Hello, 

Meet Dakarai Akil. If you’ve been admiring our latest Summer Nights street team merch, he’s the one thank for it. Let’s get to know him a little better!

Afro-surrealist collage artist, Dakarai Akil

When did you know you were an artist and who helped you realize that?
My father was a multidisciplinary artist. Very early on, probably around age 5-6 my dad put me in art classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art because he noticed my love for drawing. But back then I wasn't fully aware of what an artist actually was. I don't think I started really identifying as an artist until my late teens. Off top I started off with drawing and making things out of cardboard and paper in my early childhood. By my early teens I discovered graffiti which was right on time for my rebellious years. By my mid to late teens I was into fashion design and illustration with dreams of being a streetwear designer. When I finally got bored of that in my twenties I fully embraced being an artist and saw it as a career path. From there I took collage the furthest I could for myself and molded a career out of it.

Tower2 or 2nd Child

What were you like as a kid?
As a kid my imagination was wild. I lived in my own world and would oftentimes ignore what was going on outside of it. Skateboarding and hip hop were my first loves outside of art. The combination of the three are what perfectly summarize who I am even today. Skateboarding as a culture helped shape my view of the world and have respect for all cultures. True Hip Hop culture helped inform the way I interact with the world. Art has always shaped how I perceive the world. 

What's your favorite thing about your style of art?
My favorite thing is that it lends to key parts of my personality which allows me to fully be me. In order to be a collage artist you have to be a collector. The materials I use are old magazines from the 20th century, photo books and other rare printed materials. I've been obsessed with collecting things my whole life. It started with pogs in the mid-90s then of course pokemon cards and tech decks. Even mentioning those ages me perfectly. (haha)

Now aside from collage materials I also collect records, vinyl figures, shot glasses and magnets from every national park I visit, and slowly starting to build up my art collection. 

The Science Was Weird

Name two favorite artists, one living and one dead and why?
Anyone who really knows me knows that my favorite artist across all disciplines is Madlib. He is my biggest inspiration. What he does musically is what I strive to do visually with my collage work. His work ethic, his deep love for his craft, the technicality of his craft and the soul he puts into his work is something I've admired for decades. Just so I can put it out there in the universe and make it a reality I'll say it here. One day I will work with him. You'll see my collage work as an album cover for Madlib one day God willing. (Check out this live Madlib mix on Chocolate City with Garth Trinidad back in the day.)

Next to Madlib I'd have to say it's a toss-up between Salvador Dali and Robert Williams. Both of these artists are masters of the Surrealist style that has had some influence over me in my years of finding myself as an artist.

Outside of those I don't have very many artists I can call my favorite anymore so what I'll do is utilize this space to shout out a couple of my amazing friends that are artists here in the city. Shout out to my brother Dewey Saunders who's an amazing and accomplished collage artist that I've been collaborating with lately. Shoutout KeilyN who's an amazing emcee based out of LA but from my home state of Ohio.

Curb Ball

What do you hope to show the world?
Through my work I hope to show the versatilities that exist within Blackness as a culture. Black culture is often seen as a monolith which it is not. There are an infinite number of ways to express, be, carry and love Blackness. Hopefully my work adds to what pushes Blackness forward from within our culture and for those outside the culture who wish to understand. 

What food or dish powers your art? The Good Foodie in me has to ask. 
I don't know if there is a food or dish that "powers" my art but I love this as a creative way to ask what my favorite food/dish is. (ha) It's too difficult to pick a favorite dish right now but I will say I recently went to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and had this incredible sauce called Prik Nam Pla. It's spicy and garlicky which are my two favorite tastes. You can use it as a dipping sauce or put it on anything. Rice, ramen, fish etc.

What does the color yellow mean to you (okay, this is my favorite color)?
The color Yellow to me is sunny and happy. When I think of Los Angeles I see the color yellow. So yellow is LA. Yellow is Home.

💛   💛   💛

Check out more of Dakarai’s work and join him on June 8th from 12-6 PM for the opening of his exhibition Everything & Nothing on view through August 11th at the Context Projects Artist Space.

See you out there in your Summer Nights gear (remember, only available in person at the KCRW Street Team booth so RSVP now)! 

Connie Alvarez
Your KCRW Insider since 2001

P.S. A few of you asked about the trick behind my $1 parking from last week’s adventure tale. Hit reply and I’ll explain. Also, one of you (Thomas 👀) wanted Chinese food 🥡 🥢 so bad he made an accidental trek of 12 miles total in Metropolis, IL! He reports that "it turned out to be the #1 Chinese restaurant in the world, or something like that, according to the award ceremony pictures on the wall." 

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Most of us have, at one point or another, experienced a feeling of sadness and longing. That same feeling, however, has inspired some of our most beloved artists. There has always been a connection between despair and creativity. As a means of coping, or lifting spirits, art and creativity can provide an outlet in those rough times. In her new book Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, writer and lecturer Susan Cain explores the nature of sadness — how we’re evolutionarily attuned to cope with life's ups and downs and how, historically, an embrace of those emotions has been viewed as a path to creativity and joy.

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Looking to create lasting sexual connections in your life? Listen in to learn some communication tips to start, build, or rekindle the sex life you desire with your partner(s). Sometimes it’s as simple as asking for what you need, but it’s not always easy to broach those questions without feelings getting hurt. The approach is everything! In this episode, Emily Nagoski, author of Come As You Are and Come Together, gives advice and shares the four questions couples should be asking each other about sex. Plus, the story of how her dog played matchmaker for her and her husband (aww!) 

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Partner Screening: 'Ghostlight'

KCRW and IFC Films invite you to a special advance screening of Ghostlight.

When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.

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To prepare for this Saturday’s Summer Nights event at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, revisit a good ol’ Greater LA story about why the grunion run is so fascinating. “What the heck is a grunion?” you ask. They’re monsters from the ocean depths that come up during full moons to steal your flip-flops and turn you into a hermit crab! JKJKJK, they’re little silvery fish that like to have raves on the beach. Learn why they’re one of nature’s great spectacles, then RSVP to see for yourself. Plus, there’ll be a lot of other fun activities throughout the evening too!