Through travel, higher education and introspection, artist and businessman Azubuike Akunne came to realize that our environments play a crucial role in the lives we lead. A Columbus native, Akunne is actively exploring the bounds of using technology to expand SNAP EBT access. He approaches his upcoming exhibition, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, as a way to share his orientation to the urban world through an artistic lens. 

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner addresses food deserts and inaccessibility in America. Through a fusion of Akunne’s signature metal portraits, plywood installations and interactive displays, the exhibition illuminates the human family's shared struggle for nutritional equity. Highlighting resilience, unity and diverse stories, the artworks forge a powerful narrative that challenges viewers to confront the impact of food inequality. 

Akunne shares, “With this exhibition, I invite people to reflect on our collective responsibility and to inspire a more equitable and nourished future.”

The show runs from August 13–31, 2024.

Akunne is joined by Imani Mixon, whose interactive installation entitled We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby traces the resonant lineage of Black media, spanning from the late 60s to today. The archival media featured in her installation directly influences the contemporary multimedia that Mixon crafts as a journalist, screenwriter and media personality with a burgeoning media imprint.

“Black-owned print publications have given folks something to hold on to and strive toward each step of the way. This collaboration is an opportunity to share the deep research that fuels my writing practice and allows me to further that abundant archive,” says Mixon.

Visitors are invited to celebrate the opening of the exhibition at the reception on Saturday, August 24 from 5–7 PM at Urban Arts Space.