Akinsanya Kambon channels African ancestry in sculpture exhibition at the Crocker

Akinsanya Kambon has been referred to by a number of different names throughout his life, with his current alias translating to “hero avenger of the people.”

He’s certainly always been in the public eye. As a member of the Black Panthers in Sacramento, he illustrated the controversial “Black Panthers Coloring Book.” In 1970, he was part of the Oak Park Four, a group of men put on trial for killing a Sacramento police officer. The charges were dropped. The hubbub over the coloring book faded. Kambob’s work goes on.

Born Mark Teemer in 1946, Kambon’s artistry places the intersection of identity, history and culture paramount in “American Expressions/African Roots,” a collection of sculptures at the Crocker Art Museum that opened during Black History Month.

The Sacramento-raised artist has traded in his Black Panther beret for a black leather trilby adorned with emblems and pins ranging from a purple heart, a Marine Corps shield and totems of African culture.

His work now isn’t about America, Sacramento or politics. Kambon recently toiled on a piece in the garage of his Sacramento home while relaying the influence of his Yoruban ancestry, along with the art, culture and history of other West African tribes on his work.

“There’s no sense on me calling on the ancestor spirits to come in here and help me with this, but I’ll probably call on them later on when I’m getting closer to what this is going to be. But at this point, I have no idea what it is,” Kambon said. “The ancestor spirits just come and they possess me, and they control my hands. I really never know what I’m doing.”

The artist says the meaning and identity of his work typically escapes him until a piece has been completed.

Kambon picked up the Western-style raku firing technique in the 1970s at Sacramento City College. The artist’s work frequently depicts prominent West African figures, leaders and deities, which Kambon’s work realizes with assistance from his ancestors and an accompanying troupe of drummers and singers.

“The drum is a mimic of the heartbeat, and as the drummers start beating the drums, they awaken the ancestor spirits,” Kambon said. “And while the fire is going on the ancestor spirits go into the kiln, and they imbue the piece with the spiritual power, or some people call it ‘juju.’ It gets in the piece and gives it the power to do what it does.”

Kambon traces his consciousness to a tour in Vietnam as a combat illustrator and infantryman with the Marines, where black soldiers held meetings dubbed “soul sessions.”

Kambon said the knowledge shared in those meetings was integral to a man who graduated high school reading at a second-grade level. He spent most of his scholastic career losing himself in doodles. Kambon says it was a therapeutic way of dealing with polio and constant bullying, which led to the artist’s involvement in quite a few fights.

Polio continued to affect Kambon in the military, where his fellow soldiers called him “Popeye” because his left eye stayed open while he slept, like the cartoon character.

“I didn’t start becoming conscious of things that were taking place in this country until I got to Vietnam. It’s kind of amazing how you don’t think about the things you do until you start comparing it to how you’re treated,” Kambon said. “All while I was in the Marine Corps. You go through training and they’re teaching us that these Vietnamese are communists and they’ve got all kinds of words for them. I couldn’t even spell communism.”

Post traumatic stress disorder and a wicked cough — stemming from exposure to Agent Orange — still plague Kambon. He uses art to combat the former and cough drops for the latter.

After coming back from Vietnam, Kambon joined the Black Panthers and authored the polarizing Black Panther Coloring Book. Infamously, Kambon was also arrested and put on trial in 1970 for the killing of police officer Bernard Bennett. The officer was struck by a sniper’s bullet while on patrol; according to reporting by The Bee, Kambon and three other men were tried as part of the Oak Park Four but charges were dropped after eight months when a key witness’ testimony was thrown out.

Following his release from jail, Kambon sought out his father along with the threads of his ancestry and heritage.

“First place I went was Ghana, where I met the Ashanti and the Akan,” Kambon said. “I’m meeting all these groups of people in the area. I’m looking at all the artwork that they produced, and I’m fascinated by the art work, and the different styles of artwork among the tribes. Then I started going to Africa as much as I could. Any time I got enough money I got on a flight. I just wanted enough money to get there and get back, and I ‘d figure out how I was going to survive once I got there.”

The influence of those trips to Africa are still obvious in his work decades later. Kambon’s sculptures tackle the evils of slavery as well as more modern issues. A work titled “Oscars So White,” references the African origins of award ceremonies.

During one trip to Africa, the artist found himself touring an old castle, where the guide relayed the building as a venue of many past atrocities. Kambon says it was in this midst of the castle’s turbulent past that he communicated with his ancestors.

“I heard this voice and it said, ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’ I saw all these images of Africans around the room. She says, ‘We need you to teach our children who were stolen about our history, about our culture and about our religion.’ I said, ‘I don’t know anything about that.’ And she said, ‘Don’t worry. We’ve been guiding your hands,’” Kambon said.

“I feel like I’m on the right path. I think it’s a spiritual thing that’s guiding me. And I will continue to do this work until I die.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 2:32 PM.