Still I Rise Within the City by Rapheal Akano
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Acrylic and charcoal on canvas
Dimensions: 24 x 36 in
Year: 2026
Price: $2000.00 USD
Status: available
This artwork tells a story of quiet power and unbreakable identity. The central figure stands with folded arms—not in defiance, but in self-assurance—her gaze lifted beyond the immediate, as if she sees possibilities others cannot yet imagine. Rendered in cool, monochrome tones, she becomes the emotional anchor of the piece, grounded, focused, and deeply Still I Rise Within the City is a tribute to strength that is calm, confidence that is quiet, and a future that is self-made.
Why collect this work?
A frontal figure blocks much of the painted skyline, turning bodily scale and composure into a claim for individual presence within the city.
- Akano’s profile identifies identity, emotion and human connection as central concerns. Here, that focus is concentrated in one self-possessed figure rather than dispersed across an urban crowd.
- In the photograph, folded arms form a strong horizontal barrier while the head turns upward and aside. Repeated towers surround the body, yet the figure remains the composition’s visual anchor.
- The catalogued acrylic and charcoal on canvas support a sharp contrast between dark modelling and saturated architectural blocks. Hatched marks connect the shirt’s folds with the buildings’ broken surfaces.
- Dated 2026 and titled Still I Rise Within the City, the work can be encountered as a study of who commands visibility in representations of urban life.
About the Artist
Rapheal Akano
Rapheal Akano is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: mixed-media. Based in Oyo, NG.
Nationality: Nigerian
Through art, I aim to communicate Beauty of African, emotion, identity, and the subtle details of human experience.
