Celebrating Culture through Art: Black History Month at the AGO 

This February, the Innovation Hub team attended an AGO Black History Month exhibit centered around Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. In this blog, Azam, Hayley, and the iHub team share reflections on the event and takeaways for the future. 

Written by Azam Mirza, Audiovisual Storytelling Assistant, Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Philosophy & Applied Statistics, and Hayley Park, Senior Project Assistant & Communications Lead, Honours Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Culture, Information & Technology 

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Awareness Through Art: The Culture  

In February, the Innovation Hub team attended the Art Gallery of Ontario’s newest exhibition called The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, recently debuted to the public in honour of Black History Month. Through this multimedia exhibit, we were able to reflect and celebrate Black creativity and artistry, thinking about the rich symbolism of the materials we encountered. The featured artists used mediums of all kinds, including old car parts, braided hair, Egyptian-style concrete pillars, and hip hop music videos to get audiences to reflect upon their central thesis: what is art, and who gets to create it? Through exploring the exhibit, our team was able to experience the power of art to spark conversations, prompt reflection, foster empathy, and inspire change. 

Azam’s Reflection: Finding My Thread in a Tapestry of Diversity 

Azam: My visit to The Culture exhibit felt like visiting a childhood friend’s home. I was greeted with warm welcome and found artifacts both familiar and unknown. As I went through the exhibit and took in all the beautiful and thought-provoking pieces, I felt a sense of awe and grandeur, as well as intimacy and closeness. 

After attending the exhibit, I reflected on my relationship to Black culture and history. I grew up as an outsider to Black culture but have always been a consumer of it, being especially influenced by hip hop and fashion. As a child of South Asian immigrants, I identified with works coming from emcees who spoke on their personal experiences of struggle and resistance—a common emerging theme in the exhibit. This continues to strongly resonate with me as I think about how different my life would have been if it weren’t for the successes of the Civil Rights and Black Liberation movements, which eventually allowed my parents to immigrate to Canada.  

I got to see the bigger picture of how Black culture is diversely expressed and experienced. The exhibit featured art which conveyed many different—and sometimes conflicting—perspectives on the Black experience. I found myself and my own ancestral history weaved into a rich tapestry of diversity. I remain inspired by Black artists’ ingenuity to create art that reflects the subtleties and uniqueness of life. 

Hayley’s Reflection: Hip Hop is History

Hayley: Entering the exhibition, I was immediately inspired and fascinated by the wide range of pieces to explore. The creativity in the space was palpable, seen from floor to ceiling. Throughout the exhibit, I was able to reflect on what is typically considered art—and who gets to decide. The pieces were fresh and unapologetically bold, highlighting the ways Black artists have reimagined, remixed, and reclaimed media to tell their stories. The unconventional mediums and delivery offered a fresh take on a gallery experience that allowed me to reflect on my positionality and relationship with the cultural artifacts that I encounter every day. 

Through attending the exhibit, I was able to experience the power of hip hop, and realize what it truly means—spanning well beyond a musical genre. Hip hop represents a beautiful and inspiring culture with centuries of rich history. Born through stories of hardship, hip hop is a platform for social change that celebrates Black experiences and stories. The pieces I encountered highlighted the collective strength and beauty of Black creativity, which I am grateful to have experienced in this exhibit. 

Reflecting as a Community 

At the end of our trip to the AGO, our team gathered for a reflection circle where we discussed the immersive exhibit and shared our reflections as attendees. As a team, we were able to consider the different meanings behind the artwork we saw and share how they made us feel. 

Ryan: What I really took away from the exhibit was how much Black culture is prevalent in our every day lives, that we often don’t even notice. Seeing artifacts that I grew up using curated in this exhibit, really let me appreciate their importance. This exhibition was an opportunity to slow it down to help us acknowledge and appreciate Black history. 

Isabella: For me, it’s always about expanding my understanding of Canadian history into diaspora. As a Black woman, I wanted to learn more about Black history and think about what really makes a culture. There’s so many broad aspects of culture and history that I didn’t consider before, like clothing, hair, and music. I realized that culture is history, and history is culture. 

Fatir: As someone who understands the world through the lens of history, this exhibit felt like a song of strength and resilience. Hip hop has contributed so much to our communities, but hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves. It’s refreshing to see an exhibition like this that flips the script in an anti-colonial way.  

Vanessa: This exhibit was really interesting and interactive, and I learned a lot about Black culture—I really had a chance to dig deeper.  

We were grateful to share in this insightful conversation at the AGO. By discussing our interpretations of the artwork and considering the importance of the exhibit from multiple viewpoints, we were able to learn from each other’s unique perspectives and leave the exhibit feeling inspired as changemakers. 

Black History Month and Beyond 

Black History Month is a reminder for us to reflect and continue our learning every month, beyond February. For our team, attending the exhibit was an opportunity to reflect on our positionality and engage in a thoughtful discussion that broadens our worldview. Through dialogue, we can inspire change in our own lives and within the broader community. We encourage you to visit AGO’s The Culture yourself, which is open to the public until April 6^th, 2025. 

Learn More about the Exhibition Here

Support Black Art in the Community 

• Read Poetry and writing by Black authors  
• Discover documentaries about Black art 
• Learn about Black-owned art galleries 
• Canada’s first creative space for Black artists 
• Incubator for Young Artists 

Contributors