NADA Miami 2020

FALSE FLAG is thrilled to present the work of Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola for NADA Miami 2020. The selected works expand concerns at the heart of Akinbola’s multidisciplinary practice across a range of media and scales. A first-generation American raised between Missouri and Nigeria, Akinbola reimagines the construction of identity through startling original treatments of color and texture. Foregoing conventional approaches to painting and sculpture, Akinbola’s self-developed techniques explore the possibilities of totemic materials such palm oil, hair brushes, and durags—fiber scarves used in the maintenance of Black hair. Characterizing his works as “metaphors for what a first-generation existence might look like,” Akinbola unpacks the rituals and histories separating Africa from Black America. His multifaceted compositions celebrate and reconcile diverse cultural narratives, creating multilayered works of art that engage consumption, respectability, and the commodification of Black culture.

FALSE FLAG is pleased to offer small groups the opportunity to view these works in person at the site of their production: Akinbola’s 1500 square foot brownstone studio in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The artist will welcome a limited number of guests to explore and discuss his work in a safe, unhurried context.

All visits must be arranged in advance by timed reservation. Masks required.

Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola (b. 1991) was selected for the Anderson Ranch Art Center Residency in 2017, was awarded the Van Lier Fellowship in 2019, and was an artist in residence at Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna in 2020. He has featured in exhibitions at The Queens Museum, NY, The Zuckerman Museum of Art, GA, Denny Dimin Gallery, NY, and The Verbeke Foundation, Belgium, among others. Following his recent show at the Museum of Art and Design, NY in 2020, Akinbola will mount two significant solo exhibitions in early 2021 at the Kohler Arts Center, WI, and at FALSE FLAG, NY.