Karimah Ashadu
Title
Honorary Doctor
Person Type
Honorary
Karimah Ashadu is a British-born Nigerian artist and filmmaker whose work explores the socio-political dimensions of labour, patriarchy, and independence. She graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2011 before continuing her studies at De Ateliers in Amsterdam. She has since lived and worked between Lagos and Hamburg.
Working primarily with moving image, Karimah’s practice investigates the intersections of labour, gendered power structures, and autonomy within the socio-economic and socio-cultural contexts of Nigeria and its diaspora. Her films often draw attention to underrepresented labour practices and challenge patriarchal frameworks embedded within contemporary Nigerian society.
Her critically acclaimed work has been exhibited and screened internationally at renowned institutions including the Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 in New York and the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève. She has presented numerous solo exhibitions, including at Secession in Vienna, Canal Projects, New York and most recently at Camden Art Centre. In 2024, Ashadu participated in the 60th Venice Biennale, where she was awarded the Silver Lion for a Promising Young Participant in the International Exhibition.
In 2020, she founded her film production company, Golddust by Ashadu, which focuses on films exploring Black culture and African discourses. Her work has received wide recognition, earning her several prestigious awards including the Lichtwark-Förderpreis (2025), the Prize of the Böttcherstraße (2022), and the ars viva prize (2020).
Karimah was also named one of the 10 Artists to Watch in 2025 by Frieze. Her recent and forthcoming exhibitions include her first German solo show at the Kestner Gesellschaft, Hanover, OnView – Power Film Series at PalaisPopulaire, Berlin and “Tendered” at The Renaissance Society, Chicago.