Echoes of Presence

The following is a fictional example for illustrative purposes

Artwork# 10001

About the Artist

Name: Kehinde Walker

School: Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD U)

Program: Bachelor of Fine Arts - Sculpture/Installation

Bio: Kehinde Walker is a mixed-media artist who draws inspiration from the diverse urban landscape around him. He blends traditional and contemporary techniques to create dynamic, layered works that explore themes of identity, culture, and transformation.

Through a combination of painting, collage, and found objects, Kehinde's art investigates the complexities of modern life, emphasizing the intersections between personal history and collective experience. His work often juxtaposes vibrant textures with more subdued elements, creating a visual dialogue between chaos and harmony.

Kehinde has exhibited his work in several student-led showcases and community galleries, and he continues to push boundaries within his practice, always seeking to engage viewers in deeper conversations about the spaces we occupy, both physically and metaphorically.

About the Artwork

Medium: 3D Foamboard

Size: 36"W x 48"H x 12"D

Artistic Statement: In this three-dimensional foam board relief, I explore the intersection of visibility and anonymity within the African Canadian experience. By leaving the figure unnamed, I invite viewers to project their own narratives onto the portrait—acknowledging that each story is both deeply personal and part of a broader collective identity. The layered foam board planes evoke the complex histories and migrations that shape our sense of self, while the sculptural depth asserts presence in a space that has often rendered Black bodies two‑dimensional or overlooked.

The crisp edges and subtle shadows created by the foam board cuts speak to the tension between definition and erasure: each contour is precise, yet the absence of explicit features—no name, no direct gaze—suggests a universal subject whose individuality transcends singular biography. The interplay of light across the white surfaces becomes a metaphor for the ways in which African Canadian identities are highlighted, obscured, and re‑imagined in social and cultural spaces.

Ultimately, this work is a meditation on recognition and the power of representation. By constructing a portrait that is at once specific in form yet open in meaning, I aim to honor the resilience of unnamed voices and spark a conversation about who we choose to see—and how we choose to remember—within our shared landscapes.