The Legends’ Gallery was filled with hip-hop fans and art lovers on Friday and Saturday, September 26 and 27 as global icon Chuck D was in the house for a special reception and artist talk for his new exhibition, Roll Call: Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear on No Stamps. The exclusive exhibition presented by KAF and XYION with Soul Kitchen and curated by Lorrie Boula and Adrian Miller features original fine art by Chuck D inspired by his heroes, legends and peers and serves as a visual deep dive into society and culture.
At Saturday’s artist talk, Chuck answered audience questions and waxed poetic for over an hour about everything from his artistic process to books that influenced him, technology, politics and more. Chuck graciously interacted with the crowd inside the intimate gallery on both Friday evening and Saturday afternoon following his talk, signing albums, shaking hands and taking photos.
“Words can start wars and stop them, and images can do the same thing. What’s actually becoming a lost skill and attribute is listening. People are listening less, but their eyes are open and they’re looking at images. Art stands a chance when people are looking at it,” Chuck said during a pre-talk interview with St. Louis Public Radio on Saturday.
The exhibition continues through November 12. Standout pieces include a pair of diptychs: “Black Legends,” which features portraits of Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone presented in mixed media, and “Public Enemy Number One,” featuring a self-portrait of Chuck D alongside his longtime collaborator Flavor Flav. Both works, and more than 30 pieces of his fine art, are on view and available for sale at Legends’ Gallery and via the gallery website. Located at 3318 Washington Ave., the gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
To learn more about the exhibition, please click here. To purchase prints, please click here.
*Photo Credit: @idunnomarty
