Zohra Opoku
Zohra Opoku (b.1976, German and Ghanaian; lives and works in Accra, Ghana) examines the politics of personal identity formation through historical, cultural, and socio-economic influences, particularly in the context of contemporary Ghana.
Opoku's explorations have been mostly through the lens of her camera; her photography is expressed through screen-printing and alternative photo processing on varieties of natural fabrics. While her work relays social commentary and broadly relevant themes around the human experience, each of Zohra’s explorations is intimately rooted in personal identity politics. She repeatedly integrates family heirlooms and her own self-image into her visual observations of Ghana’s cultural memory.
In 2023, she is among the artists exhibited in the 15th edition of Sharjah Biennale “Thinking Historically in the Present” (United Arab Emirates). She has exhibited internationally the Museum for Photography (Chicago), The Cleveland Museum of Art (Ohio), Centre for Contemporary Art (Lagos), Kunsthaus Hamburg (Alemania), Musée de l’Ethnographie (Bordeaux), Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao), Kunsthal (Rotterdam), Archaeological Museum of Mykonos (Greece), Southbank Centre / Hayward Gallery (London), SAVVY Contemporary Berlin (Germany), Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (Germany) and the Tate Modern (UK).
Her work is collected by renowned institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic Collection, Faurschou Foundation, Royal Museum of Ontario, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, CCS Bard College Hessel Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Tate Modern and most recently The Centre Pompidou.
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Palimpsest
30 Jul - 24 Aug 2024 ChicagoMariane Ibrahim is pleased to announce Palimpsest, a summer group exhibition presenting work by ruby onyinyechi amanze, McArthur Binion, Bethany Collins, Carmen Neely, Zohra Opoku, Michael Rakowitz, and Edra Soto....Read more -
Zohra Opoku
I Have Arisen...Part 2 24 Mar - 3 Jun 2023 ParisMariane Ibrahim is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Zohra Opoku entitled, I Have Arisen...Part 2, the artists first show in Paris, on view from March 24th to June...Read more -
Zohra Opoku
I Have Arisen... 8 Apr - 14 May 2022 ChicagoMariane Ibrahim is pleased to present I Have Arisen..., the gallery’s second exhibition with Zohra Opoku and first in Chicago. The Myths of Eternal Life is Zohra Opoku’s latest body...Read more -
La Vie en Rose
Group Exhibition 5 Feb - 19 Mar 2022 ChicagoExhibiting Artists: ruby onyinyechi amanze, Raphaël Barontini, Amoako Boafo, M. Florine Démosthène, Maïmouna Guerresi, Mwangi Hutter, Yukimasa Ida, Ayana V. Jackson, Clotilde Jiménez, Shannon T. Lewis, Sergio Lucena, No Martins,...Read more -
J'ai Deux Amours...
Group Exhibition 18 Sep - 13 Oct 2021 ParisMariane Ibrahim presents J'ai Deux Amours... , the inaugural exhibition of the gallery’s new space in Paris on Avenue Matignon. On view from September 18 to October 13, 2021, the...Read more -
Zohra Opoku
Harmattan Tales 19 Jan - 17 Mar 2018Harmattan Tales is a utopian exploration of the cityscape by connecting to Muslim women in Accra, Ghana and discovering life in the city through their lens. Opoku explores these women's...Read more -
Group Exhibition
Back Stories 25 Jan - 25 Mar 2017Back Stories is as much a celebration of the human form as it is an investigation into the ways in which these artists feel the body, particularly the back, can...Read more
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Zohra Opoku
Enuma Okoro, Financial Times, September 28, 2024
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Zohra Opoku
Von Maxi Broecking, Tagesspiegel, September 12, 2024
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Zohra Opoku
James Imam, The Art Newspaper, September 10, 2024
The Art Newspaper -
Zohra Opoku
Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Art Basel, September 9, 2024
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Zohra Opoku
Julia Grosse, Contemporary And, September 6, 2024
Contemporary And -
Zohra Opoku
Monopol Magazine, July 24, 2024
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Zohra Opoku
Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, March 19, 2024
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Zohra Opoku
Emi Eleode, DADA Magazine Issue 2, October 24, 2023
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Zohra Opoku
MANJU JOURNAL, October 1, 2023
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Zohra Opoku
Ekow Eshun, Aperture Magazine, September 21, 2023
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Zohra Opoku
Ingrid Luquet-Gad, Art Basel, May 25, 2023
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Zohra Opoku
Sylvie Rantrua, Le Point Afrique , May 6, 2023
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Zohra Opoku
Ron Lastima, Hundred Heroines , May 3, 2023
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Mariane Ibrahim
Melanie Gerlis , Financial Times , June 10, 2022
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Mariane Ibrahim
Sebastian Frenzel, Monopol, June 3, 2022
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Zohra Opoku
Frieze, April 7, 2022
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Zohra Opoku
Hannah Clugston, The Guardian, November 1, 2021
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J'ai Deux Amours... Le Monde
Roxana Azimi, Le Monde, September 22, 2021 -
Zohra Opoku Financial Times How to Spend It
Victoria Woodcock, Financial Times, September 21, 2021 -
J'ai Deux Amours...Surface Magazine
RYAN WADDOUPS, Surface Mag, September 16, 2021 -
J'ai Deux Amours... Architectural Digest
Gay Gassmann, Architectural Digest, September 15, 2021 -
Mariane Ibrahim
She's Magazine, September 1, 2021
She's Magazine - Mercedes -
Zohra Opoku
Common Language Magazine , April 3, 2021
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Zohra Opoku
ENUMA OKORO, Vogue, November 13, 2020
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Zohra Opoku The Sole Adventurer
Billie McTernan, The Sole Adventurer, August 5, 2020 -
Zohra Opoku
Sharvari Alape, Harper's Bazaar Arabia, June 18, 2020
Black Rock Residency Ethereal Studio In Senegal -
Amoako Boafo & Zohra Opoku
Rebecca Anne Proctor, Wallpaper*, May 10, 2020
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Donatella Montrone, Black+White Photography, April 1, 2020
Self Made -
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Julia Friedman, Hyperallergic, September 12, 2019
Changing Female Identity -
Zohra Opoku
Holly Black, Another Mag, August 31, 2018
Using Textiles To Explore Identity and Heritage -
Zohra Opoku Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Rebecca Anne Proctor, Harpers Bazaar Arabia, April 26, 2018 -
Zohra Opoku
Michael Upchurch, The Seattle Times, January 30, 2018
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Hannah Ongley, i-D Magazine, March 15, 2017 -
Zohra Opoku Artnet
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Mariane Ibrahim
Isaac Kaplan, Artsy, March 2, 2017
Wins The Armory Show Booth Prize
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Unraveled Threads
Zohra Opoku Zohra Opoku, 2018-2019Print, 64 pagesRead more
Publisher: Mariane Ibrahim
Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.5 in, 26 x 19 cm -
Zohra Opoku
Mariane Ibrahim Publications With contributions by Zoe Whitley, Silvia Forni, Enuma Okoro, Robin Beth Riskin, Rikki Byrd, and Delali Ayivo, 2023ENGLISHRead more
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Suite Berlin
Zohra Opoku | Berlin Art Week 2024 July 23, 2024September 11 - 14, 2024 Address: Caroline-Humboldt-Weg 32, Berlin As part of the inaugural edition of Suite Berlin, Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to present a...Read more -
With every fiber of (my) being
Zohra Opoku | Raw Material Company May 14, 2024From May 19 to June 16, 2024, Zohra Opoku will present, in Raw Material Company, her new exhibition titled With every fibre of (my) being....Read more -
Zohra Opoku Acquisition by The Centre Pompidou
Zohra Opoku | The Centre Pompidou April 3, 2024The Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Pompidou, in Paris, through the support of the “Friends of the Pompidou” (les amis du centre Pompidou), has...Read more -
Echoes of the Brother Countries
Zohra Opoku | Haus der Kulturen der Welt March 5, 2024What is the Price of Memory and What is the Cost of Amnesia? Or: Visions and Illusions of Anti-Imperialist Solidarities An exhibition and research project...Read more -
Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys
Zohra Opoku I Brooklyn Museum February 29, 2024Zohra Opoku's artwork is featured in the Brooklyn Museum as part of the Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys...Read more -
The Struggle of Memory
Zohra Opoku | Palais Populaire by Deutsche Bank December 7, 2023Curated by Kerryn Greenberg, Independent Curator and Co-Director New Curators Exhibtion Dates: October 6, 2023 – March 11, 2024 “The first step in liquidating a...Read more -
Accra! The Rise of a Global Art Community
Zohra Opoku & Amoako Boafo | Columbus Museum of Art December 7, 2023Columbus Museum of Art presents “Accra! The Rise of a Global Art Community” opening October 6, 2023 and includes work by Amoako Boafo and Zohra...Read more -
A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography
Maïmouna Guerresi & Zohra Opoku I Tate Modern July 26, 2023The exhibition A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography, a celebration of the varied landscape of contemporary African photography today, presents works by Maïmouna Guerresi...Read more -
Thinking Historically in the Present
Zohra Opoku | Sharjah Biennial 15 February 21, 2023The 15th edition of the Sharjah Biennial, conceived by the late Okwui Enwezor and curated by the director of the Sharjah Foundation Hoor Al Qasimi,...Read more -
Empowerment
Zohra Opoku I Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg October 26, 2022The Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg presents a significant research-based exhibition titled Empowerment. Open from September 10, 2022 to January 08, 2023, the exhibition is based on the...Read more -
SHARJAH BIENNIAL 2023
Zohra Opoku | The Sharjah Art Foundation April 18, 2022The Sharjah Art Foundation has named over 150 artists (Among which is Accra based artist, Zohra Opoku) hailing from more than 70 countries that will...Read more -
Laced: In Search of What Connects Us
Zohra Opoku | New Art Exchange October 31, 2021Simnikiwe Buhlungu, Rahima Gambo, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Zohra Opoku, Tabita Rezaire, Lerato Shadi and Michaela Yearwood-Dan Laced is a network of artists linked to curator Loren...Read more -
A Force for Change—UN Women
Artsy Benefit Auction 2021 July 16, 2021A Force for Change—UN Women: Benefit Auction 2021 presented by UN Women and Artsy featuring work by Zohra Opoku. UN Women is the global champion...Read more -
Among the Trees
Zohra Opoku | Hayward Gallery February 29, 2020By turns poetic, adventurous and thought-provoking, Among the Trees, the group exhibition explores our relationship with trees and forests. Among the Trees transports us around...Read more -
The Palace at 4 A.M.
Zohra Opoku | NEON and The Archaeological Museum of Mykonos June 7, 2019Zohra Opoku participated in The Palace at 4 A.M. exhibition which was on view at the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos. May 18 – October 31,...Read more
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Art Basel Paris
16 - 20 Oct 2024Mariane Ibrahim's upcoming presentation at Art Basel Paris explores the idea of duality through the fluid boundaries between night and day. The works of Djabril...Read more -
ART ONO
Setec, Seoul, Korea 19 - 21 Apr 2024BOOTH # 113 EXHIBITING ARTISTS: ruby onyinyechi amanze Patrick Eugène Yukimasa Ida Eva Jospin Carmen Neely Zohra Opoku Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to participate in...Read more -
Art Basel Miami Beach
1 - 3 Dec 2022BOOTH #D33 EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Amoako Boafo M. Florine Démosthène Patrick Eugène Yukimasa Ida Clotilde Jiménez Shannon T. Lewis No Martins Ian Micheal Ian Mwesiga Carmen...Read more -
The Armory Show
9 - 11 Sep 2022BOOTH # 126 EXHIBITING ARTISTS: ruby onyinyechi amanze M. Florine Démosthène Maïmouna Guerresi Mwangi Hutter Ayana V. Jackson Shannon T. Lewis Carmen Neely Zohra...Read more -
Art Basel
14 - 19 Jun 2022BOOTH # R24 EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Raphaël Barontini Amoako Boafo M. Florine Démosthène Mwangi Hutter Yukimasa Ida Ayana V. Jackson Clotilde Jiménez Ian Mwesiga Carmen Neely...Read more -
Art Basel Miami Beach
2 - 4 Dec 2021BOOTH #D30 EXHIBITING ARTISTS: ruby onyinyechi amanze Raphaël Barontini Amoako Boafo M. Florine Démosthène Yukimasa Ida Clotilde Jiménez Shannon T. Lewis Ian Micheal Zohra...Read more -
The Armory Show
ruby onyinyechi amanze, Florine Démosthène, Zohra Opoku, Lina Iris Viktor 4 - 8 Mar 2020BOOTH # 721 EXHIBITING ARTISTS: ruby onyinyechi amanze M. Florine Démosthène Zohra Opoku Mariane Ibrahim announces its participation (Booth #721) at The Armory Show...Read more -
Paris Photo
Ayana V. Jackson and Zohra Opoku 7 - 10 Nov 2019BOOTH #A08 EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Ayana V. Jackson Zohra Opoku Two booths by Ayana V. Jackson and Zohra Opoku: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery announces its participation...Read more -
Unseen Amsterdam
Zohra Opoku 19 - 22 Sep 2019Woven Matters was a special exhibition in collaboration with Unseen Amsterdam, featuring Zohra Opoku's works for the 2019 edition of Unseen Amsterdam. 'This year at...Read more -
Untitled: Miami Beach
Zohra Opoku, Alexandra Karakashian, Lina Iris Viktor, Clay Apenouvon, Sergio Lucena, Florine Démosthène, and Kudzanai Chiurai 4 - 9 Dec 2018For the second participation at Untitled: Miami Beach, Mariane Ibrahim presented a multi-artist exhibition. Exhibiting Artists: Zohra Opoku Alexandra Karakashian Lina Iris Viktor Clay Apenouvon...Read more -
Art Dubai
Zohra Opoku 19 - 24 Mar 2018For the gallery's inaugural presentaiton at Art Dubai, Zohra Opoku presents her series, Harmattan Tales. Zohra Opoku is an artist of German and Ghanaian descent...Read more -
ZONA MACO
Zohra Opoku and Lina Iris Viktor 7 - 11 Feb 2018For their first participation at ZONA MACO in Mexico City, Mariane Ibrahim was pleased to present a dual-artist exhibition of works by Ghanian-German artist Zohra...Read more
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Zohra Opoku
In conversation with Enuma Okoro at Suite Berlin September 26, 2024In Suite Berlin with Zohra Opoku and Enuma Okoro as they discuss Opoku's new compelling series inspired by the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, which explores the mysteries of life, death, and the afterlife while engaging with personal identity politics. This series features both canvas works and sculptures, showcasing Opoku's intricate blend of photography, textiles, and symbolism. Notably, she transforms photography into richly detailed silkscreen compositions, often incorporating sutures that metaphorically stitch together her personal histories.Read more -
Zohra Opoku
I Have Arisen...Part 2 February 23, 2023Upon creating the second part of the series The Myths of Eternal Life, Zohra Opoku guides us through her studio and the streets of Ghana, in preparation for her upcoming Spring 2023 exhibition in the Paris gallery. In the chapters of The Myths of Eternal Life, Zohra Opoku is a curator of memory, where she makes literal, material. She is interested in stitching the past into the present, such as rendering the contours of a series of carved faces in thread next to a screen-printed, photographed collage of the stone...Read more