Known to most as Mos Def, Yasiin Bey, the actor and rapper, is opening an art gallery in the South Bronx according to ArtNet News.
But flags are raised as it seems perhaps this is yet another big name looking to cash in on The Bronx name, its connection to the arts and not to mention our borough being the place where Hip Hop was born.
The first exhibition is slated to take place on mid August and will feature the works of Jonathan Mannion, a photographer who documented hip hop artists in the 90s.
ArtNet writes:
Hip-hop star Mos Def and advertising executive Free Richardson are opening a gallery in the South Bronx next month called The Compound. The space, located in the neighborhood real-estate developers are rebranding the “Piano District,” will host an eclectic visual arts, performance, design, and film program that aims to bridge hip-hop and fine art.
“The gallery will serve as a space for all mediums of art,” Yasiin Bey, which is the legal name of retired rapper Mos Def, told artnet News. “Free will run day-to-day operations alongside staff and I will bring in curatorial and special projects.”
Richardson and Bey chose the Bronx partly for its deep links to early hip-hop culture. The first show, in mid August, will be an exhibition of work by Jonathan Mannion, who has been photographing rap legends such as Jay-Z, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, and Nas since the 1990s.
An exact location has yet to be released.
Read the full story at ArtNet.
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