Ekow Eshun

  Powerlistee
  Arts, Fashion & Design

Described as a “cultural polymath” by The Guardian, Ekow Eshun has been a fixture on the British arts scene since the 1990s, when he became the first Black editor of a major UK magazine — men’s style title Arena. He went on to break ground as director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London from 2005 to 2010, making him the first Black director of a major arts organisation. He has written books, presented radio documentaries, curated exhibitions, and delivered high-profile lectures.

In July 2022, Ekow curated In the Black Fantastic at London’s Hayward Gallery, a landmark exhibition of visionary Black artists exploring myth, science fiction, and Afrofuturism. The show was critically acclaimed, applauded as “spectacular from first to last” by The Observer. The Time is Always Now was a 2024 show curated by Eshun for the National Portrait Gallery, 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.

Ekow’s 2005 memoir, Black Gold of the Sun: Searching for Home in England and Africa, dealt with a return trip to Ghana, Ghanaian history, and issues of identity and race. It was nominated for an Orwell Prize in 2006. His most recent book, The Strangers, was published by British publishing house Hamish Hamilton last year and named a Book of the Year by the Times Literary Supplement.

Ekow continues to write for publications including The New York Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian, and has been a contributing editor at Wallpaper, penning influential thought pieces exploring style, masculinity, race, and the changing face of modern Britain. He is chair of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group in Trafalgar Square.

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