Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist whose work addresses identity, perspective, media, and the construction of collective memory. Originally trained as a photographer, his practice now spans diverse media, including mirrors and retroreflective vinyl, to challenge perception and revisit protest imagery. Influenced by social history and the ongoing struggle for equality, he co-founded For Freedoms as a platform for creative civic engagement. Thomas’s exhibition I AM MANY is currently on view at Jack Shainman Gallery through November 1, 2025. With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited will be unveiled at Davidson College, North Carolina, in October 2025.

Emann Odufu is an independent art and culture critic, filmmaker, and curator from Newark, NJ. His creative practice, spanning filmmaking and curatorial projects, explores Afrofuturism within Black cinema and beyond. He has spoken at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, NYU, and the British Film Institute, with work featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, Paper Magazine, Office Magazine, Document Journal, and The Brooklyn Rail. As a curator, he has organized exhibitions at the National Arts Club, MOCA Connecticut, Leila Heller Gallery, and the Liu Shiming Art Foundation. His current exhibition, Places & Spaces, is at Friedrichs Pontone Gallery in Tribeca.