AGO’s Hip-Hop Exhibition: A Celebration of Culture, Art and Influence

How Hip-Hop Shaped Contemporary Art—and Why This Exhibition Matters

STAFF

Hank Willis Thomas, Black Power, 2008. Lightjet print, 62.2 x 100.3 cm. © Hank Willis Thomas. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

It’s no surprise that Hip-Hop is a cultural movement, inspiring us in so many ways. And at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), the genre’s cultural impact is getting the recognition it deserves with Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century.

This groundbreaking exhibition takes visitors on a deep dive into the ways hip-hop has shaped—and continues to redefine—art, fashion, photography and identity on a global scale.

Since its inception in the Bronx in the 1970s, hip-hop has transcended beats and rhymes, influencing everything from streetwear to political activism. The AGO’s exhibition highlights how artists across mediums have drawn inspiration from hip-hop’s core values—self-expression, resilience and storytelling—to create work that challenges norms and amplifies diverse voices.

Expect to see pieces from renowned visual artists, designers and photographers who have embedded hip-hop aesthetics into their work, capturing the movement’s energy, innovation, and defiance.

Co-curated by a team of experts, including Asma Naeem, Gamynne Guillotte, Hannah Klemm, and Andréa Purnell, the exhibition has been carefully designed to showcase hip-hop’s artistic evolution. The AGO’s presentation of the exhibition is led by Julie Crooks, Curator of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora, bringing a fresh perspective to its Toronto debut.

The exhibition will be at the AGO until April 6, 2025.