AFRICANUS OKOKON

EDUCATION

2020 - MFA in Painting/Printmaking, Yale University School of Art, New Haven, Connecticut

2013 - BFA in Film/Animation/Video, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, Rhode Island

SOLO PRESENTATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

2024 - Touch Products, von ammon co, Washington DC (Solo Exhibition)

2022 - Unpossessed, Helena Anrather Gallery, New York, NY (Solo Presentation)

SELECTED PERFORMANCES AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2025 - Veronica, Veronica, Hesse Flatow, Amagansett, NY (Group Exhibition)

2025 - The Intimacies Between Continents, Contemporary Arts Center Gallery, University of California, Irvine, Claire Trevor School of the Arts (Three-Person Exhibition)

2025 - Tomorrow is Already Behind Us, Lyles and King Gallery, New York, NY (Group Exhibition)

2023 - fịre, Magical Thinking Symposium, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA (Performance)

2023 - Middle Gallery, Helena Anrather Gallery, New York, NY (Group Exhibition)

2022 - Subtle Subversions, Microscope Gallery, New York, NY (Group Exhibition)

2022 - NXTHVN - Undercurrents, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, NY (Group Exhibition)

2020 - Living in America: An Exhibition in Four Acts, International Print Center New York, New York, NY (Group Exhibition)

2020 - Yale University Painting and Printmaking MFA, Perrotin Gallery, New York, NY (Viewing Salon) (Group Exhibition)

2020 - Only When You Are Called: Yale Painting Thesis Show, Green Gallery, Yale School of Art (Group Exhibition)

2017 - Other People Presents: Two Shows, The Kitchen, NY, NY (Performance)

2017 - Friction Fiction: Survey of Black Animation, Amadlozi Gallery, African Heritage Arts Center, Miami, FL,, The Soap Factory, Minneapolis, MN (Group Exhibition)

2014 - Cadence Exits, Proxy, Providence, RI (Group Exhibition)

2013 - Hip-Hop Post-Mortem, Brooklyn Fire Proof, Brooklyn, NY (Performance)

SCREENINGS AND FESTIVALS

2023 - YES: Miatta Kawinzi / Africanus Okokon, Microscope Gallery, New York, NY (Showcase Screening and Q&A)

2022 - Gleaners Film Festival (Installation) Lanchester, PA

2021 – In Competition: Chicago Underground Film Festival (In-Competition Screening) (Winner: The Decolonize This Award)

2021 – Camden International Film Festival (Screening)

2021- True/False Film Festival (In-Competition Screening)

2020 - In Competition: Blackstar Film Festival (In-Competition Screening and Panel Discussion) Philadelphia, PA (Virtual)

2019 - Archival Interventions (Screening and Panel Discussion) Whitney Humanities Center at Yale, Yale University, New Haven, CT

2019 - Chale Wote Street Arts Festival: The LABS (Screening and Panel Discussion) Folkspace, National Theatre of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

2019 - An Evening of Film and Performance: MLK Day Weekend( Screening) Gloria’s Project Space, Ridgewood, NY

2019 - CAVE Festival - Not Found (Screening) Cellular Cinema, Minneapolis, MN

2016 - Eyewash: Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation (Screening) Dartmouth College, Hanover, ME

2014 - Fluxus Moon Cabaret AS220 (Screening) Black Box Theatre, Providence, RI

2013 - New England Animation Film Festival (Screening) Institute of Contemporary Art/ Boston, Boston, MA

2013 - Eyeworks Experimental Animation Festival( Screening) Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, NY

2012 - In Competition: Ottawa International Animation Festival( Screening and Panel Discussion) Ottawa, Canada

2012 - London International Animation Festival (Screening) London, UK

2012 - Australian International Animation Festival (Screening) Melbourne, Australia

2012 - In Competition: Animator Festival Screening Poznan, Poland

2012 - In Competition: Holland Animation Film Festival Utrecht, Netherlands

2011 - In Competition: Ottawa International Animation Festival Screening and Panel Discussion Ottawa, Canada

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

2025: RISD Professional Development Fund, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

2019 - Alice Kimball Traveling Fellowship Yale School University of Art

2020-2021: Artspace New Haven Artist-in-Residence, New Haven, CT

2020: New American Paintings Issue #152

2021: Decolonize This Award, Chicago Underground Film Festival, Chicago, IL

2021-2022: NXTHVN Studio Fellowship, New Haven, CT

PUBLICATIONS

Africanus Okokon + Maziyar Pahlevan (sound works + art works) (Other People, 2017)

PROFESSIONAL AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2021 - Present: Assistant Professor Film/Animation/Video, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

2025 - Visiting Artist, Wesleyan University, Intermediate Time-Based Media

2020 - 2021: Assistant Professor in Residence, Film/Animation/Video, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

2019 – Teaching Assistant to Robert Storr: Painting Basics

2019 - Visiting Critic: RISD Open Media

2019 - Visiting Lecturer: RISD Open Media

2018 - Visiting Guest Critic: RISD Animation

2018 - Visiting Lecturer: RISD Animation

2014 - Visiting Artist: Institute of Contemporary Art/ Boston Teen Arts Council

2015 - 2018 Institute of Contemporary Art/ Boston, Boston, MA Interpretive Media and Adult Education Programs Coordinator, Education Department

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2014 - 2016 Other People (Record Label) Art Director/ Artistic Producer/ Designer

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY/ PRESS

Electronic Sound "Okokon - Offering review" by Spenser Tomson, December 2024

Artforum "Africanus Okokon" by Ian Bourland, November 2024

NPR Goats and Soda "'American African' identity is explored by U.S. artist with Ghanaian/Nigerian roots" by Kahwit Tela

The Washington Post “Africanus Okokon’s inventive art enshrines the cast-offs of

consumerism” by Teri Henderson, August 2024

New American Paintings “NORTHEAST #152” December 2021

Adams and Ollman “Mariel Capanna and Africanus Okokon in conversation”, February 2021

Yale Daily News “Africanus Okokon to create sonic-visual experience at Artspace” October 2021

Walker Art Center: Mn Artists “Animating Life in the City” by Sheila Regan, February 2015

The Wire “Issue 384 Soundcheck: Okokon, Turkson Side” (album review) by Clive Bell, February 2016

PopMatters “Okokon: Turkson Side” (album review) by Natasha Gatian, December 2015

The Quietus, “Okokon: Turkson Side” (album review) by Jeanette Leech, December 2015