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Urban Cadence and the Lens on Africa | Artist Talk

This talk was recorded on October 25 in conjunction with the exhibition URBAN CADENCE is available via the Weisman’s YouTube channel. Urban Cadence was organized for tour by The Gund at Kenyon College. The Gund exhibitions and programs are sponsored, in part, by The Gund Board of Directors and the Ohio Arts Council. 


In a world shaped by rapid urbanization, Akinleye’s lens is attuned to the pulse of evolving African cityscapes, capturing the energy, challenges, and transformative forces that accompany urban growth in post-colonial Africa. His work goes beyond urban narratives, weaving diverse perspectives that challenge stereotypes and offer nuanced portrayals of life and culture – enriching the visual record of the continent while reshaping the western understanding of contemporary Africa.

Akintunde Akinleye

Akintunde Akinleye portrait
About the Speaker
Akintunde Akinleye

Featured artist Akintunde Akinleye is an award-winning photojournalist whose pictures center on photo-activism and narrative subjects. His photography has traversed the turbulent times in Nigeria’s post-colonial history and reflects the nation’s undulating fortune. A 2015 New York Times article noted that his work brings "kinetic landscapes to life". The first Nigerian photographer to receive the prestigious World Press Photo prize in 2007, Akinleye received the National Geographic All Roads Award in 2008, and his work been published in TIME, Vogue and The New York Times. Akinleye worked for Reuters news agency for 13 years before leaving journalism to pursue his academic career. He is currently conducting PhD research in anthropology, specializing in African Studies with a focus on the complexities of framing, visual material culture, and representation of Yoruba oracular religion at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Carol Magee

Carol Magee portrait
About the Moderator
Carol Magee

Carol Magee is a Professor of Art History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in African contemporary art with an emphasis on photography. Continuing her interest in the vital role that movement plays in our lives, her current research theorizes the interpretation of lens-based and sound art as it aligns with the theories and practices of the Feldenkrais Method®. As with all of her projects, she asks questions about how encounters with visual culture shape experiences of lives, about how knowledge is generated, and who is involved in the production of that knowledge. Her writings on these topics can be found in her books Africa in the American Imagination (2011), African Art, Interviews, Narratives (ed. with Joanna Grabski, 2013), and articles in journals such as Africa Today, African Arts, Evental Aesthetics, Photography & Culture, and Social Dynamics.

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