Adeshola Makinde (b. 1990) is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago, Illinois. The artist’s upbringing is precisely why he approaches art the way he does. He was raised in the Chicagoland suburbs and in his younger years attended predominantly white schools. This is something that shapes his work today, due to the fact that it was such a stark difference from the life he led at home with his immigrant parents from Nigeria. By going to schools with this sort of racial makeup, he didn’t learn a great deal of Black history, if at all. This is why the mission statement of his art practice is to educate by sharing the information that he learns on his personal journey of Black consciousness.

His work today tends to challenge viewers to question the systems they find themselves in, which will hopefully cause them to have much-needed conversations with those closest to them regarding social justice issues. Makinde’s drawn to highlighting Black life in his work because he feels as though it’s something that is often neglected. The social justice theme found throughout his work is his way of advocating for those without a voice.