“Akomfrah’s work is characterised by a rich, multi-layered visual style that is as poetic as it is political”

John Akomfrah was a founding member of the influential Black Audio Film Collective, which started in London in 1982. His work is characterised by a rich, multi-layered visual style that is as poetic as it is political and which frequently fuses contemporary issues with history, fiction and mythology.

Collaging archival film footage, still photography and newsreel with new material, he investigates personal and collective memories, post-colonialism, temporality and aesthetics in works that explore the experience of the African diaspora in Europe and the US.

This publication focuses on three film installations by the artist:

The Airport (2016), a three screen film installation which recalls the work of two filmmaking greats: Stanley Kubrick and Theo Angelopolous.

Auto Da Fé (2016), a diptych that looks at migration through the lens of religious persecution.

Tropikos (2016), a transformation of the landscape of the Tamar Valley in the South West of England into a sixteenth-century port of exploration on the African continent.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition at Lisson Gallery, London, 22 January – 12 March 2016.
Design: Zoë Anspach