Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop

For the first time outside of the United States Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop arrived in the Middle East. A journey through four decades of photographs, memorabilia, album and magazine covers that document Hip-Hop culture.

Manarat Al Saadiyat in collaboration with Sole hosted the exhibition in Abu Dhabi. We worked closely with the Sole team to bring the vision for the show to life developing the exhibition’s brand identity, show design and marketing materials.

The exhibition is curated by Vikki Tobak, creatively directed by Fab 5 Freddy and produced by Joseph Patel. Featuring over 200 images by 60+ photographers including; Janette Beckman, Barron Claiborne and Jorge Peniche. Photographs are displayed alongside original contact sheets. The contact sheets give an intimate look into the photographer’s journey during the shoot and unrivalled insight into the personality of the subject in front of the camera.

A highly engaging experience was developed in partnership with the Sole team. Lightboxes were utilised to highlight specific moments and unique displays designed to showcase some of hip-hop’s most iconic pieces. Minimal wall and floor graphics were used to enhance the overall experience and helped guide visitors around the show.

A range of marketing materials were created for the show from billboards, exhibition catalogues and flyers to a comprehensive social media and digital campaign.

Neue Helvetica Condensed is used as the main typeface, set in capitals. Arabic texts are set in 29LT Bukra.