Emeka Okereke (born 1980) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

photographer,

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, writer and visual artist who lives and works in Lagos and Berlin. Okereke is the cofounder of the Invisible Borders Trans-African Photographers Organisation. In 2018, he received Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the

Government of France The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

Education

Emeka received a Master's from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris (The National Superior school of fine arts of Paris) in 2008.

Career

In 2009, Okereke founded The Invisible Borders Trans-African Organisation, a collective of artists whose projects include the Invisible Borders Trans-African Road Trip and The Trans-African, a journal of African arts and visual culture. His installation 'A Trans-African Workspace', was exhibited at the 56th

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

in 2015. In summer of 2018, Okereke guest lectured at the Summer Academy of Fine Arts, Salzburg, Austria. In 2018, he was awarded Chevalier De l’Ordre Des Arts et Des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) from the French Government, in recognition of his significant contributions to the arts in Africa and Europe.

Selected exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

* 2018: "Exploring a Void".

Salzburger Kunstverein The Salzburger Kunstverein is a contemporary art organisation that specialises in art exhibitions. It is located in Salzburg, Austria, and is housed in the Künstlerhaus, which was built in 1885. The Salzburger Kunstverein organizes between ten ...

, Salzburg Austria (Solo Exhibition) * 2008 Bagamoyo – Photography and the Useful Space / Maputo-Catembe – Maputo, Mozambique

Group exhibitions

* 2017 * Collective Thinking, For Freedoms / Aperture Foundation – New York, United States * 2017 * Collectivism. Collectives and Their Quest For Value / Amsterdam Photography Museum (Foam) – Amsterdam, Netherlands * 2018: "Whose Land Have I Lit on Now?", Savvy Contemporary Berlin * 2016 * No Borders / Gallery Dominique Fiat, – Paris, France * 2016 * Unseen Art Photo Fair / Unseen Amsterdam – Amsterdam, Netherlands * 2015 * 56th Venice Biennale /

– Venice, Italy

Publications

* 2018 * Countering Western Hegemony Through Trans-African Exchange * 2017 * Africulture- Le Grand Palais n’aurait pas pu être construit sans l’exploitation coloniale de l’Afrique * 2017 * ContemporaryAnd : The Neighbour-Hood Project * 2016 * Trans-Africanism: An Urban Essay in The New African Magazine * 2015 * Black Portraitures: Whose Black Is it? in Minor Literatures * 2013 * Artscape by Al Jazeera- Emeka Okereke: Invisible Borders * 2013 * Okay Africa- Emeka Okereke on Photography And a World of Possibilities

Awards and honours

2018 – Chevalier De l’Ordre Des Arts et Des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) 2016 Nominee, Prix Elysée for Photography (2016–2018) 2016 Long list nominee,

Prix Pictet The Prix Pictet (Pictet prize) is an international award in photography. It was founded in 2008 by the Geneva-based Pictet Group with the mandate to use the power of photography to communicate messages about sustainability to a global audience. Its ...

, 2016 2009 Artist of the Year,

The Future Awards Africa The Future Awards Africa (previously known as The Future Awards) are a set of awards given by The Future Project, a social enterprise communications firm affiliated to Red Africa. The awards are intended to celebrate young people between the ag ...

2008 Winner, Visa Pour la Creation for project "Bagamoyo", Maputo Mozambique 2004 TV5, Paris Prize for Best Photography at the Exhibition "Made in Africa", Milan Italy. 2003 Best Young Photographer of the 5th Festival of photography. Bamako, Mali.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okereke, Emeka 1980 births Living people People from Aba, Nigeria Nigerian photographers Nigerian filmmakers École des Beaux-Arts alumni Nigerian male writers