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James Barnor

Born 1929, Ghana
Lives and works in London

James Barnor, AGIP Calendar of 1974, 1973, Accra, Chromogenic print, 44 × 44 cm. © James Barnor, courtesy galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière

James Barnor’s work spans over seven decades, crosses continents and encompasses a range of photographic genres, from studio portraiture to outdoor photography, with a constantly renewed energy and perspective on the world. Considered a pioneer of African photography, he founded the Ever Young studio in Accra in 1953, a key place for Ghanaian society on the road to independence, as well as a meeting place and social hub for young people.

In 1959, after documenting the independence of Ghana, James Barnor moved to London to improve his technical skills. There, he captured the vibrant energy of the capital in the 1960s and the experiences of the African diaspora in the UK. In the late 1960s, he returned to Ghana to open the country’s first color photography laboratory, documenting the nation’s industrial and social transformations in the 1970s.

Now ninety-seven years old, James Barnor lives in London, where he devotes his time to the organization of his photographic archives. Like Ibrahim Mahama, he has a similar desire to pass on Ghanaian cultural and industrial heritage to younger generations. This ambition was made a reality in 2024 when the two artists came together around a project in Tamale. This was documented in a film and large-format Polaroids, which are exhibited here for the first time.