Ghanaian-born artist John Akomfrah has been chosen by the British Council to represent the UK at next year's Venice Biennale.
Akomfrah is known for his critiques on racial politics in the UK, both through Black Audio Film Collective, the group that he co-founded in 1982, and later through his solo practice.
“It is a huge privilege and an honour to be asked to represent the UK at the 60th Venice Biennale,” he said. “I’m grateful to be given a moment to explore the complex history and significance of this institution and the nation it represents.”
Akomfrah’s art unravels the complexities of postcolonial Britain, in particular Handsworth Songs (1986), Black Audio Film Collective’s debut work. The film responds to the race riots of 1985 in Birmingham and London through inventive devices such as a fracturing of the narrative, discordant music and a mix of types of footage.
An homage to the British-Jamaican postcolonial thinker Stuart Hall, The Unfinished Conversation (2012) uses overlapping archival footage across three screens to recreate a life story. The three-channel installation Four Nocturnes (2019) ties the history of colonialism in Africa with the rhetoric of contemporary nature documentaries.
In the 1980s and 1990s, together with David Lawson and Lina Gopaul, Akomfrah's co-founders at Black Audio Film Collective, the group positioned themselves outside the mainstream of British contemporary art. Instead they aligned themselves with the worlds of music and film.
Their exploration of racial politics also differentiated them from the Young British Artists, whose work dominated the 1990s. Later, Akomfrah’s penchant for theatricality and high-definition video put him aesthetically at odds with currents of British contemporary art that favoured a more conceptual style.
But the art world caught up and the decade from 2010 was a productive one. Akomfrah began showing with the renowned gallery Lisson. He won the prestigious Artes Mundi Prize in 2017 and participated in the Ghana Pavilion at the Venice Biennale with Four Nocturnes in 2019.
Support for his work has also come from beyond the UK. The Sharjah Art Foundation was a co-commissioner of Four Nocturnes, he has shown works at the Sharjah Biennial and he has participated in its March Meetings. Akomfrah will also be part of next month's Sharjah Biennial, curated by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi.
Akomfrah said about the Venice Biennale commission: “I see this invitation as recognition of, and a platform for, all those I have collaborated with over the decades and who continue to make my work possible.”
Scroll through images below of Arab representation at Venice Biennale 2022
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
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- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
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