Zak Ové (born 1966) is a British-Trinidad visual artist who works between sculpture, film and photography, living in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, UK, and

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. His themes reflect "his documentation of and anthropological interest in diasporic and African history, specifically that which is explored through Trinidadian carnival." In work that is "filtered through his own personal and cultural upbringing, with a black Trinidadian father and white Irish mother", he has exhibited widely in Europe, the United States and Africa, participating in international museum shows in London,

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His father is the filmmaker Horace Ové and his sister is the actress

Indra Ové Indra Ové (born 14 October 1967) is a British film, television and stage actress. Career Ové was born in Westminster, London. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She appeared in the 1994 film ''Interview with the Vampire'' ...

Biography

Born in London, UK, Zak Ové throughout his teens assisted his father Horace Ové on numerous film shoots, before earning a BA in Film as Fine Art from

St. Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...

(1984–87).CV & Exhibitions
Zak Ové website. Ové provided the video for the segment " Begin the Beguine" performed by Salif Keita on ''

Red Hot + Blue Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'', a 1990 compilation album featuring contemporary pop performers reinterpreting songs of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

. In July 2015, Ové's "

Moko Jumbie In the mythology of Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Moko is a wily character and grandfather of the heroic Ngaru. Moko is a ruler or king of the lizards, and he orders his lizard subjects to climb into the basket of the sky demon Amai-te-rangi Acco ...

" sculptures, commissioned to tie in with the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1966

and inspired by aspects of African Masquerade, were installed in the Great Court at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

as part of the ''Celebrating Africa'' exhibition there, before ultimately being moved to the Africa Galleries, with Ové as the first Caribbean artist to enter the museum’s permanent collection. In March 2017 Ové's Moko Jumbie figures were installed at the British Museum as part of the Sainsbury African Galleries, the first time in the museum's history that work the work of a Caribbean sculptor has been on permanent display in the African collection. In October 2016, his installation ''Black and Blue: The Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness'', comprising an "army" of 40 two-metre-high graphite statues, was assembled in the courtyard of

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

, where the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair was taking place. The journal ''

Art Radar Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

'' described Ové's work as "one of the standouts of the fair", and the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' reported that it had quickly found a buyer: "

Modern Forms Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

, a contemporary art platform founded by

Hussam Otaibi Hossam or Hussam or Hosam or Husam (; ar, حسام) is an Arabic/Semitic male given name and surname. It means the sharp sword or a cutting blade. In some traditions it translates to "sword of justice" or "sword that divides justice and injustice". ...

, managing partner of the investment group Floreat, and Nick Hackworth, the curator who previously ran London’s Paradise Row gallery, bought one of three editions of the 40 identical, life-size sculptures of Nubian masked men, priced at £300,000, through London’s Vigo gallery. The plan is for Ové's installation to be part of a sculpture park that Modern Forms is creating at a property in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

." Ové's ''Black and Blue: The Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness'' is part of a series of new open-air displays celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Ové curated the major exhibition ''Get Up, Stand Up Now; Generations of Black Creative Pioneers'' mounted at Somerset House from 12 June to 15 September 2019, celebrating "the past 50 years of Black creativity in Britain and beyond ... spanning art, film, photography, music, literature, design and fashion"."Get Up, Stand Up Now; Generations of Black Creative Pioneers"
Somerset House. Described by Ové as "a review and a celebration of our Caribbean and African culture that has permeated and contributed to British society", and taking its starting point as the radical work of his father Horace Ové, the exhibition showcased interdisciplinary contributions from 100 Black creatives, including

Armet Francis Armet Francis (born 29 January 1945) is a Jamaican-born photographer and publisher who has lived in London since the 1950s. He has been documenting and chronicling the lives of people of the African diaspora for more than 40 years and his assignm ...

Black Audio Film Collective The Black Audio Film Collective (BAFC), founded in 1982 and active until 1998, comprised seven Black British and diaspora multimedia artists and film makers: John Akomfrah, Lina Gopaul, Avril Johnson, Reece Auguiste, Trevor Mathison, Edward Georg ...

, Charlie Phillips,

Dennis Bovell Dennis Bovell (born 22 May 1953Huey, Steve"Dennis Bovell Biography" Allmusic. Retrieved 27 December 2014.) is a Barbados-born reggae guitarist, bass player and record producer, based in England. He was a member of the British reggae band Mat ...

, Ebony G. Patterson, Gaika, Glenn Ligon,

Hank Willis Thomas Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is an American conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to identity, history, and popular culture. Early life and education Hank Willis Th ...

Hassan Hajjaj Hassan Hajjaj (born 1961) is a Moroccan contemporary artist who lives and works between London, UK and Marrakesh, Morocco. Early life Hajjaj was born in Larache, Morocco in 1961. Career Hajjaj's first feature-length film, ''Karima: A Day in t ...

, Jenn Nkiru, Larry Achiampong,

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...

, Ronan McKenzie,

Vanley Burke Vanley Burke (born 1951) is a British Jamaican photographer and artist. His photographs capture experiences of his community's arrival in Britain, the different landscapes and cultures he encountered, the different ways of survival and experien ...

, Yinka Shonibare, Denzil Forrester, Martine Rose,

Grace Wales Bonner Grace Wales Bonner (born 1990) is an English fashion designer, whose work "proposes a distinct notion of cultural luxury that infuses European heritage with an Afro Atlantic spirit".

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

Betye Saar Betye Irene Saar (born July 30, 1926) is an African-American artist known for her work in the medium of assemblage. Saar is a visual storyteller and an accomplished printmaker. Saar was a part of the Black Arts Movement in the 1970s, which eng ...

Zadie Smith Zadie Smith FRSL (born Sadie; 25 October 1975) is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, ''White Teeth'' (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor ...

, among others.Lauren Cochran
"Get Up, Stand Up Now: the show that questions the lack of diversity in art galleries"
''The Guardian'', 11 June 2019.

Solo exhibitions

*2008: ''Black & White Nudes'', Carte Blanche Gallery, London *2009: ''Blue Devils'', Real Art Ways Museum,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

*2010: ''Past Future'', Fine Art Society, London *2010: ''Twice Is Too Much'', The Freies Museum,

*2013–14: ''Speaker'', Vigo Gallery, London *2014: ''Arms Around The Child'', No1 Mayfair, London

Group exhibitions

*2009: ''Encomium'', Fine Art Society, London *2009: ''Encounters of Bamako'', Panafrican Exhibition, National Museum, Bamako,

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

*2009: ''Rockstone and Bootheel'', Real Art Ways, Connecticut *2010: ''Africa: See You, See Me'', Museu da Cidade, Lisbon *2010: ''Encounters Of Bamako'', B-Gallery European centre for contemporary Art,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

*2010: ''Encounters of Bamako'', Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg *2010: ''Encounters of Bamako'', Panafrican Exhibition tour, Foto Museum,

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

*2010: ''Encounters of Bamako'', South African National Gallery,

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

*2010: ''Fesman 2010: World Festival of Black Arts'', Dakar, Senegal *2010: ''Hell’s Half Acre'', Lazarides Gallery, London *2010: ''Tough Love'', Plataforma Revólver, Lisbon *2010: ''We Are Not Witches'', The Saatchi Gallery, London *2011: ''Africa See You See me'', Li – Space,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

*2011: ''Africa: See You, See Me'', Fondazione Studio Maragoni,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

*2011: ''Africa: See You, See Me'', Officine Fotografiche,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

*2011: ''Carnaval and Masquerade'', Musée Dapper, Paris *2011: ''Encounters of Bamako'', Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian,

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

*2011: Fine Art Society, London Art Fair, London *2011: Fine Arts Society, Volta NY, New York *2011: ''Go Tell it To The Mountain'', 3D Sculpture Park, Verbier,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

*2011: Karen Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Texas contemporary fair,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

*2011: LA Platform, Karen Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Los Angeles *2011: ''Sculpture today – New Forces New Forms'', Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

*2011: Stephen Burks , Are You A Hybrid, Museum of Art and Design, New York *2011: ''The Minotaur'', Lazarides Gallery, Old Vic Tunnels, London *2011: ''The Return Of The House Of The Nobleman'', The House of the Nobleman, London *2012: British, Vigo Gallery, London *2012: ''London Twelve'', City of Prague Museum,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

*2012: ''New Re-Visions'', House of The Nobleman, London, UK *2012: ''The Future Can Wait'' – Charlie Smith, London, UK *2012: Vigo Gallery, London Art Fair, London *2012: Vigo Gallery, London Art Fair, London *2012: ''Voices of Home'', Jenkins Johnson Gallery, New York *2012; ''Ululation'', Vigo Gallery, London, UK *2013: 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair,

, London *2013: ''Glasstress: White Light / White Heat'', Venice Biennale, Venice *2013–14: ''Chaos Into Clarity: Re-Possessing a Funktioning Utopia'', Sharjah Art Foundation,

*2014: ART14, London (February – March) *2014: House of Barnabas, London (March) *2015: d’Assemblages” Dapper Museum, Paris *2016: 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House, London *2016: Untitled Art Fair, Miami *2019: ''Get Up, Stand Up Now; Generations of Black Creative Pioneers'', Somerset House, London

References

External links

Official website.
*Paul Brad
"Speaker: The Art of Zak Ove"
Ancient To Future, 28 November 2013. *Kay Montano
"Artist Zak Ove's 'The Invisible Men
ThankdieKay.com, 30 November 2016.
"Zak Ové Gives Art Career Advice"
''Art Discussion''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ové, Zak 1966 births Living people 21st-century male artists Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art Artists from London Black British artists Black British photographers British contemporary artists British people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Photographers from London

Biography

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

See also

References

External links