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”M for Máze” rapper Slincraze represents his hometown Máze (by Martin Johansen) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Viking Rappers: from New York to the North Pole Martin Johansen & Simen Braathen @ NOoSPHERE Arts in NYC, Sep 8 29 2013 251 EAST HOUSTON ST NEW YORK, NY 1OOO2 Opening Reception: Sun Sep 8, 6pm – 9pm WWW.NO-SPHERE.ORG New York, NY, May 4: NOoSPHERE Arts is proud to present Viking Rappers featuring photographer Martin Johansen and writer/director Simen Braathen. The preview of Viking Rappers in June drew attention from BBC, NY Daily News, DNA Info, to name a few – and was on Huffington Post’s Top Five NYC ARTS list. ‘To represent where you come from’ has been a cornerstone in hiphop since the culture emerged from New York in the ‘70s. So what happens when the Bronxborn music genre finds its way overseas to the fjords of Norway, a country monumentally different from that of its origin? Simen Braathen and Martin Johansen have spent the last two years documenting Norwegian rap artists and the places they come from. From indigenous Sami rappers in the Arctic Highlands, who use hiphop as an instrument to revitalize their nearly extinct language, to American gangsterrap fanatics down south. Viking Rappers: from New York to the North Pole is a fun, surprising and sobering exhibit addressing what happens when different music and cultures mix. It is an ode to the city and the art form that truly changed the exhibitors’ lives. Like a way for them to say “Hey New York, thanks for giving us hiphop! This is what we made of it and now we hope you like it.” Documentary with live footage from the Sami Rap concert in Brooklyn in June Máze Represent! is a documentary by Simen Braathen and Kristoffer Kumar. Máze is a small village in the arctic highlands populated by the indigenous Sami people (also known as Laplanders). For more than 5000 years, the Sami have inhabited the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, but today their cultural heritage and language are nearly extinct. Máze Represent! tells the story of how Slincraze – a rap group from Máze, uses hiphop to fight negative stereotypes and bring back their dying language. Martin Johansen (Norway) Photographer Martin has more than 10 years’ experience as a music and documentary photographer. His work is frequently used by genrerelevant publications, including Kingsize, Scandinavia’s largest hiphop magazine, and as cover artwork for multiple awardwinning Norwegian artists. Growing up as part of Oslo’s vibrant graffiti/hiphop scene, Martin manages to get close to the artists he portrays, which is evident in his work. Simen Braathen (Norway) – Writer & Director While growing up in a small fishing town in Norway, Simen used to imagine living in Brooklyn, New York, where the local bus would transform into a graffiticovered subway car and the beat from a boombox would reverberate between the boats on the dock. Simen has 15 years’ experience working with hiphop; as an artist, songwriter and concert promoter. He has helped promote more than 200 concerts throughout Norway, with artists such as 50 Cent, WuTang Clan and Lil’ Wayne. He now lives and works as a writer in Brooklyn. NOoSPHERE Arts is located at 251 East Houston Street, between Norfolk & Suffolk Streets. The closest subway stop is Second Avenue – Lower East Side on the Ftrain. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday 12– 6pm. Press viewings can be arranged prior to the exhibitions. For more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact the gallery manager at (646) 3898229 or [email protected]
