AKINTOLA HANIF

Akintola Hanif is a Brooklyn-born, Newark-based documentary filmmaker and photojournalist whose work explores the depths of humanity through documentary portraiture. His photographs are both stylized and unflinchingly honest, capturing the beauty, resilience, and complexity of people and places often overlooked. Rooted in the streets of Newark, Hanif uses his camera not just as a tool for observation, but as a bridge—building long-term relationships with his subjects and communities.

Inspired by the legacies of Gordon Parks and his mentor Jamel Shabazz, Hanif continues the tradition of portraying poor and working-class people of color with dignity and truth. His iconic mural along Route 21 stands as a public testament to that mission—an ode to Newark's youth and a quiet commentary on global class inequity.

In 2017, Hanif survived a debilitating stroke that threatened to silence his voice as an artist. The experience became a turning point—pushing him to explore vulnerability, survival, and humanity with a renewed sense of urgency and purpose.

His work has been exhibited in solo and group shows at major institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the New Jersey State Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and the Guggenheim Museum, among others. In 2016, he contributed to the longest mural on the East Coast, with a 180-foot-long piece in Newark. His work has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Village Voice, MTV, and others, and he has completed commissions for Prudential, Red Bull, and Starbucks.

In 2011, Hanif founded HYCIDE—a groundbreaking photojournalism and arts magazine dedicated to documenting survival, freedom, and the lives of marginalized people worldwide. The full archive of HYCIDE has been acquired by institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the Schomburg Center, the International Center of Photography, and the Newark Public Library.