By way of highlighting the talents of a creative class who often work behind the scenes, a new exhibition mounted at Boston University Art Galleries puts one creator in the graffiti and Hip Hop story on center stage.
CEY ADAMS, DEPARTURE: 40 Years of Art and Design, curated by Liza Quiñonez, features original artworks and archives from an artist who helped put some of the greatest artists of the age on the turntable, screen, and streets with his design eye and ability to be a step ahead of the curve stylistically.
The founding Creative Director for Def Jam, he created some of the iconic imagery that brought you the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige, among others. A Queens, NY, native running the streets as a teen in the 70s and 80s, Adams was also a graffiti writer – giving him a strong sense of the street aesthetic that would reverberate in commercial design as well. He parlayed his talents into the commercial realm of hip hop just as it was taking off, capturing the zeitgeist of that moment.
Now after a storied career, he’s collaborating with some of the documentarians of the age like Martha Cooper, Janette Beckman, Ricky Powell, & Robert Bredvad on newer works, some of them instantly re-classic. The press release calls Adams a “visionary artist, a cultural pioneer, and an innovative designer.” The show opens on October 4th and runs through December 11.
Here we show you some more recent works Adams has on the streets in the last few years.
OCTOBER 4 – DECEMBER 11855 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA CEY ADAMS, DEPARTURE: 40 Years of Art and Design.
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
“It can’t be unity unless everyone is respected equally,” says contemporary artist and occasional muralist Nina Chanel Abney as she talks about her new four panelled installation in Northwest Arkansa...
New Mural with Shoe and Yalt in Amsterdam Shepard Fairey. Printed Matters: Raise The Level. Straat Museum Amsterdam. “Raise the Level” is what street artist/fine artist Shepard Fairey has alwa...
We take this day to reflect upon how far we have come and how very far we have to go to achieve parity. Our systemic racism and broken minds enable inequality to exist, and persist. Thanks to street...
Today at the invitation of Christie's Education we'll be participating in a panel discussion about Street Art and how it is being embraced by the art market, museums, and galleries. We're honored to s...
Meat eaters look away! NemO'S. Vedriano - Italy for "Sagra della Street Art". August, 2014. (photo © NemO'S) Shield thine eyes from the delightful and disgusting; this new acrylic depiction of our...