Following a celebrated Beverly Hills debut, the traveling exhibition honoring Hip-Hop’s beauty, fashion, and artistic legacy opens at Oakland’s Paschal-Hunter Gallery this August.
Hip-Hop has always been more than music. In fact, it is fashion. It is photography. It is beauty. It is resistance. It is identity. And perhaps most importantly, it is a living archive of the artists, innovators, and visionaries who have shaped generations of culture around the globe.
This summer, that legacy takes center stage in the Bay Area as HIP HOP BEAUTY arrives at Paschal-Hunter Gallery in downtown Oakland for a month-long exhibition celebrating the artistry, creativity, and cultural influence of Hip-Hop through photography, beauty, and visual storytelling.
Running from August 1st through September 6th, 2026, the exhibition continues the nationwide journey of one of the most compelling cultural experiences dedicated to preserving Hip-Hop’s visual history while honoring the pioneers who transformed beauty into a powerful form of self-expression.
A Homecoming Rooted In Hip-Hop History
Presented by HIP HOP BEAUTY Circa 1973 co-founders Ashunta Sheriff-Kendricks and Thembisa S. Mshaka, the Oakland exhibition represents more than another stop on a national tour.
For Mshaka, whose journalism career began in the Bay Area as Rap Editor for The GAVIN Report and who was inducted into the inaugural Bay Area Hip-Hop Archives during Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary celebration, the exhibition feels deeply personal.
“This is both a reunion and a homecoming for me. Traci and I were inducted into the inaugural Bay Area Hip Hop Archives together… We embody the culture we’re preserving” Mshaka shared.
That sense of cultural stewardship defines the exhibition’s mission—preserving the people, images, and stories that helped shape Hip-Hop while inspiring future generations to appreciate its artistic evolution.
A Celebration Of Visual Storytelling
Hosted by Paschal-Hunter Gallery, a contemporary fine art space founded by Kelly Paschal-Hunter, the exhibition explores Hip-Hop’s enduring influence through powerful photography and multidisciplinary artwork from some of the culture’s most respected visual artists.
Joining the exhibition for its Oakland debut is veteran photographer Traci Bartlow, whose decades of documenting Bay Area Hip-Hop have helped preserve one of the region’s richest cultural histories. Her work joins an extraordinary lineup of artists that includes celebrated portrait photographer Keith Major, whose iconic imagery has graced the pages of Ebony and Essence while capturing cultural icons across music, entertainment, and fashion.
Also featured is multidisciplinary creative Mazi Smazi, whose work bridges photography, choreography, and directing, alongside acclaimed celebrity hairstylist and visual artist Stacy Gray, whose sculptural hair artistry has appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and on the Met Gala red carpet. For collectors, the exhibition also presents previously unavailable works available for purchase, offering visitors a rare opportunity to own pieces from some of Hip-Hop’s most influential visual storytellers.
More Than An Exhibition
HIP HOP BEAUTY is not simply a gallery experience. It is a cultural movement. Since launching, the traveling exhibition has expanded beyond traditional fine art presentations by incorporating educational conversations, live performances, retail experiences, and community engagement designed to celebrate the beauty traditions that have evolved alongside Hip-Hop itself.
Following acclaimed exhibitions in Miami, New York City, Nairobi, and a successful West Coast debut at the Beverly Hilton in partnership with Culture Creators which generated more than 320 million earned global media impressions. The Oakland installation continues that momentum while reinforcing the importance of documenting the culture through its visual artists.
As Sheriff-Kendricks explains, the partnership with Paschal-Hunter Gallery reflects a shared commitment to community, storytelling, and artist advocacy.
“We are elated that HIP HOP BEAUTY will have a long-term gallery home with distinguished gallerist Kelly Paschal-Hunter, who shares our deep commitment to community, storytelling, and artist advocacy,” she said.
Honoring The Architects Behind The Movement
At the heart of HIP HOP BEAUTY are two women whose careers have helped shape both the entertainment and beauty industries. Celebrity makeup artist, entrepreneur, and cultural innovator Ashunta Sheriff-Kendricks has built an award-winning career creating iconic looks for artists including Alicia Keys, Taraji P. Henson, and Rihanna, while founding the acclaimed beauty brand Ashunta Sheriff Beauty.
Her co-founder, Thembisa S. Mshaka, is an award-winning author, creative director, and media executive whose groundbreaking work has helped define campaigns for artists such as Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, and Nas. This fall, she will also release the second edition of her influential book, Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your (Entertainment) Business. Together, the pair have transformed HIP HOP BEAUTY into an evolving archive that celebrates not only the faces of Hip-Hop, but the visionaries working behind the scenes to shape its enduring aesthetic.
An Opening Celebration Of Culture and Community
The exhibition officially opens with a daytime reception on Saturday, August 1st, from 12:00PM to 3:00PM PST, welcoming guests for an afternoon of art, conversation, and celebration.
Attendees can enjoy light bites, desserts from Cupcakin’ Bake Shop, libations, and premium beauty gifts from Ashunta Sheriff Beauty, Glō Girl Cosmetics, and additional brand partners while connecting with the artists and curators behind the exhibition. The event reflects the spirit of HIP HOP BEAUTY itself—a space where creativity, community, and cultural preservation intersect.
Preserving Hip-Hop’s Legacy Through Art
Nonetheless, as Hip-Hop continues to influence fashion, beauty, music, and visual culture around the world, exhibitions like HIP HOP BEAUTY serve as important reminders that the movement’s legacy extends far beyond the recording studio.
It lives in photographs that captured defining moments. It lives in the artists who transformed style into identity. And it lives in the communities committed to preserving those stories for generations to come. With its arrival in Oakland, HIP HOP BEAUTY offers audiences an opportunity to celebrate Hip-Hop not only as a musical genre, but as one of the most influential cultural movements of the modern era—one image, one artist, and one story at a time.
