The Drake obsessed may need to take a trip to New York before June 12 2015. An exhibit at Sotheby’s Sl2 gallery entitled I Like it Like This is pairing music with art, and Drake is in charge of song selection. In doing so, the curators highlight the influence of the overlap of music and art on contemporary black culture.
The inspiration for this curation can be seen more in this blurb from the gallery’s site:
“Today, musicians rap about painters and commission artists to design their album covers; in the same vein artists look to music as inspiration for their paintings. Influences flow in both directions to create a fertile creative environment, producing some of the most resonant and profound artistic output in American history.”
While you peruse the art, including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nick Cave, Rashid Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Kara Walker, and Kehinde Wiley, Drake’s picks will be playing on Beats By Dre stations located near the art.
https://instagram.com/p/2CYI-pRRU_/?taken-by=creators_project
The exhibit runs from April 28 – June 12 2015 at Sotheby’s S|2 gallery in New York. If you can’t make it though, here are the titles of the pieces and the accompanying songs chosen by Drake. Pull up the artwork on Google, find the song on Spotify or Youtube, and recreate the experience at home.
Jacob Lawrence, The Lovers, (1946) — Anthony Hamilton, Lucille
David Hammons, Untitled (Man with White Headdress), (circa 1969) — Young Thug, Strange Things
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Black, (1986) — Yo Gotti Gangsta Party, Feat 8ball
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jazz, (1986) — Yo Gotti Gangsta Party, Feat 8ball
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Devil’s Head), (1987) — Makonnen, Rumor (Acoustic)
Romare Bearden, All The Things You Are, (1987) — Partynextdoor, Wild Bitches
Lorna Simpson, Portrait, (1988) — Rhianna, Bitch Better Have My Money
Mark Bradford, Fly in the Buttermilk, (2002) — Jadakiss, All for the Love
Wangechi Mutu, Untitled (Female in Fishnet), (2005) — Robert Johnson, 32-20 Blues
Mickalene Thomas, Study for As If You Read My Mind (From She Works Hard For The Money Pin-Up Series), (2006) — XXYYXX, About You
Kara Walker, Help Meet (Mans Mans Mans Mans World), (2007) — Shuggie Otis, Aht Uh Mi Head
Trenton Doyle Hancock, Blue Bald Voice Effects, (2008) — Riff Raff, Judo Chop
Nick Cave, Soundsuit, (2009) — Kendrick Lamar, F*ck Your Ethnicity
Glenn Ligon, Figure #29, (2009) — Drake, Wu-Tang Forever
Theaster Gates, Throne, Toward the Close of Day, (2010) — Jay Z/Kanye, The Joy
Barkley L. Hendricks, Passion Dancehall #2, (2011) — Popcaan, Everything Nice
Rashid Johnson, If It Ain’t Ruff, (2012) — Skepta, Shut Down
Tony Lewis, LOLO, (2012) — Chief Keef, Faneto
Terry Adkins, Norfolk, (2012) — Jamie xx, Sleep Sound
Kehinde Wiley, Ferdinand-Philippe-Louis-Henri, Duc D’Orléans, (2014) — ASAP Rocky, Multiply
Adam Pendleton, Harvest: 3,000 Years #2, (2014) — The Weeknd, The Zone
