Eyes and Ears: Visuals in Music 2020-2024

The union of music and visuals have been presented in exhibitions before, through canonical works such as the psychedelic posters from the Haight Ashbury era and groundbreaking Blue Note Records covers. Eyes and Ears celebrates this generation's unique talent by presenting their work together for the first time. 

The 2020 pandemic brought uncertainty to the music industry, but instead of stagnation, an explosion of music and creativity ensued. This creativity culminated in an unexpected revival of vinyl production, growth of streaming platforms, ambitious live shows, merchandise collections with cult followings, and show posters seeing a new life through social media. From Charli’s xcx’s brat summer—an album that evolved to presidential status and Barbie-esque fandom—to Don Toliver’s biker culture-inspired “Hardstone Psycho,” world-building and album visuals are more ambitious than ever. Musicians and creatives work hand-in-hand to create larger-than-life moments that stop fans in their tracks and galvanize connections between people in a diverse, expansive spectrum of creative expressions representative of the ever-evolving genre-bending nature of modern music. And accessibility to an artist’s holistic creative expression has never been easier, through the advent of social media fans can follow their favorite musicians' creative partner using just their eyes, ears, and a few taps. 

The exhibit showcases a wide variety of creative practices including graphic design, photography, creative direction and music videos by Bethany Vargas, Bráulio Amado, Clare Gillen, FISK, Imogene Strauss, Loris Russier, Noah Porter, PlayLab, Inc., rubberband, Zhamak Fullad, and more.

Throughout the show you’ll see work rotate in and out, embracing the large body of work being produced in music today. Visuals created for musicians including Aminé, Andre 3000, Arooj Aftab, Charli xcx, Clairo, Chappell Roan, Dominic Fike, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, Steve Lacy, Toro y Moi, and more.

“The visual work created within the music industry in the last four years is some of the best ever, but in the all too frenetic modern media environment there’s rarely been a setting to recognize the incredible visuals and impact of these projects. The opportunity to curate an exhibit at The Center for Contemporary Art & Culture allowed for work that is often seen only online, to be seen in-person, allowing visitors to hold vinyl in their hands or see tour posters at the scale they once were presented at. 

The ambition here is not for this to be a comprehensive retrospective of a specific genre or style, but instead the beginning of a conversation to recognize the supremely talented and global group of visionaries working behind the scenes in music.

The chance to connect these people who often work independently and create a moment where their work is presented side by side is especially meaningful to me.“ - Bijan Berahimi, Curator

Showcasing the common thread of core elements that make a music campaign sing; vinyl packaging, tour posters, merchandise and music videos. The Center for Contemporary Art & Culture invites visitors to get inspired by a collection of work capturing the scene of our current cultural moment. PNCA's BFA program in Graphic Design welcomes the general public to join in for a series of panels and lectures connected to the show, throughout the Spring 2025 semester in their Design Lecture Series.

About the Curators

Curated by Bijan Berahimi, founder of FISK, a multi-faceted creative studio based in Portland, Oregon. With an emphasis on bold graphic design and art direction, he has developed identities and campaigns for the world’s leading brands and musicians, including Aminé, Clairo, Toro y Moi and others. His studio practice places great emphasis on access to art and design through community events, including gallery exhibits, lectures, and hands-on workshops. 

The inspiration behind Eyes and Ears comes from Berahimi’s own personal love of music and desire to create space for this new era of visuals in music, as well as a recognition that this curation of work from the past four years is too often presented or seen in the context of fleeting mediums of social media feeds. Through exciting opportunities, he has worked with musicians across genres, gaining an intimate knowledge of the role creatives play in the success of a music campaign. This exhibition provides a platform to have more representation for the creatives working in music now. The goal is to inspire the community, both students and the general public alike, through related programming.

Co-curated by Noah Porter, a filmmaker and music video director who has spent the last decade bringing songs to life on film. Raised in Portland, OR on a steady diet of MTV, he recognized new frontiers for the medium as rappers like Lil B and Tyler The Creator began self-publishing music videos on YouTube and virality became the primary force shaping the landscape of the music industry. Since looking through his first camera as a student at University of Oregon, his work with artists like Kassa Overall, Pink Siifu and Flatbush Zombies has been viewed millions of times across the internet and featured on Pitchfork, The Fader, and NPR.

Co-curated by Kristin Rogers Brown, who has spent the last 15 years applying her experience as an award-winning editorial art director to design meaningful experiences, publications, and brand strategies across media. Raised by a concert pianist and an orchestra director, she cut her teeth in design working with musicians and artists and obsessing over punk, hip hop, and indie music. She spent nearly a decade as art director for Bitch magazine, an independent media organization providing a feminist response to mainstream media and pop culture. As PNCA’s Department Chair in Graphic Design since 2018, she runs a working, student-led design studio and hosts their popular Design Lecture Series.

Pacific Northwest College of Art’s BFA program in Graphic Design expands the boundaries of traditional graphic design, preparing the next generation of designers for broad and challenging possibilities in today’s creative industries. Blurring the lines between school and working life, the design curriculum inspires action, cultivates understanding, and promotes interdisciplinary connection. Students apply skills built for great design work hands-on with clients, but also apply their work to create community, start conversations, and spark change. 

The Center for Contemporary Art & Culture is a platform for cultural production including exhibition, lecture, performance, and publication, directed and curated by Marsha Mack. Housed within Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), the Center throws open its doors to the greater public to foster conversation and community.

As Oregon’s premier college of art and design since 1909, Pacific Northwest College of Art has helped shape the region’s visual arts landscape for more than a century. Today, PNCA is a dynamic platform for 21st century art and design education at its new campus in the heart of downtown Portland. PNCA offers a BFA program with ten majors, six graduate programs within the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies, and a Post-Baccalaureate program.