ATLiens Visit Planet MARS

This photographic exhibition captures the early origins of Hip-Hop communities in two creative capitals—Atlanta and Marseille. As Hip-Hop began to spread beyond New York and Los Angeles in the early 1990s, communities around the world began to claim it as their own, and with that agency, began to frame their own identities within the culture.

In this exhibition, photographers Shannon McCollum and Jean-Pierre Maero present images and videos from the early 1990s to early 2000s from their personal archives that offer rare access to the foundational artists, spaces, and moments of Hip-Hop in Marseille and Atlanta, respectively, and help compare and contrast the creative output of cities that would become contemporary cultural capitals.

Much like ATLiens distinguish themselves from normal residents of Atlanta, and Planet MARS is distinguishable from Marseille, Hip-Hop communities in these respective cities began to find alternate ways to claim their own sense of self while laying the groundwork for generations of artists to come.

ATLiens Visit Planet MARS captures not only the alternate identities that artists would claim for themselves, but also reflects the notions that spaces—public and private—for this culture often take on an otherworldly context that acts as a safe space and fertile ground for self- expression and community-building.

Exhibition Space: Chastain Arts Center & Gallery

Exhibition Dates: September 22 – October 20, 2023

Curators: Floyd Hall & Elodie Le Breut