Thug Life Army

The biggest hip-hop photography exhibition to hit the Southeast opens tomorrow, November 11, 2006 at Vaknin Art Gallery, located at 905 Juniper Street in Midtown Atlanta. During the weekend celebration of hip-hop at the first ever BET Hip-Hop Awards, Uri Vaknin is proud to present All Eyez on Me: Hip-Hop’s Legendary Performers and Photographers with the assistance of Sock Bandit Productions, New York. The presentation of some of hip-hop’s most notable shots by many of the most popular photographers in the industry is curated by Ellen Fleurov, president of Crossroads Traveling Exhibitions, Atlanta, and founding curator of the High Museum of Art’s Department of Photography. The 23 photographers featured in All Eyez on Me have given rich visual form and currency to the electrifying, exuberant, powerful and often transgressive spirit of hip hop. They are among the celebrated and influential photographers working today and include Jerome Albertini; Paul Aresu; Janette Beckman; Teri Bloom; Raymond Boyd; Danny Clinch; David Corio; George Dubose; Roger Erickson; Jim Fiscus; Jesse Frohman; Simone Green; Eric Johnson; Michael Lavine;  Annie Leibovitz; Jonathan Mannion; Shannon McCollum; Clay Patrick McBride; Estevan Oriol; Michael Schreiber; Piotr Sikora; Atsuko Tanaka  and  Nitin Vadukul. Their celebrated images have been widely collected and can be found in leading art, fashion, music and general feature magazines, on the covers of best-selling CDs, in music videos as well as exhibitions at some of the most important contemporary art spaces in the world. From the streets of the Bronx to the pages of high fashion glossies and music magazines, hip hop has been the foundation for some of the boldest, most stylish and influential images of the past two decades. It has irrevocably changed the musical landscape and influenced contemporary fashion, language and youth culture in film and video, advertising and art.  

These classic pieces are original works and will be available for purchase.

WHO: Vaknin Art Gallery; Curated by Ellen Fleurov

WHAT: All Eyez on Me:  Hip Hop’s Legendary Performers and Photographers

WHEN: The weekend of the BET Hip-Hop Awards. The private VIP reception is tomorrow November 11, 2006 from 6pm-7pm.  The public opening follows the reception from 7 pm to 10 pm. Please RSVP to Joyce Wilson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Jen Farris at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The exhibit runs from November 11, 2006 through January 6, 2007.  

WHERE: 905 Juniper Street, between 8th and 9th streets. (Across the street from the Wachovia Bank drive-thru)

WHY: All Eyez on Me takes its title from Shakur’s eponymous multi-platinum double CD album. A portion of proceeds from sales will benefit the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and Arts Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The foundation’s executive director is Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s (2Pac) mother and an activist, poet, writer and producer. The exhibit features captivating street shots of hip-hop’s founding figures such as Kool Herc and Kurtis Blow. It showcases elaborate stage shots of OutKast, Ludacris and Eminem as well as iconic images of Run DMC, Public Enemy, Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, Eve and  Missy Elliott. Most fittingly, the show premieres in Atlanta – the center of hip hop and rap since the late 1990s – and marks 10 years since the untimely death of one of hip hop’s most controversial yet provocative figures, Tupac Shakur, whose posthumous impact on music and cultural influence on generations of fans remains undiminished. Shakur’s image appears in the exhibition, which also features legendary performers such as Salt-N-Pepa, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Redman, Method Man, and DMX. Today’s hottest entertainers and producers – Jermaine Dupri, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Diddy, Cee-Lo Green, Organized Noize, Kurupt,  T.I., Queen Latifah, Timbaland and many more – are also seen in candid street and performance shots, incisive studio portraits and elaborately staged images that push the limits of digital media.