Immanuel Oni, 2023-24 Commissioned Artist honoring the Chrystie Street African Burial Ground
Immanuel Oni is a first-generation Nigerian-American artist and space doula living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn originally from Houston, TX. Oni‘s work explores loss and its deep connection with space. He believes art and architecture is not about what he is making, but who he is making it for. His canvas consists of repurposing existing public space elements, such as light posts or under-utilized space, to prompt dialogue about ritual, healing, and connection. His aim is to collectively reimagine sites of loss into sacred space, aiming to fuse practical design elements with the spiritual.
Oni has led and participated in international art and urbanism workshops in Venice, Hong Kong, and Lagos. He has received awards from the Design Trust for Public Space, Culture Push, the New York for Culture and Arts Residency, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, More Art Engaging Artist Commission, AIA Brunner Award, Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY, Institute for Public Architecture Governors Island Blockhouse Residency, Architectural League of New York, and the New York State Council of the Arts. He received his Masters in Architecture from Parsons the New School and a dual Bachelors in Biology and Psychology from the University of Houston. He is a former Director of Community Design at New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, Adjunct Professor at Parsons the New School for Design, and currently instructs the Terreform ONE Lab Youth Summer Studio. He is the co-founder and Creative Director of Liminal, a non-profit that works at the intersection of art, unity, and space.