A marching band and a gallery of Black art were all the
introduction Kasseem Dean aka Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys needed when they greeted more than 400
screaming students at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. The private event and student pep rally was a
prelude to the opening of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz
Beatz and Alicia Keys. The exhibition runs through March 1st, 2026 and features
more than 130 works by 36 artists meant to “Awaken the giant within all of us.”
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The Trio. Brooklyn, 1980 Jamel Shabazz
photo courtesy of VMFA |
Students from area schools and colleges perused the lower level
of VMFA that is now home to the traveling exhibit. Students recreated the poses
in the Jamel Shabazz photos, snapping pictures for social media. Shabazz is an
artist known for documenting urban and Black life in 1980s Brooklyn. He immortalized
the people that brought Black style - influenced by hip-hop in crack era New
York City – to the forefront of fashion.The Dean Collection also includes
the largest private collection of Gordon Parks photos, some of which are also included
in the Giants exhibitions. Photos taken
by Parks of boxing legend Mohammad Ali, The March on Washington, and a little boy standing in
a field are installed across the hall from Shabazz’s work to create a conversation
between two generations of photographers says Valerie Cassel Oliver, curator of modern and contemporary at
VMFA.
“We really wanted to show the other side of that which is
his black and white photos that are timeless,” Oliver says. “You really do see
the dialogue that they’re having, rather than a generational divide.”
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A piece from the series Bread, Butter, and Power
by Meleko Mokogosi |
The discourse begins with a Parks photo of political activist
Eldridge Cleaver and his wife Katherine on the right of the entrance to the exhibit. Next to that is the same photo reimagined by Shabazz with Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz as the subjects, reinforcing the idea
that Black love is the ultimate form of resistance. Set to a soulful soundtrack of songs by Marvin Gaye, imagery challenging stereotypes of Black life and
personhood are prominent throughout the show. The towering portraits of Alicia
Keys and Swizz Beatz by Kehinde Wiley stand at the entrance of the exhibit
portraying the Deans in the likeness of monarchs
who commissioned artists during the European Renaissance. The paintings introduce the theme of the show that is elevating Blackness on a grand scale.
The exhibition
also features works by Mickalene Thomas that provide a nuanced perspective of
Black femininity. The vast series of paintings titled Bread, Butter and Power
by Botswana artist Meleko Mokogosi explores unequal labor distribution in scenes
revealing intimate moments in Black life that transcend the borders of the Black Diaspora.
After viewing the exhibition, the students were privy to a Q&A
with The Deans who offered sage advice and anecdotes about their journeys as
musicians. Dean said he knew since he was a kid that he wanted to be musician. Growing
up in The South Bronx, he took for granted that it’s a privilege to live and
work as an artist.
“It was always music playing. Music, art, and fashion has
always been a part of my life,” Dean says. “I was immersed in it so much in The Bronx it
was just like breathing, but there’s talent that goes into that. There’s craft
that goes into being a produce, Dj, rapper, fashion - you name it.”
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KW-PA-24-002 by Kehinde Wiley
photo courtesy of VMFA |
The multi-cultural backdrop of the Bronx is still a part of Dean’s
creative process. When he feels stuck, he resets by listening to
Arabic, Indian and African music to “cleanse his palette.” You can’t put a deadline on quality he told
the students emphasizing that trends come and go, but people always come back
to quality.
Lessons that many people learn later in life, Dean internalized
early in his career. What started with him selling mixtapes at 11 years old, evolved
into music production with his first platinum record at just 17 yrs old. Dean’s
success came through his family record label Ruff Ryders home to late rapper
DMX. DMX starred in the cult classic film Belly directed by Hype Williams. It
was on the Belly soundtrack that Dean earned his first platinum record for the song
Pistol on My Side (P.O.M.S).
Dean says the most pivotal moment in his life was when at 15
years old he met wife Alicia Keys, a typical New Yorker growing up in Hell’s
Kitchen - a westside Manhattan neighborhood known for poor and working-class residents.
He laughs as he describes her demeanor as being rough around the edges.
“She was like Timberland boots, North Face jacket and a scully,” Dean laughs. “I thought she was going to rob me, she looked tougher
than me.”
Dean insinuated that marriage and motherhood has softened
Keys, which was the perfect segue into her evolution as a person and an artist.
Keys said she knew she was going to become a musician at the age of four, and
there were other moments in her life that motivated her to push forward. As a
young girl, she was challenged by piano practice, but the hours paid off as
Keys celebrates a 25-year career and 17 Grammy wins.
“I’m grateful I stuck with it because it gave me an independence,”
Keys says. “I didn’t have to depend on other
people to create what I heard in my head.”
It wasn’t always easy for Keys who overcame challenges to
her identity as an artist. She says the North Face and scully was exactly who
she was, and who she still is, but maintaining a vision for herself was difficult.
Keys says she had to face down record executives and people more experienced to
stand in her truth.
“People love to
change you,” Keys says. “They can’t wait to change you They can’t wait to make
you feel doubt about what you know about yourself. They can’t wait to make you
feel uncomfortable about what makes you unique.”
Instead, she doubled down proudly wearing her signature
cornrows, Timberland boots and scully caps. She told the students she looks to people
like the singer Sade and artist Mickalene Thomas for their authenticity.
“Nobody can be them,” she says laughing. “You can’t rip their
stuff.”
Keys ended the session by encouraging the students to follow
their dreams telling the young people that all their dreams are possible. Dean
followed up by saying that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
“When we look at you and we see ourselves,” Keys says. “You are
a reflection of us, and we are a reflection of you and you are giants.”
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