Oni has been a Design Trust Fellow on the Opening the Edge Project and now his practice Liminal SP joins the "Reimagining the Enslaved African Burial Ground at Van Cortlandt Park" project
Oni is a first-generation Nigerian-American artist and space doula living in New York City originally from Houston, TX. He believes art is not about what he is making, but who he is making it for. His work explores loss, liberation, and its deep connection with place. His canvas consists of existing environmental or natural elements, such as light posts or fallen tree bark, which he repurposes to prompt dialogue on ritual, healing, and connection. His aim is to fuse the spiritual realm with the physical. He has received awards and residencies from Art Omi, Mellon Foundation, the Laundromat Project, Columbia University Incite Fellowship, Design Trust for Public Space, Culture Push, NY for Culture and Arts, More Art, AIA Brunner Award, Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY, Institute for Public Architecture, Architectural League, NY State Council of the Arts, and is the FABnyc commissioned artist for the New York City Chrystie Street African Burial Ground Memorial. He is a former Director of Community Design at the New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and Adjunct Professor at Parsons the New School for Design. He holds a Dual Bachelor’s in Science degree in Biology and Psychology from the University of Houston and a Master’s in Architecture degree from Parsons New School of design. He is the co-founder and Creative Director of Liminal, a non-profit that works at the intersection of art, unity, and space. howdy@immanueloni.com