Art.

Hip-Hop: Seen/Unseen explores the rich cultural heritage, historical journey, and pervasive influence of Hip- Hop in Boston, thereby exposing the vibrant yet often hidden heartbeat of the City.

So thrilled to be part of this historic event.  Note the Boston Bruins logo manhole cover.

THE EXHIBIT
Illuminated by Problak's 2022 mural Breathe Life Together as the backdrop, the exhibition strives to create an authentic portrayal of Hip-Hop's far-reaching influence on Boston's culture. It aims to provoke conversations about music's role in everyday life, the power of grassroots art, and now such movements can redefine a city's identity.

A panel discussion was held at the base of Problack's mural: Breathe Life Together

The show flyers trace the roots of the movement by capturing the genesis of the New York and Boston Hip Hop scenes, while the photographs transcend mere portrayal of iconic figures. Instead, they spot daily life, jam sessions, and gatherings through the lens of the five core elements of Hip-Hop: MCing, DJing, breakdancing, graffiti, and knowledge.  These artifacts reveal how Hip-Hop has been intricately woven into the fabric of Boston's everyday life, profoundly influencing its language, fashion, and communal spaces.

The event featured vendors, break dancing, an expert panel discussion, free food, graffiti artists at work and giveaways.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
The Greenway Public Art Program is exclusively funded through grants and private sources, Hip-Hop Seen/Unseen, 2023 was made possible through the generous support of The Barr Foundation, The Greenway Business Improvement District, Goulston & Storrs, and G. Ortiz Photography.

Trailblazing Rusti Pendelton stands between me and curator Pacey Foster.  He was known as Rusty the Toe Jammer as he scratched records with his feet.  A set of my images documenting him performing was in offered in Sotheby's first ever Hip-Hop Auction in 2020.  Click and scroll down to view.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
The Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archives at UMass Boston - www.masshiphoparchive.org

Located across from Boston's train station on busy thoroughfare, the exhibition garnered attention from passersby.

I had a chance to meet and connect with another featured photographer John Brewer.  Of course, we were talking technique and cameras. Find him at @jbrewerphoto

Mad Mike of The Floor Lords poses with archival images (not mine). Curator Pacey Foster remarked, "It's magical seeing grown adults turning back to teenagers when they see themselves."  The Floor Lords, a Hip-Hop Breakin Crew since 1981, performed at the event and posted a wonderful video collage.  @floorlordsboston

Shawn Peete then and now.  He poses in the middle of the lower photo that I captured during Maurice Starr's 1986 Hollywood Talent Night.

Professor John Nordell teaches courses in the Arts, Media, and Design Program at American International College in Springfield, Mass. He blogs about the creative process at CreateLookEnjoy.com and teaches online Zentangle drawing workshops.  

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My Images in Sotheby's Auction Celebrating The History & Cultural Impact of Hip Hop

 

WWLP:  TV Interview: Sotheby’s auctions AIC professor’s photos

Boston Globe article about the auction and my photographs: Boston, ’80s hip-hop, and the previously unseen photos that documented the scene

 Press Release: Sotheby’s is honored to announce an auction celebrating the history and cultural impact of Hip Hop on 15 September in New York. The first-ever dedicated Hip Hop auction to be presented at a major international auction house, the sale reflects on the impact Hip Hop has had on art and culture from the late 1970s through the “Golden Age” of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, and up to the present. 

Full auction details. I have two lots in the auction. You are invited to view here and here.

Media inquiries: john@createlookenjoy.com

This body of work is a labor of love. These photographs represent the hundreds I shot from 1985 to 1989, documenting hip-hop culture in Boston. I believe that the power of the images lies in their focused look at a single community: an exuberant microcosm of a growing worldwide cultural revolution. Many of my subjects never gained much prominence, but they remain prominent and important as early, localized representatives of a seismic shift. Just look at the way rappers today in South Korea gesticulate, move on stage and enunciate rhymes.

A few shoots were on assignment for Boston Rock Magazine (15 dollars for photos and an article), but it was my interest in the energy and beats of the scene that kept me snapping. As only a handful of the images have been published or exhibited, the work is a fresh and unique trove of recently discovered treasure.

In 1986, I documented one of the Hollywood Talent Nights produced by Maurice Starr, creator of New Edition and New Kids on the Block. Youngsters got dressed up and sang, rapped and danced. Employing a medium format camera along with portable studio lighting allowed me to catch the outfits and attitudes in crisp detail. Along with many unknowns at the talent show, I snapped portraits of pre-fame NKOTB. 

I also captured a performance by Rusty the Toe Jammer in 1985, who scratches with his foot, in the community room at a housing project in Boston.

During this period, as hip-hop began to transcend national boundaries, my photographic career went global as well. Nonetheless, returning from South Korea in 1987 after documenting riots wearing a gas mask and helmet on assignment for Time Magazine and US New and World Report, I continued the project.

I obtained photo passes, sometime from Boston Rock, sometimes from the Boston Phoenix, to document performances by major touring acts such as Whodini, The Beastie Boys, Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool Jay, Run-D.M.C., The Fat Boys and so on.

However, the young mostly unknowns in these images, brimming with pride and fight, are my champions.

John Nordell teaches courses in the Visual and Digital Arts Program at American International College in Springfield, Mass. He blogs about the creative process at CreateLookEnjoy.com   Instagram: @john.nordell

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