Image in background is a section of artwork, "The Spinning Wheel (somewhere at the center of the earth)," by Helena Westra
Kennii Ekundayo is an art history PhD candidate, whose work examines the role of visual culture in U.S. war histories from the nineteenth century to the present. Her research investigates how art has been mobilized to narrate, justify, resist, and memorialize violence, with particular attention to images not only as representations, but as active forces shaping public consciousness and political life in times of conflict.
Raised in Jos, Nigeria, her interest in art’s relation to conflict grew in part from formative experiences of personal and collective crises, which continue to inform her approach to studying war, survival, and peace. Since moving to the United States in 2022, she has integrated field-based research at historical sites with archival study, bringing together firsthand encounters with the landscapes of American war histories.
An established art curator, Ekundayo has organized notable international exhibitions including at Austria-based Ars Electronica, and a 60-year-spanning retrospective of eminent Nigerian artist, Bruce Onobrakpeya, at the SDSU Gallery in 2022. She has also served on the juries for various art and education initiatives, including Repaint History, reflecting her ongoing commitment to expanding access to both art and education.
Her interests also extend to the evolution of artistic processes over time--exploring interpretations of human connections and the interplay between art and place.
Ekundayo earned her MA in Liberal Arts from San Diego State University. Her thesis, Retelling the Story of Place: Aestheticizing the Double Jeopardy of Flooding in Brazil and Nigeria, offers a comparative analysis of artistic interventions to the flood disasters in Brazil and Nigeria.
Her writings have appeared in exhibition catalogs and academic publications, and she is a recipient of the Jeanette and William Hayden Jones Fellowship in American Art and Culture.
Teaching at Stanford:
- Winter 2026: Modern Africa - Art and Decolonization (Teaching Assistant)
- Fall 2025: Queer America - Art, Photography and Politics (Teaching Assistant)