Artropolis Symposium: Part 3

5–9 pm: Games, listening bar & lounge in Garden Terrace Room, 8th Floor.

5–9 pm: Special curated film playlist in the Bentson Mediatheque, Main Lobby.

5–8 pm: The Distr(act)ion Room by Taoheed & Kaya in the Crosby Room, 9th FLoor.

6–7:30 pm: Live performances by Papa Mbye and HEYARLO in the Walker Cinema.

7:30–9 pm: Live DJ sets from Kwey and Awa Mally in the Garden Terrace Room, 8th floor.

For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.

For questions about accessibility, or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564, or email access@walkerart.org.

Artropolis is a cultural symposium and series of experiential activations that serve as a convergence of creativity in Minneapolis. It is city-making that transforms and reimagines our urban landscape as a dynamic, breathing canvas—celebrating the diverse expressions of artistic vision. From time-bending film screenings to visual art installations and exhibitions, performances, and workshops, Artropolis is a testament to the power of imagination and collaboration. This experiential symposium serves as a platform for dialogue, inviting guests to slow down, connect, share, and play. Artropolis is a manifestation of our desire to congregate intentionally—an understanding that our futures demand collective stewardship, and that it is sacred for people of different races, religions, and backgrounds to come together to hold space for one another. Artropolis is a bus—not with one conductor, but many. It’s horizontal, collaborative, and open. Everyone’s input and voice serve as the driving force. It is a place of development for artists and the community; this series of events hopes to platform artists and ideas, molding an ethos of radical creation, global connectivity, and unfixed, generative futures.

Taoheed Bayo is a multi-hyphenate artist exploring art curation, filmmaking, performance art, community building, and other curiosities. Based in Minneapolis and working nomadically, his practice is rooted in Black diasporic experience and memory, spanning film, movement, and installation to explore identity, ancestral inheritance, and an understanding of endowed responsibilities. He is the editor and art director of Something to Say Magazine and a self-published author of Move, I Dare You. He takes pride in cultivating spaces that foster togetherness, belonging, and care. His work centers on facilitating relationships and rediscovering our shared need for connection, care, and play within the beautiful experiment of our liberatory imagination. Taoheed is the curator of Artropolis and the project lead of the Walker Art Center and Artropolis Guild collaboration.

Ubah “Riiyo” Abdullahi is a worldbuilder and relational architect, embracing experimentation, embodied movement, animism, and visual storytelling to birth life from her interiority. Trained transdisciplinarily in Gender Studies, Sociology, and Critical Theory, her designs seek to weave the spiritual and the material, the ancestral and the ecological, with intentions to explore inherent frictions. In her practice, she leans into participatory art-making as a means to capture and co-curate abundant universes. In this vein, she has founded Nu Aqaal, an experiential design studio bridging theory and art-making that speaks to our contemporary constellations.

Awa Mally is a Minneapolis-based artist and cultural strategist known for her care-driven, community-rooted, and boundary-pushing creative work. Often referred to as “The Mayor” by those familiar with her impact, Awa has played key roles in initiatives like PUREWATERADIO, Reload.it, Black Out Eid, and ITS FACTORY. Her multidisciplinary practice—spanning photography, film, curation, DJing, and design—centers Black joy, expression, and experimentation. Her work doesn’t just engage; it reshapes how people see themselves and their communities.

Brandon “Kwey” Mensah is a Ghanaian American artist, DJ, and cultural curator based in Minneapolis. As the founder of Samambo World, he creates spaces rooted in joy and belonging, in service of a larger vision to connect the African diaspora. His work spans event production, sound curation, and community building, all rooted in rhythm, memory, and a deep belief in the power of gathering. Whether through music, movement, or shared experience, Kwey sees cultural work as a way to heal, uplift, and reimagine what is possible. His practice is grounded in intention, shaped by diasporic influence, and always in conversation with the people it serves.

Philli Irvin, also known as Philosx3 (pronounced Fill-OHs-Three-Times), is a multidisciplinary social practice artist from North Minneapolis, Minnesota. Specializing in event production, immersive installations, 3D/visual art, and illustration, Philli views making as a sanctuary—a space to find balance and interpret the world. Currently, Philli draws on themes of recent history, remembrance, industry, and abstract expressionism. His work aims to create moments of joy and ease that counter the weight of pain and hardship. Through immersive experiences and artifacts, Philli seeks to spark reflection, disrupt routine, and inspire others to move forward with renewed energy and imagination.