Nuku Studio presents “James Barnor: A Retrospective”, a photo exhibition taking place at Nuku Studio’s Centre for Photographic Research and Practice in Tamale, as part of the James Barnor Festival, celebrating Barnor’s 95th birthday from Wednesday 29 May until 29 June 2024.

James Barnor is a Ghanaian photographer born in 1929. He is known for his fashion, studio and street photography and the first photographer in Ghana to use coloured film. His work spans across six decades from which we are fortunate to learn today!

Nuku Studio invites you to embark on a journey through the captivating lens of James Barnor, whose photographic legacy has left a strong mark on Ghanaian culture and beyond. Born in 1929, Barnor is hailed as one of Ghana's foremost pioneering photographers; his career marked by an unwavering dedication to his craft and a relentless pursuit of innovation.

James Barnor started his career in 1950 as the first photojournalist for the Daily Graphic newspaper. Just three years later, he established Ever Young, his photographic studio nestled in the heart of Jamestown, Accra, Ghana. Fueled by a passion for exploration and a thirst for new horizons, he ventured to London in 1959, a pivotal juncture in his career where he honed his craft and expanded his artistic horizons. A decade later, he returned to Ghana, establishing the nation's first color photo-processing laboratory for Sick-Hagemeyer and the esteemed Studio X23 in Accra.

Spanning over seven decades, Barnor's photographs go beyond mere documentation, offering profound insights into the socio-political landscape of his time. From the elegant silhouette of Margaret Obiri Yeboah to the historic tableau of Kwame Nkrumah and Komla Agbeli Gbedemah at Osu Castle, each photograph serves as a window into the past, a testament to the enduring power of imagery.

In this exhibition, curated across themes of Family Affair, Governance and Order, Sports, Muses, Community, Rhythm, and Young at Heart, Barnor's legacy comes to life, each image encapsulating the essence of a nation in flux. 

This retrospective makes us contemplating the lives lived and the stories untold, urging us to reflect on the lessons of history and chart a course for the future. 

Through his work, James Barnor reminds us of the enduring power of photography to transcend time and space, capturing the fleeting moments that define the human experience.

In partnership with Nubuke Foundation, this exhibition is part of the James Barnor Ffestival celebrating his 95th birthday with events in Accra and Tamale from 29 May to 29 June 2024.

Exhibition opening:
29 May 2024, 5 pm