Kendrick Lamar gifted his fans with DAMN. earlier this year, an LP that has gone to become one of the most highly-regarded studio efforts of the year. Focused and filled with raw emotion, K. Dot's lyricism and delivery on songs like "Element" showcase his growing maturity and complexity as an artist. Now, that track is at the center of a brand-new art exhibition that has been put up at the Gordon Parks Foundation.
The "Element" video has been transformed into a full-scale art exhibition titled ELEMENT: Gordon Parks and Kendrick Lamar. It's no secret that the visual for the Kendrick song was a direct homage to the iconic photographer, Gordon Parks, which deliberately recreated some of his best-known images, such as “Boy With Junebug” and “Untitled," as well as photos form Parks’ “Harlem Gang Leader” series, which debuted in 1948. All in all, the music video is a striking tribute to this artistic titan, and the foundation felt it more than appropriate to have "Element" live alongside the rest of Parks' work, at least for the time being.
“Gordon Parks’ work is continuing to have a great impact on young people – and particularly on artists like Kendrick who, use the power of imagery to examine issues related to social justice and race in our country," , Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr., who is the Executive Director of The Gordon Parks Foundation, said in a statement. "With ELEMENT the music video, Kendrick has helped to call attention to one of the most important artists of our time.”
Kendrick Lamar is also in the running for several Grammys this year. Vote on who you think should win in some of the major categories by going here.