Exhibition overview
"I Am Hip Hop" is a visual exploration of Hip-Hop culture, told through the lens of David D. Pistol’s camera. From the streets of Ottawa to global perspectives, this exhibition highlights the voices, stories, and struggles that have shaped the culture for over four decades. The collection features a compelling mix of street photography, portraiture, and dynamic images that celebrate the raw, authentic energy of Hip-Hop. Drawing from his personal experiences within the Hip-Hop community, including collaborations with organizations like House of Paint and Cranium Arts Project, David D. Pistol invites viewers to witness the unique stories and faces behind Hip-Hop, with a focus on the power of self-expression, identity, and community.
Blad Vision
BY David D. Pistol
See the world through my lens, a fractured frame,
Where light dances with shadows, truth battles fame.
Morality whispers in colors and hues,
While the shutter clicks to untangle the views.
It’s not just my journey I seek to expose,
But the souls that inspire, the stories that pose.
Each moment, a canvas of triumph or pain,
A fleeting hallucination in Cranium’s domain.
Some may not see the world, the money, the art,
As I shape it from fragments and play my part.
That’s okay—my work is no final decree,
Just a glimpse of the funnel that flows through me.
Through the chaos, I find beauty and grace,
In the mundane, the struggle, the infinite space.
Each frame a truth, though distorted it seems,
A photograph born of my vision, my dreams.
So peer through my lens, and you just might find,
A world reimagined, both tender and blind.
Not a mirror, but a map, a story untold,
Of humanity’s breath in the shimmer of gold.
i aM hIP hOP jACKET
This jacket is in collaboration with the amazing young creative Ollie Milling whom I met during the House of Paint Festival in 2023 Knowledge Conference held at the OAG in the 83 Til Infinity Exhibiton.
