Rakeem Cunningham uses photography, collage, installation, and video to explore the nuances of queer black experience. Cunningham photographs himself and others playing and posing in the studio informed and surrounded by a multiverse of niche subcultures. Each portrait is a declaration of subjectivity and existence—proof of self-validation and an ongoing healing journey. Cunningham appropriates poses from a cascade of emotionally charged scenes sourced from manga, anime, and narrative role-playing video games with ecstatic flourishes inspired by the unrehearsed choreography of church-goers as they “catch the holy ghost.” These reperformances are akin to cosplay, a physical embodiment of fictional protagonists, or headcanon, a fan's personal, idiosyncratic interpretation of a fictional canon.

Cunningham’s collages use his vast archive of anime stills and printed excerpts to create rhythmic expressions of the human condition that simultaneously convey aspects of his own neurodivergent experiences. By drawing upon the emotionally charged lexicon visible in the expanded world of Japanese animation, Cunningham affectively simulates the qualities of obsessive-compulsive disorder through form and content. Instinctively layering facial expressions and decontextualized emotional energies in the shape of abstract forms, collage becomes a therapeutic release and a somatic healing practice—one element of Cunningham’s mental healthcare routine. With a myriad of references and strategies in tow, Cunningham charges into the potent realm of the imaginary—an inherently radical space that envisions alternative realities and better futures.

Rakeem Cunningham (b. 1992, Pacoima, CA) is a multimedia artist who uses photography, collage, installation, and video to explore the nuances of queer black experience. Cunningham received his BFA from the UCLA Design Media Arts department. Cunningham’s work has been primarily exhibited in venues across Los Angeles, but forthcoming exhibitions are slated to open at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and the Southeast Museum of Photography at Daytona State College within the next year. His work has been featured in numerous publications including Artforum, Frieze, Hyperallergic, KCRW Art Insider, AUTRE Magazine, Sugarcane Magazine, Curate LA, Vogue, Out Magazine, Pride.com, Portland Mercury, Loverboy Magazine, and Gay Times. Cunningham currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.