Ekow Eshun is an curator, author and broadcaster. Hailed as a ‘cultural polymath’ by The Guardian, Ekow Eshun has remained central to international creative discourse for numerous decades, developing major exhibitions, writing influential books, producing documentaries and moderating prestigious public conversations. His extensive portfolio encompasses explorations of identity, aesthetics, contemporary masculinity, visual arts and cultural expression.

Eshun emerged as a pioneering figure in British culture, achieving historic recognition as the first Black editor of a leading UK publication (Arena Magazine in 1997) before setting further precedents as the first Black director of a major cultural institution, serving as director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (2005-2010).

Serving as the Chairman of the commissioning panel for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth, he oversees one of the globe’s most renowned public art initiatives.

In July 2022, Eshun developed In the Black Fantastic at London’s Hayward Gallery, a groundbreaking showcase featuring visionary Black artists examining mythology, speculative fiction and Afrofuturist themes. The exhibition received widespread critical praise, with The Evening Standard declaring, ‘There is unlikely to be a better show this year’.

His latest exhibition, The Time Is Always Now, presents a comprehensive examination of Black representation within contemporary artistic practice.

In 2025 he released Black Earth Rising, a vibrant anthology of work by 100 leading artists of African diasporic, Latin American and Native American identity, featuring over 200 contemporary artworks that interrogate the complex relationships between race, climate crisis and colonialism. Through painting, sculpture, photography, installation and beyond, these works address urgent questions of land, presence, and social justice.

Ekow Eshun’s journalism appears across prestigious publications such as the New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Observer, Esquire and Wired.

At Chelsea Arts Festival, Ekow Eshun will be interviewed at Saatchi Gallery by Katy Wickremesinghe, founder of The Wick.