Join us at Photoville LA where we celebrate legendary New York street photographer Ricky Powell for a intimate conversation about his iconic images from the Golden Era of hip-hop.
Presenters: Ricky Powell
Location: Annenberg Space for Photography
Presented by:
Join us at Photoville LA where we celebrate legendary NYC photographer Ricky Powell for an intimate conversation about his iconic images from the Golden Era of hip-hop. From the Beastie Boys to Slick Rick, Public Enemy to Method man his images encapsulate the old school sub-culture of the New York music scene from the 80’s and 90’s, for a conversation you don’t want to miss!
Come down early for a 360 view of hip-hop sub-culture with CONTACT HIGH, The Mash-up, and This is Los Angeles and our other amazing exhibitions.
It’s all FREE and OPEN to the public — no RSVP necessary.
Born and raised in New York City, Ricky Powell is a photographer who specializes in the environmental portrait. He graduated with an AA in Liberal Arts from LaGuardia Community College and a B.S. in Physical Education from Hunter College. Though Powell initially rose to fame because of his relationship with the Beastie Boys, he is well-known for his intimate photographs that have been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Daily News, The Village Voice, TIME, Newsweek, VIBE, The Source, Rolling Stone, and more.
Born in 1961, Powell’s photographs focus on the organic New Yorker. His photographs simultaneously convey intimacy and detachment, as they provide a unique lens through which the viewer can analyze the mundane. Powell considers the relationship between the photographer and the photograph to be “a chemical connection of some sort”. The connection between Powell and his camera is only further stimulated by Greenwich Village, where he currently resides. As the intrinsic qualities of the photograph have changed since Powell began capturing his moments, so have the subjects; he is now more likely to “photograph strangers in his Greenwich Village neighborhood than multi-platinum hip-hop acts and Downtown art stars.”
United Photo Industries (UPI) is a New York based nonprofit organization that works to promote a wider understanding of, and increased access to, the art of photography.
Since its founding in 2011, UPI has rapidly solidified its position in the public art landscape by continuing to showcase thought-provoking, challenging, and exceptional photography from across the globe. In its first seven years, UPI has presented the work of more than 2,500 visual artists in gallery exhibitions and public art installations worldwide.
This website was made possible thanks to the generous support and partnership of 