Winter is most definitely here. Yet despite the merciless temperatures that dropped suddenly and have put most of us into shock, many still made their way to the private viewing of our new exhibition at the Project Space Scratch Expo 17.

Arriving frozen solid like an ice-cube, curators Angelo and Matt’s warm welcome and the cosy gallery quickly melted me to an acceptable state. Applause must be given for their transformation of the gallery into a cool and clean place that immediately drew the viewer into the hip hop and graffiti vibe. The idea of putting together a more formal audio and visual retrospective exhibition from 1996 and beyond, worked well and achieved an engaging experience for the viewers.

Walking through the entrance, expecting a receptionist to welcome me, I was instead greeted with a DJ playing hip hop tunes on turn tables. Instead of a painting, graffiti covered the walls, made by one of the exhibiting artists.

My personal highlight of the exhibition is found in the second room. A piece named “Irresistible Force” by Chum 101, made by compressing poly resin to achieve a fossil-like sculpture in the shape of a large tablet.

Again, graffiti covered the main wall of the second room which was also a work by one of the artists. A bright collage of microphones and vinyls that burst onto the white background of the wall.

The final room was converted into a cinema where pictures and clips of the hip hop scratch scene from the last 15 years were projected onto the wall.