The London-based curator and author has dedicated his career to decolonising the Western gaze and amplifying and representing marginalised voices in international photography.

As Director of Autograph ABP (Association of Black Photographers) since 1991, Sealy has curated and produced significant photography projects worldwide, managed and initiated residency programs, and edited award-winning publications. His recent retrospective touring exhibition on the works of Rotimi Fani-Kayode has been internationally critically acclaimed. Sealy’s contributions to the arts have earned him significant honours. He is the author of three recent books critically engaging with photography cultures: Decolonising the Camera: Photography in Racial Times; Race, Rights and Representation and A Lens on Liberation: Photography as Resistance. Sealy earned his PhD in photography and cultural violence from Durham University, UK. He also serves as Professor of Rights and Representation at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. 

Mark Sealy: "It's an exciting and challenging opportunity to be invited to take on the role of Artistic Director for the 9th Triennial of Photography Hamburg. I'm truly honoured to be invited to be part of this journey. With Hamburg's rich visual history and range of amazing artistic and cultural spaces, I'm looking forward to sharing and developing a programme that I sincerely hope will both build on and enhance the brilliant work that has gone before in making this Triennial one of the world's most influential and critically engaging photographic events. Collaborating with such an incredible creative and cultural community provides a fantastic opportunity to develop photographic dialogues that hopefully will resonate across the city and beyond. Never before has the photographic image had so much to say.

The Triennial provides a fantastic platform to help us think through our times' challenging, complex and wonderous prospects."

Photo: Philipp Meuser