Opening Reception for T-Dot Pioneers 3.0 Arts Exhibit w/Director X @ Soho Lobby Gallery, Toronto, ON - Thurs Mar 7th! Runs until Fri Apr 26th!

Completing the trilogy, T-Dot Pioneers 3.0: The Future Must be Replenished, radically envisions how the historical archive might reside within the very aesthetic innovations that make hip hop culture always fresh. Moving away from just documenting the historical through archival material, the Onyx Society at OCAD University in partnership with Nia Centre for the Arts and Northsidehiphop.ca explored the following questions: where does hip hop’s future lay? How does hip hop archive its history? And what role does the visual Artist play in replenishing (not preserving) hip hop’s aesthetic freshness? Thinking through these questions helped to arrive at the notion of replenishment, that is the idea that hip hop culture continues to rejuvenate its creativity through the critical and aesthetic engagement of its youth. For those that know hip hop history and consider themselves part of the culture, there exists the beautiful tension of reppin the historical while simultaneously aesthetically expressing newness. That means having Maestro’s “Conducting Thangs” on your iPod while rocking a wooden continent on huge beads 2013, despite being born in 1992. That’s how youth today replenish hip hop’s future.

Building on the success of the T-Dot Pioneers in 2010 and the remix version in 2011, the final edition of the series, The Future Must be Replenished, features the creative ingenuity of 10 emerging visual and mixed media Artists. Knowing that the future of hip hop culture determines how the Artists honour and respect the architects of Toronto’s hip hop scene (we see you Rumble, BTX, Ron Nelson, Lady P, Super Natz, Michie Mee, Sunshine Sound crew, Masterplan Show), the 10 Artists exhibiting dug into the archive, watching the documentary Make Some Noise!, reading BOOM! Comics, listening to audio on www.northsidehiphop.ca

Over the course of 10 months studied the aesthetic stylings of the Dream Warriors, dissected the lyrical dopeness of “BaKardi Slang” and politicked various aspects of the culture from trap music to boom bap, from phat laces to gold door knockers.

From March 7- April 26, explore the replenishment of the future of hip hop in Toronto.

Internationally renowned DIRECTOR X to give keynote address at the T-Dot Pioneers 3.0 opening night, this Thursday March 7th and its FREE!
http://directorxfilms.com/home.htm

Click here for press release

ARTISTS:

Olayide G. Madamidola, Environmental Design, Experience Design www.aokuta.com

Bianca Channer, Graphic Design, Data Visualization, Advertising www.channerism.com

Candace Nyaomi, Photography

Tamu Beatrice, Printmaking

Micheal Hemans, Screenprinting

Carolyn Douse, Graphic Design, Woodworking

Joathan McMahon, Illustration, Graphic Design

Mistee Clarke, Illustration, Mixed Media http://www.mvskdesigns.com/

Jessica Bernard, Illustration

Location: 

SOHO LOBBY GALLERY

36 Blue Jays Way, Toronto, Ontario

Time:  7p - 9p

http://onyxcollective.com/

https://www.facebook.com/onyxso
http://northsidehiphop.ca/

http://www.niacentre.org/

@onyxcollective
@Tdotpioneers