Working across the media of film, sound, installation, sculpture and live performance, Larry Achiampong explores notions of cross-cultural and post digital identity in the postcolonial world – in particular, dichotomies found within a world dominated by social media and digital frameworks. Via his alter egos such as the mythical, tortured soul that lives in a dystopian parallel life called Black Ph03nix and the alien-like form known as Cloudface, Achiampong’s work presents multiple personalities challenging the idea of a fixed identity and singular history. Often conceived as collaborative projects, his works weave together visual and audio materials from popular culture and personal and communal archives revealing the socio-political contradictions in contemporary society.
Achiampong has participated in several of Iniva’ projects with a notable mention of the residency and performance, ‘Biters’ in 2014, with artist David Blandy. The project examined the issues around authenticity and copyright in the age of information and popular culture dominated by the constant recycling and appropriation of ideas and images. His earlier projects focused on the questions of identity and authorship, from the workshops created for school children as part of ‘One & Other’ series in 2010, to the public participatory project ‘Step into our World’ – a collaboration with artist Chris Lane and The Inivators as part of Iniva’s exhibition ‘Liminal: A question of position’ in 2009.
Achiampong is a British artist of Ghanaian descent, who completed his BA in Mixed Media Fine Art at the University of Westminster, followed by an MA in Sculpture from the Slade School of Fine Art. Achiampong has exhibited and performed in the UK and worldwide, including Tate Modern and British Film Institute, London. His works have also been presented at the dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel in 2012 and the Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale, 2017.
Based in London, he is artist in residence at Somerset House Studios.