A new exhibition is celebrating two of hip-hop’s best known imagemakers

Eddie Otchere and Remy Bourdeau have worked with everyone from Biggie Smalls to Skepta in their individual practices. In a new collaborative show at San Mei Gallery, they are presenting their work together as a visual dialogue on hip-hop history

Eddie Otchere is a London-based curator, photographer and educator best known for his portraits of hip-hop legends including Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan and Biggie Smalls.

Parisian photographer Remy Bourdeau has spent the last decade documenting Paris and London nightlife, and capturing performances by the likes of Skepta and Princess Nokia in the process.

In their new joint show, Futur Noir, the two photographers and friends have curated an exploration of hip-hop history through the lens of the two European cities where their own careers have played out.

Housed at south London’s San Mei Gallery, the exhibition is accompanied by a series of public programmes, including photography workshops and a limited edition zine featuring the contact sheets of the key prints in the show.

The exhibition is intended to be a dialogue between Otchere and Bourdeau’s individual practices, tracing the growth of hip-hop and its wider impact on everything from popular culture to politics and race relations over the years.

Speaking to Dazed about the motivation behind the show, Otchere and Bourdeau said: “We wanted to praise our favourite icons in only a way photography can – with big prints. We paid close attention to the soultress and the MC, but we have chosen to celebrate the moment when the MC gets the crowd, and the crowd is as fly as the MC.

“We know as the watchers we too need to represent the beautiful futur noir. From Erykah Badu to Jorja Smith to Lord Apex to Jean Grey to Rejjie Snow, we had to create a gallery of new G.O.A.T.S and old.”

Futur Noir is on on display at San Mei Gallery until 5 September; sanmeigallery.co.uk