A Black History of Art Presents: A Shared Gaze

Alayo Akinkugbe
  • 4.0 (7)
  • ARTS

Conversations with Black contemporary artists from across the globe hosted by Alayo Akinkugbe, the author of 'Reframing Blackness: What's Black About "History of Art"?' and creator of the instagram platform A Black History of Art.

  1. Taiba Akhuetie

    11/30/2025

    Taiba Akhuetie

    A conversation with Taiba Akhuetie, a multidisciplinary artist based in London. During lockdown, Taiba began exploring hair as a standalone material for creating sculptures, installations and clothing. Since then, her designs have been worn by the likes of Tems and Cate Blanchett, she has made a bag for Rihanna, collaborated with Fiorucci, and contributed to numerous fashion editorials. Her career now moves fluidly between hairstyling, art, and design, placing her in a unique creative space. She has also just been recognised as a new wave creative for 2025, by the British Fashion Council. To mark the occasion, we produced a shoot with photographer, Bernardo Ame, and sat down with Taiba to discuss her life and her practice. Watch on YouTube. Keep up with us: Taiba: @taibataiba  Alayo: @alayoakinkugbe @ablackhistoryofart @asharedgaze Bernardo: @bernardo__ame

    21 min

  2. 10/26/2025 · BONUS

    Misan Harriman (Special)

    A conversation with photographer, filmmaker, artist, and activist Misan Harriman. His work spans portraiture, film, and social documentary, capturing some of the most defining images of contemporary culture. The first Black man to photograph a September issue of British Vogue, Misan is known for his portraits of celebrities like Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as his documentation of global protest movements. His directorial debut, The After, starring David Oyelowo, was nominated for an Oscar in 2024. In this episode, Alayo and Misan discuss his early life, rapid career development, and his latest protest photography exhibition at Hope 93 Gallery. Keep up with us: Misan Harriman: @misanharriman Alayo Akinkugbe: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

    37 min

  3. 06/15/2025

    Umar Rashid

    A conversation with Los Angeles-based artist Umar Rashid, who blends historical research with world-building. Umar’s practice -- which includes painting, sculpture and writing -- engages with colonial history, global interconnections, and alternative historical narratives, focusing on the period from 1648 to 1880. His work often incorporates elements of time travel and cosmic exploration. In this episode, Alayo and Umar discuss his upbringing on the South Side of Chicago in an artistic family, a recent exhibition he curated of Robert Colescott’s work at BLUM Gallery in LA, and the influence of figures such as Frantz Fanon and Federico Fellini on his practice. This special season focuses on the themes which are at the heart of Alayo’s upcoming book, 'Reframing Blackness: What’s Black About History of Art?', which unpacks the relationship between Blackness and “Western” art history through the lenses of: Museums, the curriculum, feminist art movements, muses and exhibitions. In this season Alayo will speak to artists who re-think, reposition and reframe Blackness and Black figures in this context. Pre-Order Reframing Blackness here. Keep up with us: Umar Rashid: @frohawktwofeathers Alayo Akinkugbe: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

    52 min

  4. 06/03/2025

    Modupeola Fadugba

    A conversation with Lagos-based artist Modupeola Fadugba, whose multidisciplinary practice spans installation, painting, film, and social engagement. Modupeola's work often explores subjects of race and pedagogy, as seen in her acclaimed 'Synchronized Swimmers' series and her Emmy-winning documentary on the all-Black senior synchronised swimming group, the Harlem Honeys and Bears. Modupeola's latest exhibition ‘Of Movement, Materials and Methods’ — on view at Gallery 1957 in London until June 29 — draws on her research into the Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu Ode, Nigeria. The show marks a vibrant shift in her palette and incorporates intricate beading techniques she first encountered while interning with Maasai beadworkers in Tanzania during school holidays. Alayo and Modupeola discuss the Nigerian education system, the symbolic power of swimming in Modupeola's work and the influence of artists such as Nike Davies-Okundaye. This special season focuses on the themes which are at the heart of Alayo’s upcoming book, Reframing Blackness: What’s Black About History of Art?, which unpacks the relationship between Blackness and “Western” art history through the lenses of: Museums, the curriculum, feminist art movements, muses and exhibitions. In this season Alayo will speak to artists who re-think, reposition and reframe Blackness and Black figures in this context. Pre-Order Reframing Blackness here. Keep up with us: Modupeola Fadugba: @modupeola.fadugba Alayo Akinkugbe: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

    26 min

  5. 05/25/2025

    Qualeasha Wood

    A conversation with Philadelphia-based artist Qualeasha Wood, whose multidisciplinary practice spans textiles, digital media, and performance. Qualeasha’s work investigates Black femme identity, Catholic iconography, and the psychological effects of the internet, often rendered through intricately tufted and woven tapestries. Her recent solo exhibition Malware at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London presents a series of glitch-heavy, hyper-pixelated works that reflect on digital anxiety, image control, and online mediation. In this episode, Alayo and Qualeasha discuss art school at RISD, the politics of self-presentation in virtual spaces, and the development of her debut performance bedrot, staged during the opening night of Malware. This special season focuses on the themes which are at the heart of Alayo’s upcoming book, Reframing Blackness: What’s Black About History of Art?, which unpacks the relationship between Blackness and “Western” art history through the lenses of: Museums, the curriculum, feminist art movements, muses and exhibitions. In this season Alayo will speak to artists who re-think, reposition and reframe Blackness and Black figures in this context. Pre-Order Reframing Blackness here. Keep up with us: Qualeasha Wood: @qualeasha Alayo Akinkugbe: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

    54 min
  6. Roméo Mivekannin

    04/13/2025

    Roméo Mivekannin

    A conversation with Béninois artist Roméo Mivekannin, who works primarily in painting and installation. Roméo’s practice centres on marginalised Black figures in canonical European paintings, which he reimagines with his own self-portrait. His first exhibition in Italy, Black Mirror, at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia is on until the 27th of July. It features a new series of paintings on black velvet, marking a new chapter in his practice. In this episode, Alayo and Roméo discuss subjects including Italian cinema, the choreography of Pina Bausch, the universality of dance and his grandmother’s stories of European colonial injustice in Africa. This special season focuses on the themes which are at the heart of Alayo’s upcoming book, Reframing Blackness: What’s Black About History of Art?, which unpacks the relationship between Blackness and “Western” art history through the lenses of: Museums, the curriculum, feminist art movements, muses and exhibitions. In this season Alayo will speak to artists who re-think, reposition and reframe Blackness and Black figures in this context. Pre-Order Reframing Blackness here. Keep up with us: Roméo Mivekannin: @romeomivekannin Alayo Akinkugbe: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

    19 min

  7. 03/02/2025

    Victor Ehikhamenor

    A conversation with Victor Ehikhamenor. Victor is a multidisciplinary artist based in Nigeria; his practice encompasses painting, installation, writing and unique forms of mark making, such as perforation. On the occasion of his solo exhibition ‘The Enigma of Time Remembered’ at Maruani Mercier gallery in Brussels in 2024, Victor and Alayo discuss his life and practice. Victor shares how his upbringing in Edo State, surrounded by rich cultural traditions of art-making, has influenced his work. From the sacred wall paintings by women born in his hometown, to his series of perforated drawings and innovative use of materials like rosaries, Victor's work explores the duality of external projections and internal beliefs. Victor and Alayo also discuss his philanthropic efforts through the organisation Angels and Muse, and the diverse influences that shape his work, which include Nigerian Modernist artists and the writings of Ben Okri. Keep up with us: Victor: @victorsozaboy Alayo: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

    41 min

  8. 11/10/2024

    Tabita Rezaire

    A conversation with Paris-born artist Tabita Rezaire. Rezaire is a new media artist, doula and cacao farmer based in French Guiana. On the occasion of her solo exhibition, Calabash Nebula at Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Rezaire has created an immersive series of installations, which are inspired by and honour the Yoruba water spirit Yemoja. Yemoja is the main water spirit of the West African Yoruba religion, who is considered the mother of rivers and oceans and the mother of all humanity.  In this episode, Tabita and Alayo discuss Calabash Nebula, as well as Tabita’s meandering journey to becoming an artist, her new experiences as a farmer at her community space, Amakaba, in French Guiana, and her recognition of the cosmic dualities of life’s cycles.  Calabash Nebula is organised by TBA21 and Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid and is open until the 12th of January 2025. Thank you to these organisations for making this episode possible. Keep up with us: Tabita TBA21: @tba_21 Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza: @museothyssen Alayo: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

    28 min
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Conversations with Black contemporary artists from across the globe hosted by Alayo Akinkugbe, the author of 'Reframing Blackness: What's Black About "History of Art"?' and creator of the instagram platform A Black History of Art.

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