Manarat Al Saadiyat Brings Hip-Hop To Abu Dhabi With Its Latest Exhibition

The arts and culture hub partners with lifestyle platform Sole as it welcomes CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop to the UAE

Showing outside of the United States for the first time ever, music fans can soon experience CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop right here within the UAE, as it showcases the evolution of the genre into what it is today via a series of photographs, magazine and albums covers.

Guests will have the chance to view and experience a retrospective and cultural phenomenon of four decades, which are made up of 150 images and over 60 photographers, including the likes of Janette Beckman, Barron Claiborne, Jorge Peniche, Joe Conzo, and Martha Cooper, while featuring some of the music industriy’s biggest names like Kanye West, Cardi B, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion, A$AP Rocky, and Tyler the Creator, to name a few.

(Tyler, The Creator photographed by Jorge Peniche)

The exhibition will also showcase an insider’s look and a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of the making of some of the iconic photographs as well as share the photographer’s most intimate stories and diaries through their unedited contact sheets.

This will be the exhibition’s first international stop following their event in 2019 at Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles and their debut in 2018 at Photoville New York by United Photo Industries (UPI).

“Hip-Hop is a uniquely American cultural force that grew out of Black and Brown communities to have a long and lasting impact on people all over the world. This first opportunity to bring these photographs chronicling Hip-Hop history to the global stage is an important one. I am especially pleased to bring the exhibition to the United Arab Emirates, where the music and culture are thriving,” says journalist Vikki Tobak, who curated the event. “Given Abu Dhabi’s generous support for the arts and our incredible experiences with the Sole team, we are thrilled to bring CONTACT HIGH to Manarat Al Saadiyat.” 

Running from December 15, 2020 to May 31, 2021, from 10:00 to 20L00 visit Manarat Al Saadiyat to experience legendary moments in hip-hop.

Tickets for CONTACT HIGH are priced at Dhs30 and will be available through Virgin Megastore Ticketing. Lead image: Biggie Smalls photographed by Barron Claiborne.