For spring break, Snap! Orlando is popping with parties. Three new shows open on Friday, March 22: Life-As-Is features the work of Lauren Whitlow, an up-and-coming queer photographer from Los Angeles; in the next gallery, Gotta Go, Gotta Flow shares Michael Abramson’s legendary scenes of South Side Chicago’s nightlife in the 1970s; and then the beat takes a turn for the intense with Timeless, work by Brian Cross and Eric Coleman that samples the rich imagery of the West Coast hip-hop scene.
“We are thrilled to present these combined exhibits, which feature the exceptional works of four very talented artists,” says Snap! founder Patrick Kahn. “In particular, we’ve been trying to get Brian Cross and Eric Coleman here for a long, long time, and it’s exciting to finally have them in Orlando.” Their work in the show documents iconic groups like the Roots, the Fugees, Jurassic 5, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def and many more.
Eric Coleman started taking pictures at the age of 12, and by the time he graduated from London’s Royal College of Art he had created a distinctive style. He’s responsible for timeless portraits of artists such as Eminem, MF Doom, DJ Shadow and Mary J. Blige, in images referencing fashion, advertising and film with a moody and atmospheric surreality. Coleman first met Brian Cross when the two worked together on a video for DJ Shadow at the pyramids of Teotihuacan. Both Coleman and Cross approached the video shoot with only backpacks. Asked where all of the trucks, dollies and other contraptions were, Cross and Coleman shrugged and showed the DJ their backpacks. Ever since, the two have committed to the ethic of the mochila (Spanish for backpack), borrowed from graffiti artists who carried a backpack full of spray cans at the ready.
As the collective dubbed Mochilla, they’ve created album covers, music documentaries, books, videos and stills. They joined a camera crew to produce the Oscar-nominated Banksy film Exit Through the Gift Shop, which was released in 2010. Today they work on their own projects and keep Mochilla together as a production company.
Coleman juxtaposes photographs that create an inner dialogue with each other. In “Brazil,” one looks down at the hard, crystalline nighttime city from above, flooded with a mysterious glowing light. This image is paired with another photograph of graffiti on a grubby stone wall, the boldest tag rattling the viewer with the dark curse of the street.
Perhaps Coleman’s most iconic image is a black-and-white portrait of Daniel Dumile, aka MF Doom, in his trademark face-hiding metal helmet. (The cover of 2004’s Madvillainy sparked a whole industry of metal helmetology that is still going strong.) Not only will this image be in the show, but also a rather hilarious contact sheet of 16 images showing Dumile, in his helmet and holding a multi-track recorder, trying out various poses for the camera. Viewers may recognize one or two images that made it out of the studio.
Cross, who goes by B+, has contributed to films and videos throughout his career. Hailing from Limerick, Ireland, Cross’ early career included photographing DJ Magic Mike in Orlando, before he went on to become a Miami Bass star. Cross studied at California Institute of the Arts, enmeshed himself in the local hip-hop scene, and in the early 1990s published It’s Not About a Salary: Rap, Race and Resistance in Los Angeles. One of the earliest photographic documents with interviews of rap and hip-hop artists, his book provided a voice to a movement that’s grown ever since.
We caught a few minutes with Cross while he was on University of California San Diego’s campus, where he is a professor. “Jazzed to be coming back to Orlando,” he says.
When talking about his photography, Cross gets excited. “I’m an Irish rapper and photographer, sure, I know that’s a bit of an oxymoron … but I suppose there’s always been a little solidarity between Irishmen and African Americans, going back to Frederick Douglass’ visit during the famine.”
B+ pauses to take a breath or grade a paper or something, then continues rapid-fire: “You know, it’s a huge honor to be in the same gallery as Michael Abramson. That chap was the king of Chicago’s South Side, you know? He was enormously influential not only on me, but on many of the photographers and artists who made their way into hip-hop and rap. We followed him before he got discovered.”
Cross’ passion for the LA music scene leads him everywhere. One image in a Los Angeles record store is particularly captivating. Record stores are, of course, hallowed ground to anyone with a passion for music, and in this image the lighting washes over rows and rows of LPs as patrons reverently flip albums, one central figure carrying at least an inch of newly discovered vinyl under his left arm.
“Eric and I are bringing a few record collections and look forward to guest-DJing on opening night,” B+ says, and advises us, “Do not miss Kaitlyn Sardin.” As if we would! Sardin (known on social media as @kaitrock), a local dancer who combines traditional Irish dance with hip-hop, gained a Writer’s Pick for “Best Rat-a-tat” in our 2023 Best of Orlando awards.
She’ll perform at the Friday-night opening reception, and Michael Abramson’s estate manager, Midge Wilson, will be there, too — along with Lauren Whitlow, Coleman and Cross.
Snap! Orlando is sampling some intensity from Chicago and Los Angeles, and we’re all hoping a bit of it will stick.
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