Silver Eye

In collaboration with Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Emerging Visions presents works by Pittsburgh-based artists Sobia Ahmad, Anqwenique Kinsel and Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum.

Displayed on the windows of currently vacant storefronts, this public-facing, multi-site exhibition aims to provide transportive and meaningful encounters in an environment that tens of thousands of residents, workers, and passers by experience every day.

Participating artists and locations

Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum’s works grace the first-floor façade of the May Building at 529 Liberty Avenue. As a self-taught artist, Mensah-Agyekum primarily works with photography, fashion, and film. Evangeline draws inspiration from the banalities of daily life and the Black experience to explore Blackness, womanhood, and the unique intersections of identity. Much of her work aims to capture individuals, in part by transforming them, portraying undaunted characters through their vulnerability.

Anqwenique Kinsel's piece Legacy (2018) features at 604 Liberty Avenue. Anqwenique is a versatile artist and educator known for her talents in opera, classical, jazz, and soul music. As the founder and director of Groove Aesthetic, she delves into contemporary performance and collaborative processes. Legacy pays tribute to the legendary Leontyne Price, the first African American operatic soprano to achieve international recognition.

Sobia Ahmad's Stay Awhile (2023) adorns 817 Liberty Avenue. Ahmad's ongoing body of work centers on Pando, an ancient aspen tree grove in south-central Utah, believed to be over 10,000 years old. Unified by a single immense root system, Pando stands as the earth's oldest and heaviest living organism, embodying interconnectedness and oneness. Ahmad's art explores the transcendental power of everyday experiences, objects, and practices through various slow and contemplative processes.