Zak Ové (born 1966) is a British-Trinidad visual artist who works between sculpture, film and photography, living in London and Trinidad. 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 ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, Paris,

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Berlin,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

and New York City. His father is the filmmaker Horace Ové and his sister is the actress Indra Ové.

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 ...

(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'', 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 Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

. In July 2015, Ové's " Moko Jumbie" sculptures, commissioned to tie in with the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean Carnival 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 Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

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 architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

, where the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair was taking place. The journal '' Art Radar'' 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 also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' reported that it had quickly found a buyer: " Modern Forms, a contemporary art platform founded by Hussam Otaibi, 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 ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

." 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 The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barb ...

. 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, Black Audio Film Collective, Charlie Phillips, Dennis Bovell, Ebony G. Patterson, Gaika, Glenn Ligon, Hank Willis Thomas, Hassan Hajjaj, 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 then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

, Ronan McKenzie, Vanley Burke, Yinka Shonibare, Denzil Forrester, Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner,

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

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

Zadie Smith Zadie Smith (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 became a tenured professor in the ...

, 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 a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, US *2010: ''Past Future'',

Fine Art Society The Fine Art Society is a gallery based in both London and in Edinburgh's New Town (originally Bourne Fine Art, established 1978). The New Bond Street, London gallery closed its doors in August 2018 after being occupied by The Fine Art Society ...

, London *2010: ''Twice Is Too Much'', The Freies Museum, Berlin *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, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

*2009: ''Rockstone and Bootheel'', Real Art Ways, Connecticut *2010: ''Africa: See You, See Me'', Museu da Cidade,

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

*2010: ''Encounters of Bamako'', B-Gallery European Centre for Contemporary Art,

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

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

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

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

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

*2010: ''Fesman 2010'':

World Festival of Black Arts The World Festival of Black Arts (French: ''Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres''), also known as FESMAN or FMAN, has been a series of month-long culture and arts festivals taking place in various parts of Africa. The festival features participant ...

, 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, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

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

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

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

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

*2011: ''Carnaval and Masquerade'', Musée Dapper, Paris *2011: ''Encounters of Bamako'', Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon *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 Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

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

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

*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, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

*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
Offline September 2023 *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 English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Photographers from London

Biography

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

See also

References

External links