For the British Council to have such a significant British-Ghanaian artist in Venice is an exhilarating moment.
The British Council has announced that it has chosen artist and filmmaker Sir John Akomfrah RA to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Venice Biennale (20 April - 23 November 2024).
Akomfrah, knighted at the start of this year in the King’s New Year UK Honours List, was born in Accra, Ghana, in 1957, but has lived in London since childhood. He first became known in the 1980s as a member of the Black Audio Film Collective (BAFC), a group of seven artists focused on challenging perceptions of the black British community and the country’s colonial legacy. Handsworth Songs, the group’s 1986 film about the Birmingham and London riots, is considered a classic.
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Since the group’s disbandment in the late 90s, Akomfrah has worked solo, carrying on his exploration of black diasporic identities, issues of racial injustice, and the climate crisis. Most recently, Akomfrah has worked on the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.
2024 will not be the first time the artist has appeared at the Venice Biennale, debuting in the main show of the 2015 edition and in the inaugural Ghana Pavilion of the 2019 edition, where his work Four Nocturnes focused on the destruction of the planet via Africa’s decaying elephant population.
Other major works include The Unfinished Conversation (2012), a portrait of the cultural theorist Stuart Hall, Mnemosyne (2010), an account of the hardships faced by migrants in the UK, Vertigo Sea (2015), an installation that analysed the whaling industry alongside images of migrants making journeys across the ocean, and finally his largest installation up to date, Purple (2017), which addressed the climate emergency. In 2017, he won the Artes Mundi prize, the UK’s most important award for international art, with a 40-minute video centred around the theme of mass migration over 400 years of history.
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Upon accepting the commission, Akomfrah said that it was "a huge privilege and honour" to represent Britain at the Biennale. "It is without doubt one of the most exciting opportunities that an artist can be presented with", he added. "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. I’m grateful to be given a moment to explore the complex history and significance of this institution and the nation it represents, as well as its architectural home in Venice – with all the stories it has told and will continue to."
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Skinder Hundal, Global Director of Arts for the British Council and commissioner of the British Pavilion, said in a statement: "With a career spanning four decades, the judges felt that Akomfrah had made a very significant contribution to the UK and international contemporary art scene. John’s inspiring style and narrative has continuously evolved, revealing key ideas and questions about the world we inhabit." He added: "The quality and contextual depth of his artistry never fails to inspire deep reflection and awe. For the British Council to have such a significant British-Ghanaian artist in Venice is an exhilarating moment."
Though few details are known about Akomfrah’s pavilion, his is looking to be one of the most anticipated commissions of the 2024 edition.
