Bold new video works by five artists of the moment living or working in London will take over the world’s largest public screens this July in London, Seoul and Tokyo. Curated by Sir Norman Rosenthal, ‘LONDON ZEITGEIST’ comprised of five independent films by Larry Achiampong, Alvaro Barrington, Matt Copson, artist duo Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings, together forming a bold and comprehensive showcase of the most promising artists within a generation to emerge from London. 

This group exhibition adopts its title from Rosenthal’s 1982 exhibition ‘Zeitgeist’ that was held in Berlin’s Martin-Gropius-Bau almost forty years ago, and which was arguably one of the most historically significant global painting surveys of the 20th century, bringing together 45 of the world’s most driven and symbolically heroic artists of the moment. Rosenthal’s unwavering commitment and capacity to embolden the great talent of the time has become a defining characteristic of his career. In 1981, Rosenthal introduced artists such as Baselitz, Kiefer, Polke and Richter to an audience beyond Germany in ‘A New Spirit In Painting’ and helped launch the careers of  Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas and many others with ‘Sensation’ in 1997 at the Royal Academy of Art in London:

“That complex German word “Zeitgeist” (Time/Spirit) that more and more has entered the English language – just like “Kindergarten” once did (!) – naturally relates to place as well as time. Each of the four young artists chosen I believe address these issues subjectively, inevitably, sometimes obliquely, yet each in a “Spectacular” and “Beautiful” way onto the iconic Piccadilly Lights screen. They then are transmitted to the other side of the globe. They are pictures both of issues and fantasies that obsess four individual artists living and working in London, forever a huge urban national centre, and that hopefully too will touch audiences around the world.” – Sir Norman Rosenthal

The thing that has excited me about being a part of this project is not just the opportunity to show something outside, which, where art is concerned, I believe has a stronger traction in getting more people who are usually excluded, involved with art. But the challenging process of storytelling both through these gigantic screens, to bring something to the table that means something, and will hopefully connect with people. -Larry Achiampong

Larry Achiampong is a British-Ghanaian artist, filmmaker and composer whose work explores the intersections of identity, migration, memory and belonging in the contemporary world. Working across film, sound, installation, performance and text, he creates expansive narratives that examine how personal histories are shaped by larger social, political and technological forces.

Born in London to Ghanaian parents, Achiampong’s practice draws upon his experience of growing up between cultures while engaging with wider questions surrounding postcolonialism, diaspora and the legacies of empire. Combining archival research, speculative storytelling and autobiographical reflection, his works often challenge dominant historical narratives, creating space for alternative perspectives and previously marginalised voices. Through a distinctive visual and sonic language, he investigates how identities are constructed and transformed across generations, geographies and digital networks.

In 2021, Achiampong participated in London Zeitgeist, a group exhibition curated by Sir Norman Rosenthal for CIRCA. Conceived as a contemporary response to Rosenthal’s landmark 1982 exhibition Zeitgeist, the project brought together a generation of artists whose practices reflected the cultural energy and complexity of London. Broadcast across public screens in London, Seoul and Tokyo, Achiampong’s commission Reliquary 2: A Letter of 4 Chapters combined moving image, sound and storytelling to explore questions of heritage, displacement and collective memory. Accompanied by the time-limited edition now is no time at all, the project demonstrated his ability to connect deeply personal narratives with broader reflections on history, identity and social transformation.

Achiampong’s work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the British Film Institute, Somerset House and the Venice Biennale. His acclaimed multi-platform project Relic Traveller established a speculative future through which to examine race, technology and belonging, exemplifying his broader interest in using fiction as a tool for understanding contemporary reality.

Through a practice that moves seamlessly between the intimate and the global, the historical and the speculative, Larry Achiampong creates works that challenge inherited narratives while imagining more inclusive futures. His art invites audiences to reconsider how identities are formed, whose stories are remembered and what new possibilities emerge when history is viewed from different perspectives.