2016 marks the presentation of the second Guildhall Graduate Award, an initiative where a graduating student from the Cultural and Creative Industries Faculty, exhibiting in the Graduate Show at the University of Portsmouth, is selected by representatives of the University and Aspex Gallery and their work is exhibited in the Guildhall throughout that summer. This year Ryan Robinson, from the BA (Hons) Graphic Design degree course in the School of Art and Design, was selected for his work; Hip Hop, Politics, Authority. The work has previously been shown at the University’s Graduate Show 2016 and at New Designers Part 2 at the Business Design Centre in London.

This exhibition is part of series of exhibitions in partnership with Portsmouth Cultural Trust at Portsmouth Guildhall, Aspex Gallery and the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Portsmouth. The aim is to offer students, alumni and researchers an opportunity to showcase their work to a broad public audience, developing their professional creative practice. The exhibition in Aspex Guildhall has been on display for a little while and on Thursday 29th September (5:00pm – 8:00pm) sees the closing reception and at the event there will be a chance to purchase prints and illustrations that have been directly inspired from the book itself, as well as other printed ephemera and limited edition prints.

The book deals with the subject of hip hop, politics and authority; looking at the relationship between all three. It aims to highlight artists that have had a prevalent role within the relationship between all three categories, whether it be through their songs, lifestyle or family. Each symbol in the book represents a different subject, from violence to anti–authority. In total, there are 9 abstract symbols that dissect the songs that are looked at in the book, making up a unique pattern that visually shows how each song is constructed. The book combines textual and pictorial content that can be enjoyed by hip hop fans and graphic designers alike. So far, the book has won 3 awards; Strong Island’s ‘One to Watch’, The UoP Graduate Award and the Student Achievement Award.