Irish Artists To Watch For: Spotlighting B+ & Bobby Z

By Cíara Emmanuel

July 10th, 2024

On July 6th, the Contemporary Irish Arts Center of Los Angeles launched the premiere of The Irish Contemporaries {III} in Santa Monica, exhibiting the two thrilling Irish artists B+ (Brian Cross) and Bobby Z (Bobby Zithelo), among many other great talents. Running until August 10th, the exhibit is curated by Matthew Nevin and Ciara Scanlan of MART Gallery. Revealing inspired, fresh & relevant narratives within the modern Irish cultural landscape, both B+ and Bobby Z fuel their distinct and unique visions through a deep, fundamental intimacy with storytelling. In the words of James Joyce, “In the particular is contained the universal,” and in this light, the two distinguished photographer-filmmakers each work to frame the spirit of their subjects in exciting ways, transcending beyond the perceived limits of our three-dimensional reality.

B+

Known as B+, the multi-talent Brian Cross was born and raised in Limerick, Ireland and is currently based in Los Angeles. Widely appreciated for his impact on the L.A. hip-hop community through his work, some notable projects include Its Not about a Salary: Rap Race and Resistance in Los Angeles, a critically acclaimed literary work published by Verso Books in 1993 & nominated as a Rolling Stone Music Book of the Year, also making the NME critics best music book of the year list. B+ is also known for his album cover work, which he has done for artists of Mos Def, Rza, Cappadonna, Q-Tip, Eazy E and many others, following his debut cover work for the Freestyle Fellowship (Inner City Griots). In addition to this, Cross was the photo-editor for Larry Flint’s highly influential Rappages from 1993-97, as well as the director of a variety of music videos for DJ Shadow, Nitro Microphone Underground (of Japan) and Control Machete (of Mexico). The more recent work of B+ includes a DVD of the project Keepintime: Talking Drums and Whispering Vinyl, an enticing collaboration between “old school drummers” and “new school DJs” distributed with partner Eric Coleman by Cross’s production company (Mochilla) and earning a rights purchase by Sundance Channel, released in Europe and Australia by Ninja Tune. The sequel Brasilintime: Batucada com Discos which just premiered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been campaigning its film circuit. B+ currently stays in L.A. while alchemizing an upcoming book of photographs, alongside his photo editing work for Wax Poetics Magazine, DJing occasionally as well, if you can catch him!

Bobby Z

Based in Dublin, Ireland, Bobby Zithelo, also known as ‘Bobby Z’, is a stimulating new force in the creative arts, bridging the gap between striking visuals and enthralling storytelling. Exploring the intersectionality of individual identity and the unity that comes with sharing individual stories, the young visionary is known for capturing the current Irish Music Scene through his raw—yet refined—photographic lens, with documentaries that offer profound insights into contemporary Irish life and focus on themes of “race, identity, and the challenges faced by young people.” Some of his notable work includes the direction of both the ‘OUR LAND’ docuseries (2022) and the award winning film ‘THIS LAND’ (2020) which are both streaming on RTE PLAYER. The filmmaker-photographer is also known as the director & producer of an Irish Hip-Hop documentary 'Up Next'. In addition to Bobby Z’s personal work, the artist has also worked commercially with brands such as Adidas, Life Style Sports, Jameson, Brown Thomas RTE, Redbull and more. Bobby Zithelo proves himself a blooming force to be reckoned with in the contemporary art world as a creative that is hard to miss and easy to spot.