Taking street art to new heights

Larger than life photos by Chi Modu take over Manhattan

Starting August 1, massive images by renowned photographer Chi Modu will begin appearing on the exterior walls of select NYC buildings, as part of an ongoing installation called Uncategorized.

Modu, who is best known for his iconic photos of major hip hop artists, was searching for a way to make his art accessible to more people. According to Modu, “The art world tends to be very exclusive and full of obstacles for both the artists and the public. My goal is to make art more inclusive by pulling an end run on the galleries and the museums, breaking down the barriers, and bringing the art directly to the people. Like graffiti, but legal.”

As to why he calls the exhibit Uncategorized -- “People always want to put art and artists into neat little boxes. My work does not fit into any one stereotype and neither do I. I wanted to create something that is the opposite of putting labels on everything and make a statement against stereotyping in general. I don’t see this as just an exhibit. start amovement.”

The first 3 images to go up on August 1 include a 12’ x 9’ rarely seen photo of hip hop legend Tupac Shakur and a riveting 25’ x 16’ photo of young school boys in the back of a church in Modu’s native Nigeria. There will also be a 16’ x 22’ photo of 21 year old Snoop Dogg shot in 1993 and never released.

The locations are in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, but will expand over time to other parts of NYC and to other cities. This initial phase of Uncategorized was done in partnership with Prince Media Company in SoHo.

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