His fascination with design was sparked by observing the evolving real estate landscape of his hometown and the elaborate remodels shaping its architectural identity.
His graduate thesis examined the spatial dynamics of “Slave Play,” the Tony-nominated production by Jeremy O. Harris that explores themes of race and sexuality.
[3][10][2] Olunkwa has interviewed a diverse range of cultural figures, including artists and designers Jeff Koons, Glenn Ligon, and Marc Newson, curators Thelma Golden and Hamza Walker, architects Rem Koolhaas and Mabel O. Wilson, musicians Oneohtrix Point Never and Devonté Hynes, and writers Mary Gaitskill, Andrea Long Chu, Doreen St. Félix and Sarah Schulman among others.
[14] In June 2020, Olunkwa founded E&Ko., a furniture line of chairs and floral-inspired birch plywood pieces, exhibited alongside artists such as Walter Price, Michael Krebber, Paul Chan, Wade Guyton, and Rachel Harrison at galleries like Greene Naftali in East Hampton, N.
[17] Speaking to The New York Times, Olunkwa remarked, “Pin-Up prides itself on its rigorous optimism, so I want to continue complicating what this idea of ‘architectural entertainment’ can mean.” [4] The first issue under his leadership explored the theme of “Radical Optimism.” [18]