Image source: Jonathan Labusch

JOSHUA AMISSAH

Curatorial Advisory Board

Joshua Amissah (born 1995, Switzerland) is an author, curator, cultural mediator and art consultant. In his work, he critically examines power structures in visual culture and deals with topics such as representation, identity and systemic narratives in contemporary art. He graduated with honors from the Zurich University of the Arts and studied fine arts, photography and design with a focus on identity and trend forecasting. His first photo book BLACK MASCULINITIES was awarded the ZHdK sponsorship prize and published by Hatje Cantz. It was nominated for the Swiss Design Award 2023 and presented at Art Basel, organized by the Federal Office of Culture.

Amissah curated "Black Art Matters" (2020), the largest photography exhibition in Switzerland to date, which exclusively showed works by over 70 black photographers. From 2019 to 2025, he was co-curator of "photoSCHWEIZ" and was one of the co-founders of the independent art space "bild8005". His freelance work includes collaborations with international clients such as documenta fifteen, VOGUE Germany, the Boros Collection, SLEEK Magazine, Schauspielhaus Zurich and Galerie Eva Presenhuber.

In 2024, Amissah was nominated for the Art Directors Club Germany Award and proposed for the Swiss Diversity Award. He was also a member of the advisory board of the Aargauer Kunsthaus as an expert on inclusion, diversity and representation. As a scholarship holder of the Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) and Soho House Berlin, he developed "GAZE CONTEMPORARY", a digital platform and gallery that highlights emerging to mid-career artists with a focus on queer and post-migrant perspectives.

He has given guest lectures at the UdK Berlin, the University of Basel, the F+F School of Art and Design, the Peter Behrens School of Arts Düsseldorf, the Zurich University of the Arts, the FHNW University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, the Kestner Society and the Humboldt University in Berlin. His work has been exhibited in institutions such as the Museum für Gestaltung, Art Basel, Hi-Flow Geneva, the Aargauer Kunsthaus, the Kunsthaus Zürich, the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, the Industria Kulturfestival, the Folkwang Museum Essen and photoMÜNCHEN.

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