Best of Both Worlds

From the age of seven, Dubem Okafor created worlds for himself through his art. Equipped with a Nintendo DSi and expansive mental archives of his favorite anime shows, he began creating his own comic strips both digitally and in sketchbooks. Dubem’s natural attraction to creating and relating to different worlds could never be stifled or diminished, try as he might have.

Raised in Roslindale, Massachusetts, Dubem describes his upbringing as being formed by the people around him. Dubem’s parents emigrated from Nigeria, which he credits as the reason for his extended familial nucleus. The line between family and friends was often blurred by the many occasions when he discovered he was actually not a blood relative to someone he knew as aunt or uncle. His family inspired and motivated him to pursue great things while also balancing the expectation of financial stability. While Dubem may have wanted to attend the Boston Arts Academy to pursue his passion for drawing and design, he decided to attend the Urban Science Academy instead.

"As an artist, no matter how big you are, you’re probably never working a salary. That lack of consistency is really damning, and coming from an immigrant family, that is such an important facet."

When he got to high school, Dubem recalls trying his hardest to appease standards of normalcy by playing football and keeping his love of art under wraps. During his freshman year, however, he describes what was truly the genesis of his artistic journey: the donut poem he wrote for his English class. His teacher Mrs. Minchenko read Dubem’s poem about a donut and convinced him to join the poetry club. It was in this club that Dubem found his love for slam poetry, and later would be convinced (again by Mrs. Minchenko) to apply for the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) Teen Arts Council.

"Being at the Teen Arts Council dynamically changed my understanding of what an artist is. Being an artist is not about the practice, it's about the lifestyle of the artist, it’s about you transferring your emotions, understanding…thought process…through your medium.”

Although Dubem had found sanctuary in art, his family still viewed his poetry as a mere phase of teenage rebellion. Within the context in which he was raised, Dubem understood that he couldn’t afford going to art school where his professional prospects may be limited. In turn, he decided to attend Lasell University in Newton, initially studying law and social services before switching to communications. This switch was a compromise of sorts, allowing Dubem to study what interested him while also managing the expectations of his family. Focused on his academics, Dubem still continued to develop his love for graphic design and drawing, both in and out of school.

After graduating college, Dubem continued to straddle two worlds: his desire to follow his passion, and his desire to appease his family’s wishes. He worked as an intern and then a teaching artist at the ICA, made music, and became part of a creative agency called “Colours” where he works to this day as a graphic designer, merchandise designer, and curator. While he was being hired for various painting and graphic design commissions, the pressure to find a “tangible” job was still ever-present.

In 2023, Dubem was winding down from producing a fully staged solo theater production. With his creative agency,?Colours, at a standstill, he felt lost in a sea of people congratulating him on his show. It was around this time that he heard about Artists For Humanity's (AFH) Artists Fellowship and immediately knew it would be his next step. At a critical moment in his career when he was considering a shift to pursue a non-art-related job, he got the call that he was accepted into the Fellowship.

For Dubem, the AFH fellowship has been transformative, providing not just financial stability, but also a chance to focus on his art in a way he hadn't been able to before. As someone whose primary projects have been commission-based or for the people around him, the Fellowship has allowed him the opportunity to create and exhibit his work. Dubem was a kid who found himself through his artwork, so the opportunity to realize his own ideas years later without financial pressures has been revitalizing, to say the least.

Dubem's personal project for the Fellowship, entitled "Boston Apocalypto," is a reflection of his experiences growing up and working as a Boston artist. He describes the project as a triptych of edited Google Maps' screenshots from three distinct areas of Boston: Downtown, Mattapan, and Fields Corner in Dorchester. Between the areas, Dubem aims to incorporate various mediums that will represent his vision for a futuristic Boston and the underrepresentation of places like Dorchester in the art world. The final presentation will incorporate traditional acrylic on canvas that represents Downtown, mixed media that represents Mattapan, and a fully digital animation that represents the full possibility of Fields Corner.

In being given the opportunity to create this project, Dubem knew he wanted to create a piece of work that felt authentic to his upbringing and relationship to the art world. In more ways than one, Dubem has felt unseen in his creative pursuits, and this project is his way of bringing a voice to underrepresented artists and neighborhoods. Throughout the creative process, he has been able to revisit old sketches and comic strips from when he was a kid, drawing inspiration from what originally drew him to art: the ability to create new worlds.?

"My work, my creative DNA, is so much about expressing myself transparently and trying to induce other people to express themselves transparently.”

Reminiscent of the 2000s Disney show “Hannah Montana,” Dubem playfully describes his life now as “the best of both worlds.” Balancing different communities that love him dearly, he is able to find space for himself in any space he enters. While at times there can be tension between such important facets of his life, he chooses to be grateful for having it all. For now, Dubem is happy living his Hannah Montana lifestyle and searching for all the worlds he has yet to explore.

Written by Loey Waterman, AFH Tisch Summer Fellow.

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Dubem and the other four 2024 Artists Fellows look forward to sharing their artwork and journey during the Fellowship’s culminating exhibition at AFH’s Open Studio on October 29. There is a Prescreening today, October 25, with Directors' Cuts and a moderated Artists' Talk from 6-8pm at the AFH EpiCenter at 100 W 2nd St. in Boston. Tickets available now!

You can follow Dubem and his creative journey on Instagram @ckcotonline and on his website .