Akinsanya Kambon: Soul Sessions

Akinsanya Kambon presents Soul Sessions.

Why go

First New York survey of Kambon's five-decade practice, organized around seven thematic sessions that connect his pedagogical commitment to liberatory movements—from pre-colonial African philosophies through slavery, imperialism, and contemporary resistance—with a parallel presentation at CARA expanding into works on paper, paintings, and archival

What to expect

Installation of over ninety ceramic vessels, figures, and wall plaques arranged thematically across seven sessions: Pre-colonial and Primordial Time, Thrones of Resistance, The Middle Passage, Captivity and Oppression, Rebellion and Uprising, War and Imperialism, and Reverence and Remembrance, alongside a collaborative presentation at the Center fo

Things to know

• First survey exhibition in New York dedicated to Kambon, bringing together works made between the 1970s and present.
• Kambon served in Vietnam (1966–1968) as a Marine combat illustrator and infantryman, awarded multiple Purple Hearts.
• Upon return from Vietnam, he joined the Sacramento Black Panther Party as Lieutenant of Culture, designing layouts and illustrations for The
• Taught art at California State University, Long Beach for 30 years and led free youth programs in African, Indigenous, and Latino culture.
• Received the Mohn Award for Artistic Excellence from the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles in 2023.
• Exhibition title references weekly gatherings organized by Black Marines during Vietnam War as spaces of learning, solidarity, and community

Plan your visit

Open Thursday–Monday, 12pm–6pm. The E and F MTA lines connect SculptureCenter to the parallel presentation at the Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA).