Join us for a conversation on contemporary African photography with Nigerian photojournalist Akintunde Akinleye and Urban Cadence curator Carol Magee. 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.

REGISTRATION

October 25, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
This event is PAY-AS-YOU-WISH (INCLUDING FREE), but registration is required to attend.

Tickets → z.umn.edu/CadenceTalk

PARKING

Parking is available under the museum. University rates for parking ramps are $3 an hour and a $13 daily maximum.

Nearby parking is also available at the East River Road Garage, which provides both disability and short-term parking for Coffman Memorial Union and the East Bank campus. Both the Museum Garage and the East River Road Garage are easily accessible from Delaware Street.

About the Speakers

Featured artist Akintunde Akinleye is an award-winning photojournalist whose pictures centre 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 received the prestigious World Press Photo prize in 2007, he also received the National Geographic All Roads Award in 2008, Akinleye’s work been published in TIME, Vogue and The New York Times, Akinleye worked for Reuters news agency for 13 years before leaving journalism for his academic works. 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.

Moderator: 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.

Related exhibition

This talk is held in conjunction with the exhibition, Urban Cadence, on view at the Weisman Art Museum from October 6 – December 31, 2023.  Urban Cadence is 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.

Image credit (top): Akintunde Akinleye, Each Passing Day, 2006, digital print, 76 cm X 81 cm. Courtesy of The Gund at Kenyon College.