Hip-hop paintings at the Museum of Contemporary Art
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/2352/1/Hip-hop-paintings-at-the-Museum-of-Contemporary-Art/Page1.html
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORTS
By CHRONICLE STAFF REPORTS
Published on 02/6/2008
“Hip-Hop!: New Paintings by Alex Melamid” is likely to intrigue fans of the music as well as the curious-minded.
Kanye West
“Hip-Hop!: New Paintings by Alex Melamid” is likely to intrigue fans of the music as well as the curious-minded.
These life-sized portraits of 12 hip-hop icons include Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Common, Kanye West, Rev. Run, Easy Mo Bee, MC Duke, Lil Jon, Don “Magic” Juan, DJ Whoo Kid, Marc Ecko and Russell Simmons.
Melamid, the Russian-born American painter, known for being an outspoken artist, will have his work displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) from Feb. 8 to April 20.
“Holy Hip-Hop!” marks the first-ever solo show for Melamid, who is world-famous for his collaborative partnership with fellow Russian-born artist Vitaly Komar. A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
The 12 subjects are dressed in their everyday clothes, are rendered with an old master style and quality, providing a provocative visual context and an association with masterpieces of the past.
In these paintings, Melamid explores art, power and commodity, as well as displaying the wit that has long elevated his work.
Melamid was introduced to his subjects by his son, Dan “Dan the Man” Melamid, a successful music video director working in the hip-hop industry. For two years, from 2003 to 2005, Melamid spent time with each of the men, got to know them, then photographed and drew them as the basis for his paintings.
“Art is the key that unlocked a door that would not have opened for me,” said Melamid. “I thought it would be interesting to paint the men of hip-hop using the traditional European style I have been perfecting for 40 years.”
“Holy Hip-Hop!” is important for Detroit because it presents a world-renowned artist whose portraits and their meanings will resonate strongly within our community,” said Marsha Miro, MOCAD acting director. “Melamid’s paintings explore the dominance of hip-hop culture and what it means to today’s youth. The exhibition will stimulate a dialogue and provide opportunities that we haven’t yet explored at the museum.”
The MOCAD is located at 4454 Woodward Ave/ at Garfield Street and is open Wednesday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is free unless otherwise indicated.
For more information, call (313) 832-6622 or visit www.mocadetroit.org.
“Hip-Hop!: New Paintings by Alex Melamid” is likely to intrigue fans of the music as well as the curious-minded.“Hip-Hop!: New Paintings by Alex Melamid”
Kanye West
“Hip-Hop!: New Paintings by Alex Melamid” is likely to intrigue fans of the music as well as the curious-minded.
These life-sized portraits of 12 hip-hop icons include Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Common, Kanye West, Rev. Run, Easy Mo Bee, MC Duke, Lil Jon, Don “Magic” Juan, DJ Whoo Kid, Marc Ecko and Russell Simmons.
Melamid, the Russian-born American painter, known for being an outspoken artist, will have his work displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) from Feb. 8 to April 20.
“Holy Hip-Hop!” marks the first-ever solo show for Melamid, who is world-famous for his collaborative partnership with fellow Russian-born artist Vitaly Komar. A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
The 12 subjects are dressed in their everyday clothes, are rendered with an old master style and quality, providing a provocative visual context and an association with masterpieces of the past.
In these paintings, Melamid explores art, power and commodity, as well as displaying the wit that has long elevated his work.
Melamid was introduced to his subjects by his son, Dan “Dan the Man” Melamid, a successful music video director working in the hip-hop industry. For two years, from 2003 to 2005, Melamid spent time with each of the men, got to know them, then photographed and drew them as the basis for his paintings.
“Art is the key that unlocked a door that would not have opened for me,” said Melamid. “I thought it would be interesting to paint the men of hip-hop using the traditional European style I have been perfecting for 40 years.”
“Holy Hip-Hop!” is important for Detroit because it presents a world-renowned artist whose portraits and their meanings will resonate strongly within our community,” said Marsha Miro, MOCAD acting director. “Melamid’s paintings explore the dominance of hip-hop culture and what it means to today’s youth. The exhibition will stimulate a dialogue and provide opportunities that we haven’t yet explored at the museum.”
The MOCAD is located at 4454 Woodward Ave/ at Garfield Street and is open Wednesday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is free unless otherwise indicated.
For more information, call (313) 832-6622 or visit www.mocadetroit.org.