Mahaneela Joins Academy

Mahaneela is a multi-faceted artist, who at a young age explored her love for photography and filmmaking. 

Over the last few years, the director/photographer has created content for some of the most influential and exciting brands in the world, such as Converse, Adidas, Nike and Eurostar, as well as working with prominent record labels XL Recordings, Young Turks and Because Music. She has photographed artists such as Mercury Prize award winning Sampha, The xx, FKA Twigs, Steve Lacy, and many more. 

Her work has featured in I-D Magazine, The Fader, Complex, Suitcase Magazine and many others, and she was named one of this year’s female creative leaders by The Dots. 

In her personal work, Mahaneela focuses on intimate portraiture and films that explore the experiences of people of colour across the world, documenting cultures across music, youth, and the African and Asian diasporas. 

She made her directorial debut with a music video for artist Denai Moore, which was premiered by The Fader and nominated for a Shiny Award. She then debuted her first short film 'Kindred' at the Tate Modern as part of their 'Soul of a Nation: Art in the age of Black Power' exhibition. Her most recent work features prolific UK rapper Nines, for his critically acclaimed album 'Crop Circle'. 

Alongside her photography, Mahaneela manages artist Denai Moore, and is a writer, curator and founder of award-nominated music consultancy agency COZY. She also co-founded In Bloom, an all women collective and agency specialising in creating engaging, authentic content for brands and artists.