Ekow Eshun (born 27 May 1968) is a British writer, journalist, broadcaster, and curator.
Eshun rose to prominence as a trailblazer in British culture. He was the first Black editor of a major magazine in the UK (Arena Magazine in 1997) and continued to break ground as the first Black director of a major arts organisation, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.
Described as a "cultural polymath" by The Guardian, he has been at the heart of creative culture in Britain for several decades, authoring books, presenting TV and radio documentaries, curating exhibitions, and chairing high-profile lectures.
Eshun curated In the Black Fantastic at London's Hayward Gallery in July 2022, a landmark exhibition of visionary Black artists exploring myth, science fiction and Afrofuturism. The show was critically acclaimed, being called "Spectacular from first to last" by The Observer. The Evening Standard said: "There is "There is unlikely to be a better show this year."
As Chairman of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group in Trafalgar Square, Eshun leads one of the most important public arts programmes in the world.
Biography
Ekow Eshun was born in London, England. His family are Fante from Ghana. His father was a supporter of Kwame Nkrumah and was working at the Ghanaian High Commission in London when Nkrumah was overthrown in a military–police coup in February 1966.
Although three years (1971–74) of Eshun's childhood were spent in Accra, for the most part, he was brought up in London, He attended Kingsbury High School in North West London, later reading history and politics at the London School of Economics (LSE). During his time at LSE, he edited both Features and Arts for the student newspaper The Beaver.
Eshun was the director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London from 2005 to 2010, during a period of turmoil for the organisation. Under his directorship, attendance figures rose by 38 per cent from 350,000 to 470,000, and two young artists shown in ICA galleries, Enrico David and Mark Leckey, went on to be nominated for the Turner Prize.
Eshun has appeared as a critic on Saturday Review on BBC Radio 4 and formerly on BBC Two's The Review Show. He appeared in 2009 in the television advertisements for Aviva (formerly Norwich Union). He has also often appeared on More4's topical talk show The Last Word. In 2019, he was the captain of the London School of Economics team on Christmas University Challenge. In October 2021, he wrote and presented White Mischief, a three-part documentary on BBC Radio 4 on the history of whiteness.
Eshun's memoir, Black Gold of the Sun: Searching for Home in England and Africa, published in 2005, deals with a return trip to Ghana, Ghanaian history, and matters of identity and race. Black Gold of the Sun was nominated for an Orwell Prize in 2006.
He is the younger brother of writer Kodwo Eshun.
Curator
Since 2015, Ekow Eshun has worked as an independent curator working internationally on shows which often focus on race and identity.
The Time Is Always Now
The Time is Always Now is a show that Eshun curated for the National Portrait Gallery, opening in February 2024. It was a major study of the Black figure – and its representation in contemporary art. The exhibition showcased the work of contemporary artists from the African diaspora, including Michael Armitage, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Amy Sherald, highlighting the use of figures to illuminate the richness and complexity of Black life. As well as surveying the presence of the Black figure in Western art history, we examine its absence – and the story of representation told through these works, as well as the social, psychological and cultural contexts in which they were produced.
In the Black Fantastic
Eshun curated In the Black Fantastic at the Hayward Gallery in London in July 2022, a landmark exhibition of visionary Black artists exploring myth, science fiction and Afrofuturism. The show was critically acclaimed, being called "Spectacular from first to last" by The Observer. The Evening Standard said: "There is unlikely to be a better show this year." The show also toured to the Kunsthal in Rotterdam.
To accompany his book and exhibition, In the Black Fantastic, Eshun curated a season of visionary films exploring Black existence through sci-fi, myth and Afrofuturism at the British Film Institute.