Nana Oforiatta-Ayim
Nowhere Else But Here
Nana Oforiatta-Ayim’s film ‘Nowhere Else But Here’ presents a writerly account of a roadtrip with the Invisible Borders group.
I studied Russian and Politics and worked as a researcher at United Nations before turning to the politics of representation in African art. I did an MA in African Art History at the School of Oriental and African Studies with Professor John Picton, writing my thesis on contemporary Ghanaian art.
After graduating, I worked with African arts publisher Revue Noire in Paris and curated my first exhibition, One, a multidisciplinary exhibition of contemporary Ghanaian art, including work by artists El Anatsui and Owusu Ankomah, designers Selassie Tetevie and Araba Hackman, and musician Panji Anoff at the Liverpool Biennial.
I worked as Associate Co-ordinator of Africa 05 at the British Museum with Dr. Augustus Casely-Hayford, where I coordinated London-wide exhibitions and events of contemporary African arts, including at the National Portrait Gallery, Hayward Gallery, South London Gallery, Camden Arts Centre, BFI, Victoria and Albert Museum, and many others.
In 2005, I curated a number of exhibitions and events, including Healers, with Zwelethu Methetwa, Tracey Rose, Abdoulaye Konate, Loulou Cherinet, Cyprien Tokoudagba and Gera, at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; The Word and Afrofuturism with Kodwo Eshun, Keziah Jones, Zina Saro-Wiwa, Shaheera Asante and Jessica Edwards, at athe Southbank Centre and consulted on Fashion in Motion Africa with Xuly Bet, Joel Andrianmearisoa and Hassan Hajjaj at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
I was awarded an AHRC award to do a PhD on Ayan or Drum Poetry as a philosophical, aesthetic and analytical tool and have presented my research at the Universities of Legon, London, Oxford and Cambridge.
In 2006, I curated Living History, a photography exhibition with Nii Obodai, Thomas Fynn and Samuel Atta at the British Council in Accra.
In 2007, I curated the first Uk exhibition of Ghanaian photographer James Barnor at the Black Cultural Archives and am currently working on a book of his work.
I have written on contemporary African cultures and their trajectories for numerous publications, including The National Geographic, The Statesman, The Dubliner, Arise and Frieze, as well as on programmes like This is My Africa for HBO and Shoot The Messenger for Vox Africa.
After doing the authorised translation of Chris Marker and Alain Resnais' film on African Art, Les Statues Meurent Aussi, I made my first short film, CrossOver, which was shown at festivals, like RAI and the Milan African film festival and nominated for various awards. I made my second short film, A Shred of Identity, last year.