BEYOND THE STREETS OF HIP HOP HISTORY
Taking my sixteen year old niece to relive my misspent youth, might have been a controversial move, but boy, was I the coolest Aunty in the room when we hit the Saatchi Gallery on the weekend.
Beyond the Streets London is a colourful celebration of the history of graffiti, curated by historian Roger Gastman that has taken over the entire gallery and provided a deep dive down memory lane of growing up in the eighties and nineties and how the next gen of artists and music makers have taken over the baton in the noughties.
This vast show has tackled a mammoth time period, and touches on everything from music creators, mischief makers, and the associated creme de la creme. Supported by Adidas Originals, it is the most comprehensive street art exhibition to show in the UK and shines a light on everything from punk and hip-hop to street culture’s influence to fashion and film which Gatsman has linked to “the fundamental human need for public self-expression”.
From the unofficial pioneer of graffiti, Taki 183, who sprayed his name on subways across New York during his time as a courier and inadvertently became the face of the cult after a rare interview for the New York Times in the 70s; to punk and rap legends and the relevance to fashion movements, the street scene is vast and impactful.
2023 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop culture, so this timely celebration showcases a huge variety of photography, artworks, memorabilia, music and video that have inspired the genre. From original footage of poppers and breakers in 1985 Covent Garden and the legendary Pit in Golborne Road, to the stash of polaroids from the early days of the Pit credited to “Rob Fever”, to the Sex Pistols’ first US tour and the more laidback 1990s Bristol trip hop scene, it is part documentary and part art exhibition.
The New York art scene of the 70s and 80s is a key jumping off point represented by a Jenny Holzer installation, whilst Keith Haring references pop up everywhere; however, no one has had a more significant influence on modern art history than Jean Michel Basquiat, yet his association is glossed over, with New York represented by Fab Five Freddy. Also missing is possibly the most famous dauber in the world, Banksy! But perhaps he has enough recognition already, and with so much more to look at, viewers are invited to admire other contemporaries such as Faile, Mode 2 and Swedish-French artist André Saraiva’s famous ‘Mr. A’ character and Kaws who are representatives of the underground cult.
There’s a wall dedicated to contemporary artist Toby Mott’s posters and punk flyers for the Slits; which is linked to guitarist Viv Albertine’s on/off boyfriend Mick Jones from The Clash and invited Futura2000 to tour with to paint stage backdrops. You can admire lifesize cutouts of the Beastie Boys, enjoy original vinyl in a pop up record store, or soak up plentiful music video screenings.
With obvious and not so obvious ways that hip-hop has influenced popular culture, this immersive exhibition takes you on a journey through time, where you can explore, or re-live original nik-naks, soundtracks, concert footage and obscure magazines that celebrate the decades that actually have a huge global impact, and now crosses over to fine art, album covers, adverts and graphic designs such as the Obama ‘Hope’ poster by Shepard Fairey.
By fusing history with contemporary art, the show allows you to wander through decades and a whole mash up of tenuous connections, yet it all makes sense, even the Tommy Hilfiger fake store which is the show’s exit. However, once you’ve left, you’re back out to the real, grey world again.
Check it out until May 9th at the Saatchi Gallery, London
WORDS: By Sara Darling
