Episode Description
What happens when you treat each artwork as a proposition of a world—when exhibitions become acts of empathy, and books become vessels for collective memory?
This week, Ceri welcomes back the brilliant Ekow Eshun—writer, curator, and cultural polymath—who has just been appointed curator of the British Art Show 10, opening in September 2026.
Ekow’s trajectory is extraordinary. The first Black editor of Arena magazine, the first Black director of London’s ICA, now Chair of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group—and a curator whose exhibitions, from In the Black Fantastic to Black Earth Rising, have redefined how we think about identity, myth, and belonging. His recent books, The Strangers and Black Earth Rising, extend that work on the page, blending rigorous history with poetic imagination.
In this conversation, they celebrate his new chapter and explore what Ekow hopes to achieve with BAS10: creating space for artists who can bring us closer—to ourselves, to one another, and to the mystery of the world we inhabit. They discuss the “strangeness” that fuels his research, the empathy at the heart of his practice, and what it means to keep going deeper as a writer and curator.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Ekow shows us how strangeness and curiosity open up new spaces for discovery, empathy, and connection.
Art is a powerful force for reshaping collective memory. Artists use memory not just to preserve the past, but to rewrite the maps of the present.
Exhibitions aren’t about neat lessons they are about fostering real encounters, the courage to go deeper and see the world from multiple perspectives.
BEST MOMENTS
“The role of the curator isn’t to dictate meaning but to create space for discovery, and that the real power of art lies in shifting how we see, each other, ourselves, and the fragile world we share.”
“I just try and set myself as a goal, with everything, with writing, putting together an exhibition - Let's go deeper, there's always another layer.”
“If you start a project, you have to start from a radical unknown, where everything is up for discovery.”
EPISODE RESOURCES
PODCAST HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
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This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/