ICON is proud to spotlight "Project T-Dot," a visual narrative by artist and photographer Ajani Charles, now featured in an iconic installation at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. This exhibit, part of Charles's extensive documentary project initiated in December 2006, offers an intimate glimpse into the heart of Toronto's hip-hop culture, highlighting its vibrancy, diversity, and historical depth.
Located in the arrivals area of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, this exhibit brings the soul of the city's hip-hop scene to a wide audience, featuring large-scale prints and a screen to explain the story behind each photo. Charles’s work celebrates not just the visionaries of Toronto's hip-hop world but also the unsung heroes and community pillars, including members of the 2SLGBTQ+, Black, and Indigenous communities. Project T-Dot" dives deep into the connections that bind Toronto's hip-hop community—relationships of influence, mentorship, and collaboration. Through Ajani Charles's lens, viewers are invited to explore the ecosystem of Toronto hip-hop, where each figure's story interweaves with others, creating a rich tapestry of artistic and personal journeys. Charles's choice of black and white photography underscores the raw, emotional depth of his subjects, emphasizing the human element over the distraction of color. This aesthetic choice not only enhances the visual impact of his work but also pays homage to the genre's roots and aspirations.
ICON played a crucial role in transforming Ajani Charles' compelling black and white digital photographs into striking large-format prints for "Project T-Dot.” It was important to ensure that the depth, clarity, and emotional resonance of Charles' work were preserved and magnified in the physical prints, allowing each piece to tell its story. This process involved careful calibration to capture the nuances of light and shadow that define black and white photography, ensuring that the prints would convey the same powerful presence and raw emotion as the original digital images. By translating Charles' digital art into tangible, large-format prints, ICON contributed to creating an immersive visual experience that honours the legacy and ongoing story of hip-hop in Toronto. As "Project T-Dot" continues to evolve, with plans for a coffee table book, video documentary, digital platform, and more, ICON is excited to support Charles's vision of documenting and celebrating the legacy of Toronto's hip-hop culture.
