Eric Gyamfi
{{Short description|Ghanaian photographer}}
{{Infobox artist
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| alma_mater = University of Ghana
| known_for = Photography
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| awards = {{awd|Foam Paul Huf Award|2019|Fixing Shadows; Julius and I}}
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Eric Gyamfi (born 1990){{cite web|access-date=2023-04-14|title=Eric Gyamfi - Biography|url=https://www.olymcollection.art/artists/37-eric-gyamfi/biography/|website=Olym Collection}} is a Ghanaian photographer, living in Accra{{cite web|access-date=2023-04-15|title=Aperture 227|url=https://aperture.org/magazine/aperture-227/|website=Aperture}} and has held exhibitions in Mampɔn Akuapem, London, Amsterdam, Accra, Vienna, Bamako, Berlin, Tamale, New York, Cape Town and Bamako.
Gyamfi’s practice moves across a range of subjects, from exploring queerness in his home country to investigating how queerness might be embedded within the photographic medium itself.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-15 |title=Eric Gyamfi in Conversation with Lyle Ashton Harris |url=https://www.magnumfoundation.org/events/eric-gyamfi-in-conversation-with-lyle-ashton-harris |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Magnum Foundation |language=en-US}} His recent work turns to a variety of materials and processes—often drawing from phytochemistry and low-tech, elemental approaches—to rethink how images are formed, sensed, or registered{{Cite web |title=Eric Gyamfi: Fixing Shadows – Julius and I {{!}} Exhibition 28 Apr - 2 Sep 2023 {{!}} Autograph London |url=https://autograph.org.uk/exhibitions/eric-gyamfi-fixing-shadows-julius-and-i |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=autograph.org.uk}}{{Cite web |title=Eric Gyamfi |url=https://nataal.com/eric-gyamfi |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=nataal.com |language=en-US}}
Early life and education
Gyamfi holds a B.A in Information studies with Economics from the University of Ghana (2010 to 2014) and an MFA from the Department of painting and sculpture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (2018- 2024).{{Cite web |title=Eric Gyamfi: Fixing Shadows – Julius and I {{!}} Exhibition 28 Apr - 2 Sep 2023 {{!}} Autograph London |url=https://autograph.org.uk/exhibitions/eric-gyamfi-fixing-shadows-julius-and-i |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=autograph.org.uk}} Gyamfi was also a fellow at the Photographers’ Master Class (Khartoum, Sudan 2016 and Nairobi, Kenya 2017, Johannesburg, South Africa 2018), After a brief apprenticeship with Veteran Ghanaian Photographer Francis Nii Obodai Provençal. He also participated in the Nuku Studio Photography Workshops (2016) and World Press Photo West African Master Class (2017), both in Accra.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-15 |title=Eric Gyamfi in Conversation with Lyle Ashton Harris |url=https://www.magnumfoundation.org/events/eric-gyamfi-in-conversation-with-lyle-ashton-harris |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Magnum Foundation |language=en-US}}
Life and work
The series Just Like Us documents queer individuals and communities in Ghana, "to show queer people exist and that they are like anyone else"{{Cite news |last=Eshun |first=Ekow |date=2020-03-15 |title=‘A queer person can be anybody’: the African photographers exploring identity |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/mar/15/africa-state-of-mind-extract-ekow-eshun?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} Made in black and white, the photographs as described by Ekow Eshun in The Guardian, are "an intimate evocation of everyday life, titled with studied plainness: Ama and Shana at lunch; Kwasi at Kokrobite beach; Atsu during dance; Kwasi in bed. When queerness is regarded as the opposite of normality, the answer, suggests Gyamfi, is to insist on the very ordinariness of the people being documented and in so doing declare them as individually complex as everyone else."{{Cite news |last=Eshun |first=Ekow |date=2020-03-15 |title=‘A queer person can be anybody’: the African photographers exploring identity |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/mar/15/africa-state-of-mind-extract-ekow-eshun?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} His work has been featured in A Diagnosis of Time: Unlearn What You Have Learned (Red Clay Studio, Tamale, Ghana 2021),{{Cite web |last=Article |first=Rebecca Anne Proctor ShareShare This |date=2021-09-20 |title=Beyond Amoako Boafo: The Next Emerging Names You Need to Know in Accra, Ghana's Rapidly Accelerating Art Hub |url=https://news.artnet.com/market/seven-emerging-artists-in-accra-ghana-2009184 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}} Ecologies and Politics of the Living (Vienna Biennale, 2021),{{Cite web |last=world |first=STIR |title=Climate care and planet love inform the Vienna Biennale for Change 2021 |url=https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-climate-care-and-planet-love-inform-the-vienna-biennale-for-change-2021?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.stirworld.com |language=English}} The 11th and 12th Bamako Encounters (Musée National du Mali/Mémorial Modibo Kéita, 2017/2019),{{Cite web |title=12th Bamako Encounters: Streams of Consciousness |url=https://artreview.com/ar-march-2020-review-12th-bamako-encounters/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=artreview.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Gyamfi, Eric {{!}} African Film Festival, Inc. |url=https://africanfilmny.org/directors/eric-gyamfi/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en-US}} Fixing Shadows: Julius and I (FOAM, 2019/2020, Autograph, 2023), the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival (Forum Expanded, Betonhalle, Silent Green, Arsenal —Institute for Film and Video Art– 1& 2, 2024),{{Cite web |title={{!}} Berlinale {{!}} Archive {{!}} News & Topics {{!}} Berlinale Topics |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/2024/topics/forum-expanded-2024.html |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.berlinale.de |language=en}} The New York African Film Festival (Brooklyn Academy of Music 2023, The Africa Center 2024),{{Cite web |title=The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo {{!}} African Film Festival, Inc. |url=https://africanfilmny.org/event/the-art-of-ama-ata-aidoo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en-US}} Punya 2.0 (Kunsthallbern, Switzerland, 2024), Kɔηsεt Pāti (Accra, Ghana, 2025) and others{{Cite web |title=Punya 2.0 |url=https://past.kunsthalle-bern.ch/-ausstellungen/2024/punya-20/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Kunsthalle Bern |language=de}}
Exhibitions
=Solo exhibitions=
- See Me See You, Nubuke Foundation, Accra, 2016/17[7]{{Cite web |title=See Me See You — Nubuke Foundation |url=https://nubukefoundation.com/see-me-see-you?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=nubukefoundation.com}}
- Gyamfi Just Like Us: Constellations, Goethe-Institut, Johannesburg, 2017/18[8]{{Cite web |last=Times |first=The Rustin |date=2017-09-22 |title=Goethe-Institut Johannesburg Presents “Just Like Us: Constellations” by Eric Gyamfi |url=https://therustintimes.com/2017/09/22/goethe-institut-johannesburg-presents-just-like-us-constellations-by-eric-gyamfi/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=The Rustin Times |language=en-US}}
- Fixing Shadows; Julius and I (FOAM) 2019{{Cite web |title=Foam Paul Huf Award winner 2019: Eric Gyamfi {{!}} Now at Foam |url=https://www.foam.org/events/eric-gyamfi-fixing-shadows |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.foam.org |language=en}}
- The Things That Are Left Hanging In The Air Like A Rumour, Center For Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) Mampɔn Akuapem{{Cite web |title=Eric Gyamfi: The Things That Are Left, Hanging In The Air Like A Rumor |url=https://contemporaryand.com/exhibition/eric-gyamfi-the-things-that-are-left-hanging-in-the-air-like-a-rumor/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Contemporary And |language=de}}
- Fixing Shadows: Julius and I, Autograph ABP, London{{Cite web |title=Eric Gyamfi: Fixing Shadows – Julius and I {{!}} Exhibition 28 Apr - 2 Sep 2023 {{!}} Autograph London |url=https://autograph.org.uk/exhibitions/eric-gyamfi-fixing-shadows-julius-and-i |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=autograph.org.uk}}
=Group exhibitions=
- 2016, “Asylum”, Lagos Photo, Lagos, Nigeria{{Cite web |title='Rituals and Performance' LagosPhoto Festival 2016 in Nigeria |url=https://contemporaryand.com/magazines/rituals-and-performance-lagosphoto-festival-2016-in-nigeria/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Contemporary And |language=de}}
- 2016, “Witches of Gambaga”, San Jose Foto Festival, San Jose, Uruguay{{Cite web |last=Gianzo |first=Jaime Fernández |date=2016-02-12 |title=Eric Gyamfi: Tradición e identidad · Wiriko |url=https://www.wiriko.org/wiriko/eric-gyamfi-tradicion-e-identidad/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Wiriko |language=es}}
- 2018, “Just Like Us; Drama Queens”, Nubuke foundation/Gallery, Accra, Ghana.{{Cite web |last=Ranganathan |first=Deepa |date=2018-08-17 |title=When you wanna be a Drama Queen! |url=https://youngfeministfund.org/wanna-drama-queen/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=FRIDA {{!}} Young Feminist Fund |language=en-US}}
- 2018, “Just Like Us”, Africa state of mind, New Art Exchange, Nottingham, UK{{Cite web |title=Africa State of Mind |url=https://www.nae.org.uk/event/africa-state-of-mind/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=New Art Exchange {{!}} NAE |language=en-US}}
- 2019, “A Certain Bed”, Foam Talent, Beaconsfield Gallery, London, UK{{Cite web |last=beaconsfield |date=2019-05-08 |title=FOAM TALENT {{!}} LONDON 2019 - Beaconsfield |url=https://beaconsfield.ltd.uk/projects/foam-talent-london-2019/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Beaconsfield - |language=en-GB}}
- 2019, “ Just Like Us”, Africa State of Mind, Impressions Gallery, Bradford, UK{{Cite web |title=Africa State of Mind |url=https://www.impressions-gallery.com/event/africa-state-of-mind/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Impressions |language=en}}
- 2019, “A Certain Bed”, Foam Talent, The Cube, Eschborn- Frankfurt, DE{{Cite web |title=Foam Talent exhibition at Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation in Frankfurt |url=https://www.foam.org/events/foam-talent-frankfurt |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.foam.org |language=en}}
- 2019, “Fixing Shadows: Julius and I”, 12th Bamako encounters, bamako, ML
- 2020, “Just Like Us”, African Cosmologies; Photography, Time and the Other, fotoFest Biennale, Texas, USA{{Cite web |title=FotoFest Biennial 2020 – Home – FotoFest |url=https://fotofest.org/biennial2020 |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en-US}}
- 2021, “Trade winds and Shadow objects; North by South East”, A Diagnosis of Time; Unlearn What You Have Learned, Redclay Studio, Tamale, GH {{Cite web |last=Article |first=Rebecca Anne Proctor ShareShare This |date=2021-09-20 |title=Beyond Amoako Boafo: The Next Emerging Names You Need to Know in Accra, Ghana's Rapidly Accelerating Art Hub |url=https://news.artnet.com/market/seven-emerging-artists-in-accra-ghana-2009184 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}
- 2022, “Teak Atlas: From Where do we begin” Tracing Emerging Ecologies, Tamale{{Cite web |date=2022-11-12 |title=Tracing Emerging Ecologies |url=https://www.nukustudio.org/exhibitions/tracing-emerging-ecologies |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Nuku Studio |language=en-US}}
- 2022, “TeakAtlas: FromWheredowebegin”ADifferentNowIsCloseEnoughToExhaleOnYou, Capetown, SA{{Cite web |title=A Different Now is Close Enough to Exhale on You - Goodman Gallery Johannesburg - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery |url=https://goodman-viewingroom.exhibit-e.art/viewing-room/a-different-now-is-close-enough-to-exhale-on-you |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=goodman-viewingroom.exhibit-e.art |language=en}}
- 2023, “What’chu Looking at? Who you Speaking with?”: A Gazing all round, Valleta, Malta{{Cite web |title=“WHAT'CHU LOOKING AT? WHO YOU SPEAKING WITH?" A GAZING ALL ROUND |url=https://kreattivita.org/event/whatchu-looking-at-who-you-speaking-with-a-gazing-all-round/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Fondazzjoni Kreattività |language=en-US}}
- 2023, “Teak Atlas: From where do we begin” Ecologies of Elsewhere, Contemporary art Center, Cincinnati, US {{Cite web |title=Ecologies of Elsewhere {{!}} February 10, 2023 {{!}} Contemporary Arts Center |url=https://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/experience/exhibitions/2023/02/ecologies-of-elsewhere |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.contemporaryartscenter.org |language=en-US}}
- 2023, “Teak Atlas: From Where Do we Begin”, Worldmaking, Mitchelle-Innes & Nash Gallery, New York, USA {{Cite web |title=Worldmaking - Co-curated by Gideon Appah & Ylinka Barotto - Exhibitions - Mitchell-Innes & Nash |url=https://www.miandn.com/exhibitions/worldmaking |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.miandn.com |language=en}}
- 2023, “Certain Winds From The South”, African Film Festival, New York, USA {{Cite web |title=Certain Winds from the South {{!}} African Film Festival, Inc. |url=https://africanfilmny.org/films/certain-winds-from-the-south/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en-US}}
- 2023, “Certain Winds From The South”, Nuku Studio, Tamale GH {{Cite web |date=2023-08-18 |title=“Certain Winds from the South”: film by Eric Gyamfi screening at Nuku Studio in Tamale |url=https://www.nukustudio.org/media-centre-content/certain-winds-from-the-south?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Nuku Studio |language=en-US}}
- 2023, “Certain Winds From the South” Savannah Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA), Tamale, GH {{Cite web |title=SCCA Tamale |url=https://www.sccatamale.org/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=SCCA TAMALE |language=en}}
- 2023, “Teak Atlas: The Situation in Ljubljana”, 35th Ljubljana Biennale for Graphic Arts, Ljubljan {{Cite web |title=Eric Gyamfi • 35 GB |url=https://35.bienale.si/en/artists/eric-gyamfi/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=35.bienale.si}}
- 2024, “Certain Winds From The South”, Pa Gya literary Festival, FCA, Accra, GH
- 2024, “Certain Winds From The South”, New York African Film Festival, New York, USA {{Cite web |title=Certain Winds from the South {{!}} African Film Festival, Inc. |url=https://africanfilmny.org/films/certain-winds-from-the-south/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en-US}}
- 2024, “ Wandering through Bern on a new day” Punya 2.0, Kunsthallbern, Switzerland, CH {{Cite web |title=Punya 2.0 |url=https://past.kunsthalle-bern.ch/en/-exhibitions/2024/punya-20/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Kunsthalle Bern |language=en}}
- 2024, “Certain Winds From The South”, 74 Berlinale, Forum Expanded, Germany, DE {{Cite web |title={{!}} Berlinale {{!}} Archive {{!}} Programme {{!}} Programme |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/2024/programme/202406916.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.berlinale.de |language=en}}
- 2025, “Certain Winds From The South, “Kɔηsεt Pāti” Accra, GH{{Cite web |title=Kɔηsεt Pāti: A Playful Reinterpretation of Moving Image Through the Lens of Movement and Migration |url=https://guestartistsspace.com/News/k%C9%94%CE%B7s%CE%B5t-p%C4%81ti-a-playful-reinterpretation-of-moving-image-through-the-lens-of-movement-and-migration?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=guestartist |language=en-GB}}
Awards
- 2016: Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund grant, Magnum Photos for See You See Me{{cite web |last1=Naughton |first1=Jake |date=4 April 2017 |title=Photos That Celebrate Ghana's L.G.B.T. Community |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/photos-celebrate-ghana-lgbt-community/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=The New York Times}}{{cite magazine|access-date=2023-04-14|title=Time Exclusive: Magnum Emergency Fund Announces 2016 Grantees|url=https://time.com/4268020/magnum-emergency-fund-2016/|magazine=Time|date=23 March 2016 }}
- 2019: Foam Paul Huf Award from Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, a £20,000 award, for all his work to date, including Fixing Shadows; Julius and I{{cite web |last1=Smyth |first1=Diane |title=Eric Gyamfi wins the Foam Paul Huf Award |url=https://www.1854.photography/2019/03/gyamfi-paul-huf/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=British Journal of Photography}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.olymcollection.art/artists/37-eric-gyamfi/biography/}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_y2R7SYKag&t=257s "Eric Gyamfi, Just Like Us"] (video)
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Category:Documentary photographers
Category:Ghanaian photographers
Category:21st-century Ghanaian artists