Ernie Paniccioli (born February 26, 1947) is an American
photographer
A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs.
Duties and types of photographe ...
of
hip hop culture
Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping, DJing and turntablis ...
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. Paniccioli's photography of hip hop began in the 1970s with shots of
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
in New York while working for the telephone company.
He was the chief photographer for Word Up! Magazine beginning in 1987, and his work has also appeared in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' , ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'', ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'', ''
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...
'', and ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
''.
Hip hop journalist
Kevin Powell
Kevin Powell (born April 24, 1966) is an American writer, activist, and television personality. Powell is the author of 14 books, including ''The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood'' and ''When We Free the World'' publis ...
encouraged Paniccioli to make a book and in 2002 ''Who Shot Ya? : Three Decades of Hip-Hop Photography'' was published, followed by ''Hip-Hop at the End of the World: The Photography of Brother Ernie'' in 2018. He donated his photography archive to Cornell University's Hip Hop Collection in 2012 and it was made available online in August 2020.
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
and learned about art from singer
Richie Havens
Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar style ...
. He was in the Navy for six years and returned to New York, marrying and having a child.
Gallery shows
*"Hip Hop: A History in Photographs", Minor Injury, New York City. September 1992-January 1993. 12 images shown.
*"Roots, Rhymes, and Rage: The Hip Hop Story",
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
, Cleveland, Ohio. November 1999-August 2000. Approximately 25 images shown.
*"Hip Hop Nation: Roots, Rhymes, and Rage",
Brooklyn Museum of Art
The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
, Brooklyn, New York. September–December 2000. Approximately 40 images shown.
*"When Angels Speak of Love", Prosper Gallery, New York City. April–May 2002. Approximately 30 images
*"100 Shots to the Dome", New York City Urban Experience Cultural Center and Art Gallery. October–November 2002. Approximately 100 images shown.
*"Who Shot Ya?", VH1 Corporate Headquarters Gallery, New York City. February–May 2003. 50 images shown.
*"Who Shot Ya?",
APEX Museum
The APEX Museum ("African American Panoramic Experience") is a museum of history presented from the black perspective. It is located on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn historic district of Atlanta, Georgia.
The Apex Museum was founded in 1978 ...
, Atlanta, Georgia. May–June 2003. 50 images shown.
*"Saturday Night/Sunday Morning", Leica Gallery, New York City. May–June 2003. 2 images shown.
*"Who Shot Ya?", Punch Gallery, San Francisco, California. November–December 2003. 40 images shown.
*"Urban Blight: The Graffiti Photographs of Ernie Paniccioli," Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery, New York, May 20-July 1, 2004.
"Roots, Rhymes, and Rage: The Hip Hop Story", The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, Ohio. November 1999-August 2000. Approximately 25 images shown
40 Years of Hip Hop Photography, Gladstone
• "Hip Hop: A History in Photographs", Minor Injury, New York City. September 1992-January 1993. 12 images shown. • Jersey City, City Hall, 2014