The British Council is pleased to announce that Ese Onojeruo has been selected as the Shane Akeroyd Associate Curator of the British Council Commission at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, where Lubaina Himid CBE RA will represent the UK with a solo exhibition at the British Pavilion.
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).
Through film, performance, and public programming, Onojeruo develops inclusive frameworks where dialogue, care, and the visibility of marginalised voices are central to the curatorial process. Using curation as a tool to question who is seen, who is heard, and how knowledge is produced within art institutions, her projects - including Curriculum (South London Gallery), Under the Skin (Tate), and History Reverberates (Tate Britain) - centre collective study and explore how race, class, and gender shape access to cultural spaces.
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 the British Council’s Venice Fellowships Programme.
Onojeruo said: “I am thrilled to be appointed Shane Akeroyd Associate Curator for the British Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Lubaina Himid’s practice has long shaped my approach to curating, foregrounding collective learning - drawing from knowledge, strategies and forms of care that emerge from the margins.
I am deeply grateful to the British Council for the opportunity to contribute to this landmark project, and I look forward to learning from their team while also supporting the development of the programme. This role presents an opportunity to build bridges between local and global voices, between the artist and the public, and towards the next generation of creative practitioners in a way that reflects the British Council’s values of openness, equity and dialogue.”
Emma Dexter, Director of Visual Arts and British Council Collection and Commissioner of the British Pavilion, said: “Ese impressed us with her great ideas and huge potential, alongside her range of experience of engaging with different audiences. We are delighted that thanks to Shane Akeroyd, we can offer this unique opportunity for someone to expand their knowledge and experience, and develop new skills and networks.”
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.
The British Council has been responsible for the British Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia since 1937, showcasing the best of the UK's artists, architects, designers and curators. These exhibitions, and the British Council’s Venice Fellowships initiative introduced in 2016, help make the British Pavilion a major platform for discussion about contemporary art and architecture.
For more information visit: https://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/