Monroe O’Bryant

A longtime Grand Rapids resident originally from East New York, NY, Monroe “Aki” O’Bryant is a talented photographer/producer and videographer and owner of the production company, A Fearless Brother Project. Aki’s self-taught skills and passion for the cinema world led him to maintain a studious dedication that influenced his future success in the field of visual arts and production. Aki has been recognized as an upcoming force in the industry and A Fearless Brother Project has created extraordinary and profound music videos, cinematic work, and photography. This local artist is also an ArtPrize veteran whose graphic series entry “Realistic Neglects” was a two-dimensional category juried award winner in 2015. This piece was based on violent crimes against the African American community that occurred in Grand Rapids between 2012-2013. Many of his pieces address the theme of adverse cultural impacts on and injustice towards the black community and contain a level of poignancy that helps to bring awareness to such issues. Aki’s other ArtPrize entries include another series of photographs known as “A Walk In The Park In America” which was submitted in 2017 and his 2018 piece “Unapologenetic” which contains a diverse inclusion of mediums.