Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola: Good Hair
Nigerian-American artist Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola presents recent works that repurpose everyday objects associated with Black hair to convey the intersection of commodities and their broader sociopolitical implications. In his most ambitious Camouflage painting to date entitled Sunday’s Best, Akinbola stitches durags into a 48-foot-wide composition, invoking Modernist painting tropes while critically underscoring the ubiquity of gestural abstraction. The Price of Oil, an installation of pomade cans on retail shelving, signifies the dynamic history of Black hair within the American economy, where abundance paradoxically connotes the celebration yet sterile commercialization of culture. His newest sculpture Spinnin’ comprised of two barber poles is a monument to barbershops — the earliest sites of Black commercial enterprises and civil rights organizing — recognizing their part in fostering Black political mobility and financial independence in an ever-resistant environment. Exemplifying Akinbola’s yearslong practice of mediating between sculpture and painting through material, Good Hair draws attention to the nuanced roles of everyday objects within Black life, individuation, and joy.
Savannah College of Art and Design
Museum of Art
Savannah, GA
08/23/2024 - 12/23/2024