Who is Atong Atem, the Australian artist showing at Tate Modern?

Atong Atem's photography allows the past and the future to co-exist in powerful ways, and its being noticed internationally.

The work of celebrated photographer Atong Atem is currently on display at Tate Modern London, in the exhibition A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography, featuring four major pieces from 2015.

In many ways, these are among the images that bolstered her career internationally. Today, Atem’s work is in high demand.

The Ethiopian born, South Sudanese artist moved to Australia in 1997 and spent her early years living on the Central East Coast region, before studying at The University of Newcastle (Australia). She is known for her striking photographic portraits exploring the African diaspora in Australia, and in particular Melbourne, where she has lived since 2014.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina