Watch: Samson Kambalu meets Alayo Akinkugbe of Instagram's @ablackhistoryofart

When Cambridge Art History student Alayo Akinkugbe created her @ablackhistoryofart Instagram account, she was responding to her own “frustration at the lack of Black representation” in her degree.

The project garnered interest from around the world and she now has over fifty thousand followers of her feed, which highlights overlooked black artists, sitters, curators and thinkers, from art history and the present day. 

On Saturday 3 July 2021, we were excited to welcome Alayo to Modern Art Oxford to meet artist Samson Kambalu in his major solo exhibition, New Liberia. In the pair’s fascinating conversation, they discuss topics including the under acknowledged African revolutionary John Chilembwe, the ‘Dandy Bubblegum’ of Samson’s childhood and the state of art education.

Watch the 20 minute interview below and follow Alayo’s project on Instagram here.