Meet Azu Nwagbogu, Artistic Director of Tasweer 2027
Qatar Museums is delighted to announce renowned curator Azu Nwagbogu as Artistic Director of Tasweer 2027, the fourth edition of Tasweer, the photography biennial.
Installation view of The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion, 2021, © Markus Elblaus.
Azu Nwagbogu is a Nigerian curator, writer, and cultural leader whose work explores decolonisation, restitution, and the evolving role of museums and exhibitions as spaces for dialogue, reflection, and civic engagement. Through his curatorial practice, he examines how photography and contemporary art can reshape historical narratives and create new ways of understanding identity, memory, and place.
In 2007, Nwagbogu founded the African Artists' Foundation (AAF), a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting contemporary African art through exhibitions, residencies, workshops, and educational programmes. He is also the Founder and Director of LagosPhoto, one of Africa's leading photography festivals, which has played a significant role in expanding conversations around photography and visual culture on the continent. In 2025, LagosPhoto entered a new chapter as the LagosPhoto Biennale.
Nwagbogu has curated exhibitions and projects for major international institutions and festivals, including BOZAR, Rencontres d'Arles, PhotoEspaña, Zeitz MOCAA, and the Venice Biennale, where he curated the inaugural Benin Pavilion in 2024. He is also the creator of Dig Where You Stand, an ongoing exhibition platform that brings together artists, institutions, and communities to explore themes of migration, cultural heritage, restitution, and collective memory through collaborative and locally rooted practices.
Recognised internationally for his contributions to contemporary art, Nwagbogu was named Curator of the Year by the Royal Photographic Society in 2021 and has been included in the ArtReview Power 100 since 2021. In 2026, he was honoured with a medal in the Curators category at the Art Basel Awards, recognising his outstanding contribution to the international contemporary art landscape. He currently serves as National Geographic Explorer at Large and continues to advise and collaborate with leading cultural institutions across Africa and internationally.
As Artistic Director for Tasweer, Azu Nwagbogu brings a globally recognised curatorial perspective shaped by decades of work championing contemporary photography, artistic exchange, and new approaches to storytelling.
Header Photo: Anastasia Ermolenko
On Azu Nwagbogu's Appointment
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Azu Nwagbogu as the Artistic Director of Tasweer 2027, the biennial’s fourth edition. Azu Nwagbogu’s unique perspective on photography, which is rooted in his deep connections in the Global South, and notably in Africa, on an international scale, make him uniquely well suited to organise an event that celebrates photographers and visual storytellers from across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. We look forward to seeing his vision come to life in 2027.”
Khalifa Al Obaidly, Director, Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar
Installation view of I Am The Traveler And Also The Road, 2023, © Faruk Pinjo.
“We welcome Azu Nwagbogu as Artistic Director of the fourth edition of Tasweer, Qatar Museums’ photography biennial, opening in April 2027. Following three editions conceived by Charlotte Cotton in 2021 and 2023 and Meriem Berrada in 2025, we look forward to this new important collaboration. Azu Nwagbogu’s remarkable international experience, network and vision will undoubtedly shape a fascinating and engaging fourth edition.”
Catherine Grenier, Director of Concept of Art Mill Museum
Installation view of Doha Fashion Fridays, 2023, © Faruk Pinjo.
“ “I am honoured to take on the role of Artistic Director of Tasweer 2027, and deeply grateful for the vision, care, and contributions of the previous artistic directors, whose work has established such a strong foundation for the biennial. Images have always shaped our perception of the world; what is new is the speed and scale of their circulation, and the new ways they ask us to look, remember, and interpret. Tasweer creates an important space to engage and host that changing visual language with ethical and intellectual courage.” ”Azu Nwagbogu, Artistic Director, Tasweer 2027
Opening April 2027
Installation view of Mashael al Hejazi: My Mother Lulwa’s House, 2023, © Faruk Pinjo.
Installation view of Obliteration: Surviving the Inferno – Gaza’s Battle for Existence, 2025, © Syed Hasan Zaidi, courtesy of Qatar Museums.
Installation view of The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion, 2021, © Markus Elblaus.