Meet Ese Onojeruo
Ese Onojeruo is a curator and film and video producer based in London. She most recently served as Assistant Curator of the Young People’s Programme at Tate, where she delivered dynamic public programming and digital content to engage global audiences with Tate’s collection, including Late at Tate Britain, and ‘Creative Space’ – a year-long community project in response to Lubaina Himid’s solo exhibition at Tate Modern in 2021.
Previously, Onojeruo was Studio Associate for the artist Anthea Hamilton, where she produced primetime for the Hayward Gallery, 2022 and has produced films for artists including Evan Ifekoya, as well as collaborating with Black Obsidian Sound System on their Turner Prize-nominated film installation, The Only Good System is a Sound System (2021).
Her projects – including Curriculum (South London Gallery), Under the Skin (Tate), and History Reverberates (Tate Britain) – centre on collective study and explore how race, class and gender shape access to cultural spaces. Onojeruo uses curation as a tool to question who is seen, who is heard and how knowledge is produced within art institutions.
Onojeruo’s appointment reflects her expertise in developing inclusive, collaborative public programmes and her skill in mentoring young creatives. The role provides her with the opportunity to gain further experience while contributing to Lubaina Himid’s British Pavilion exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia and supporting our Venice Fellowships Programme.
‘Predicting History: Testing Translation sits in the space of working things out together. It asks us what it means to build together, adapt and make a home in a place not built for you. It has been a privilege to work closely with Lubaina Himid on this installation. Her practice, rooted in care, dialogue and a thoughtful approach to space, has shaped the work profoundly. Her work resists easy answers, instead opening space for generous and thoughtful conversations, grounded in a strong belief in art’s power to change how we see the world and our place within it. I’m grateful to the British Council for the opportunity to help bring this vision to life.’
Ese Onojeruo
Shane Akeroyd Associate Curator of the British Council Commission at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Associate Curators sponsored by Shane Akeroyd
This is the third time this post has been sponsored by British philanthropist and contemporary art collector Shane Akeroyd, who has generously pledged ten years’ worth of support for the Associate Curator of the British Pavilion art exhibitions in Venice.
In 2024, Tarini Malik was appointed as Associate Curator, supporting artist John Akomfrah RA with his installation, Listening All Night To The Rain. In 2022, Associate Curator Emma Ridgway worked with Sonia Boyce OBE RA on the presentation, Feeling Her Way, which was awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Participation.