To download a copy of Larry's current CV (Semi-Skimmed version) click here.
Larry Achiampong's projects employ film; still imagery; aural and visual archives; live performance; objects; sound and game design to explore ideas surrounding class, gender, cross-cultural and digital identity.
With works that examine his communal and personal heritage – in particular, the intersection between popular culture and the residues of colonisation, Achiampong crate-digs the vaults of history. These investigations examine constructions of ‘the self’ through the activity of splicing the audible and visual materials of personal and interpersonal archives, offering multiple perspectives that reveal the deeply entrenched inequalities in contemporary society.
In 2022 Achiampong released his first feature and most ambitious film to date – ‘Wayfinder’, which was distributed by Verve Pictures for cinematic release across the UK and is available on DVD and major streaming platforms. Achiampong's Wayfinder was longlisted for a BAFTA award in 2023 in the category 'Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer'. Set during a pandemic, the film tracks the movements of its central protagonist - The Wanderer, a young girl (played by Perside Rodrigues), on an intrepid journey across England. Venturing from North to South, The Wanderer passes through different regions, towns and landscapes, encountering people, stories and uncanny situations on her travels. Presented across six chapters, including ‘The North’, ‘The Land of Smoke’ and ‘The Kingdom of the East’, the film builds a dialogue around the themes of class and economic exclusion, belonging and displacement, cultural heritage and the multilayered meaning of home.
In 2025 Tate Publishing released Achiampong’s debut monograph titled ‘IF IT DON’T EXIST, BUILD IT’. Chartering Larry Achiampong's major work over the course of his career in film, sculpture, installation, sound, collage and performance. The book explores the broader themes and ideas that have informed his artistic practice and shaped the creation of his most ambitious projects, including the multi-disciplinary ‘Relic Traveller’ series. This monograph includes contributions from an array of cultural producers across the creative realms of gaming; cinema; contemporary art and popular culture, featuring: Robert Barry, JJ Charlesworth, Ekow Eshun, Charlotte Jansen, Evan Narcisse, Clive Nwonka, Arike Oke, and Shay Thompson
Achiampong has presented projects across the UK and globally, including commissions with Art on the Underground, London (2022); The Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool (2021) and The Line, London (2020).
Recent solo exhibitions include 'Wayfinder', Turner Contemporary/MK Gallery/BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Margate, Milton Keynes, Gateshead (2022-2023); 'Relic Traveller: Where You and I Come From, We Know That We Are Not Here Forever', Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montreal (2021); 'Beyond the Substrata', curated by Norman Rosenthal, Copperfield Gallery at Frieze Focus, 12 Piccadilly Arcade, London (2020); 'When the Sky Falls', John Hansard Gallery, Southampton (2020); 'Pan African Flag For The Relic Travellers Alliance & Relic Traveller, Phase 1', 019, Ghent (2019); 'Dividednation', Primary, Nottingham (2019).
Achiampong (b. 1984, UK, Ghanaian British) is a BAFTA longlisted (2023) and Jarman Award nominated (2021 & 2024) artist, filmmaker and musician. He completed a BA in Mixed Media Fine Art at University of Westminster in 2005 and an MA in Sculpture at The Slade School of Fine Art in 2008. In 2020 Achiampong was awarded the Stanley Picker fellowship and in 2019 received the Paul Hamlyn Artist award in recognition for his practice. A tutor on the Photography MA programme at Royal College of Art between 2016 – 2021, Achiampong has also served on the Board of Trustees at Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts, 2017-2022), facilitating art policy in the UK and internationally. He currently also holds a position on the board of trustees for Elephant Trust. Achiampong is represented by Copperfield, London and his films are distributed by LUX, London. Achiampong currently holds a Black Belt (1st Dan JKF) in Goju Ryu Karate Do and is a student of Kaizen Ryu Seiwakai East London.