This piece is meant to give viewers insight into various experiences and observations of economic disparity in Akron. The skyline is fixed in the horizon as stories from the Akron community emerge from the city. Through these stories, I examine social attitudes and institutional systems prevalent throughout our society that contribute to discrimination, racism, and economic disparities. Through the creation of this piece, I continue to engage in active self-reflection. I encourage the viewer to examine their own privileges, attitudes, biases, and actions.
About the Artist
Anika Kent is a multi-disciplinary artist whose creative practice includes visual art, movement, and song-writing.
Born and raised in Akron, OH, to a South American mother and Californian father, Anika’s work is greatly influenced by her Latin American roots, growing up in a multicultural environment, and time spent living abroad.
After graduating from Firestone High School in 2008, Anika moved to Los Angeles, CA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2014; and returned to her hometown of Akron in 2015, where she lives today.
Anika’s visual art methods are focused on drawing, painting, sewing, and embroidery; as well as employing the use of textiles as a surface for these media. Through this visual art practice, Anika explores themes of everyday life, cultural identity, the human body, and the decisive reclamation of “domestic” art forms, historically categorized as “women’s work.”
