Biographical note

Ekow Eshun is a writer, curator and broadcaster. He is author of the memoir Black Gold of the Sun, nominated for the Orwell Prize for its exploration of race and identity. Hailed by the Guardian as ‘a cultural polymath’, he was the first Black editor of a major magazine in the UK and went on to become the first Black director of a leading British arts institution. He has created documentaries for BBC TV and radio and his writing appears in publications including the Guardian, New York Times and Financial Times.


Described by Vogue as ‘the most inspired – and inspiring – curator in Britain’, Ekow Eshun has curated critically acclaimed exhibitions internationally, from the Hayward Gallery and National Portrait Gallery in London to museums and galleries in Asia, Africa and the United States. He is Chairman of the Fourth Plinth, overseeing Britain’s foremost public art programme. He lives in London.