Graffiti has long been considered one of the four fundamental elements of hip-hop culture, along with MCing, DJing and breakdancing. To ensure that this important visual component was properly represented in Recognize!, curators commissioned D.C. graffiti artists Tim Conlon and Dave Hupp, whose work has been featured in advertisements and movies, to tag four 20-foot panels lining the hallway between the exhibition galleries.
During the summer preceding the opening, Conlon and Hupp tagged the panels with the exhibition's title, their own tags (CON and AREK), two stylized self-portraits, and lots of playing cards—in particular, the king of diamonds. "You have a master level of graffiti, a king," Conlon explains. "Graffiti is essentially a competition and a game of getting your name out there."
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