BIOGRAPHY
b. 1985, London, UK. Lives and works between Amsterdam, NL, London, UK and Lagos, NI
Karimah Ashadu, an artist of British and Nigerian origins, uses experimental modes of moving image capture aided by hand-crafted devices to explore perceptions of self and place.
RED GOLD, 2016
For the Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement, Ashadu presents Red Gold – an experimental short film touching on the socio-economic context of Nigeria. Before Nigeria’s independence in the 1960s, it stood as one of the wolrd’s largest producers and exporters of palm oil, but since the discovery of crude oil, agriculture became a neglected industry. With no help from the government, farmers with skills and land passed down through generations have struggled through the years to sustain their families and keep their craft alive. Focusing on a group of hardy palm oil farmers in Ekiti State, Western Nigeria, Ashadu reflects on sentiments of independence and value.
[CENTRE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN]