The Fugitivity of Art

Akinsanya Kambon’s Pan-African Art and Activism

Abstract

This article examines the art practices of Akinsanya Kambon, Pan-African artist, activist, and former Black Panther.  Fujino posits that Kambon’s art and activism embody a marronage politic through the creation of alternative spaces that reject the logics of racial capitalism and white assimilationism.  Whether as a fugitive living in clandestinity or as co-owner of a Pan-African art studio and gallery, Kambon—through his sculptures, paintings, drawings, and accompanying griot storytelling—has emphasized African creation of art, knowledge reclaimed from the ancestors, revolutionary theories and practices, and emancipatory imaginations. The Black Atlantic figures prominently in his art and ideology.