Chin We is a British Nigerian Multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of identity, culture, representation, heritage and the African diaspora through the medium of photography, film, mixed media, and abstract painting.
Her debut feature film, Nwanyịbụife, was recognised at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, being considered for nominations in six categories. Notably, the film was also shortlisted by BAFTA for the UK submission for the International Feature Award at the 2024 Academy Awards, highlighting its significance as a British film in a foreign language.
A fellow at the Royal Society of Arts, She has been published on CNN and several other publications. Named on CNN as one of the leading African heroine women photographers, nominated for RPS 100 heroines by the Royal Photographic Society England and won an honourable mention award in the People-Portrait Category in International Photography Awards(IPA) 2018
AWARDS
- 2022 Arts Council England Award
- 2022 BEFFTA Award for Best Creative Personality
- 2021 Picfair Mind The Lens Award
- 2021 Arts Council England Award
- 2020 Arts Council England Award
- 2019 Arts Council England Award
- 2018 Fellow at Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
- 2018 RPS Nominee for RPS 100 Heroines, Royal Photographic Society England
- 2018 Honourable Mention, People-Portrait Category, International Photography Awards (IPA), New York
EXHIBITIONS
- Come and See, Fotographic Ife Nkili 1, Micklegate York, England
- Lifestyles and Portraiture, Ife Nkili 1, Royal Photographic Society & Grosvenor Estates, London
- Look Photo Biennial, Ife Nkili 1, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, England
- Photo London Fair, Ife Nkili 1, Representation on the Line: (Un)framing Our Identities, Royal Photographic Society, London
- Representation on the Line: (Un)framing Our Identities, Ife Nkili 1, Royal Photographic Society, Hundred Heroines, Chelsea, Doncaster, Blackpool, UK
PROJECTS
- The Art of Grieving (2022): A visual series exploring grief after my father’s sudden death.
- Sis (2021): A visual series on mental health, post-lockdown unease, and anxiety.
- Luminescence (Work in Progress): A visual exploration of light, imagination, and my Chi (personal spirit).
- Sis (2020): A visual series documenting personal experiences during the pandemic.
- An Ode To Elysee: A visual/textual series exploring Black women’s relationship with hairnets, silk scarves, and bonnets.
- I Am Not Your Mate: A portrait/storytelling series documenting the experiences of 26 senior citizens in London.
FESTIVALS
- Curator & Creative Director, Ife Nkili: A Black women’s arts festival celebrating Black culture, identity, and heritage, funded by Arts Council England.
FILMS
- Nwanyịbụịfe (2023): A thought – provoking art and documentary feature exploring identity, heritage, mental health, motherhood/family, LGBTQIA+ and climate change. A raw depiction of the lives and experiences of seven Black women from across the African diaspora, narrated in their native mother-tongue of Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo, Italian, Spanish, Swati, Lesotho, Kikuyu and Patois, with English subtitles. Streaming on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
- Timelines (2025): In development.
BAFTA CONSIDERATION
- Nwanyịbụịfe was considered for six categories at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards.
- Shortlisted by BAFTA for the 2024 Academy Awards (Oscars) as a Foreign Language Film.
PRESS
- BBC Radio London, Nwanyịbụịfe Press Run with Shay Grewal
- London Live TV, Nwanyịbụịfe Press Run with Tanya Francis
- BBC Radio London, Ife Nkili Press Run with Liisi Fontaine and Noir Kringle
- Daily Trust Newspaper: African culture, history shape my stories – Chin We
- The Africa Show, London Artist Spotlight with Lyande Kaikai
- CNN: Leading African heroine women photographers to follow
TALKS
- PhotoForum London: Panel Discussion on Diversity in Photojournalism with Anna Gordon, Chin We, Suzanne Plunkett, and Helen Healy
BOOKS
- I Don’t Know Yet “Images, Memories, and the Space Between” (OCTOBER 2026) a book of images, portraits, and stories. A photographic journey through life, captured in moments of time, uncertainty, and absence. It weaves together interviews, art, documentary, street, nature, landscape, and conceptual photography, along with textual fragments and handwritten notes, creating a rich tapestry of visual storytelling.
MEMBERSHIPS
- Women Photograph: Independent women photojournalists and visual storytellers
- World Press Photo: Connecting professionals and audiences through visual journalism
FEATURES
- A collection of features with Chin We (click to read)
CONTACT
For general inquiries, work-related matters, or collaborations, please email: info.chinweart@gmail.com