Biography

Alfie Nze is a dynamic and visionary author, theatre and film director, actor, performance artist, and educator currently based in Milan, Italy. A naturalised Italian of Nigerian origin, Alfie’s multidisciplinary journey is a bridge between continents, cultures, and causes-uniting art, social activism, and education into a singular, impactful voice.

His formative years in Nigeria planted the seeds of his creativity that seamlessly merges magical realism, transforming deeply-rooted indigenous traditions into compelling storytelling. Moving to Europe for further studies, Alfie trained professionally at Compagnia de! Novecento and the prestigious Accademia Dei Filodrammatici in Milan. He further specialised in social interpreting through a Master’s program at ITC Rome, gaining tools that enriched his sensitivity to marginalised voices and layered narratives.

As an artist, Alfie Nze challenges social conventions and explores pressing global issues through layered, participatory works. His themes span environmental pollution, migration, post-colonial identity, war, and indigenous spirituality. in 2016, his award-winning documentary Devil Comes to Koko-a searing expose on toxic waste dumping-received theLegaAmbiente Prize at the Green Network Film Festival in Turin. His immersive film Granma, commissioned by International Organisation for Migration (IOM), positioned him as an international voice on the fight against human trafficking..

Alfie’s art is not just seen-it is felt and lived. His performance installations, such as The Human Installation at the FR.OM Pavilion during the Venice Biennale in 2022, invite audiences into intimate, often unsettling encounters that question the boundaries between the visible and invisible worlds. His performances range from classical opera infused with prose, theatre and the transformation of apparently inanimate beings like masks and statues. Alfie often navigates various creatives spaces through his peculiar interpretation of everyday Igbo words and practices, elevating them to unexpected heights of artistic expression.

Beyond the stage and screen, Alfie is a respected lecturer and mentor. Alfie has taught at the Mohole School of Arts in Milan, where he uses masks as metaphors to explore performance theory, spiritual aesthetics, and trauma narratives. His role as Advisor on Performance Art to the Director General/CEO of the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC), Nigeria, further affirms his commitment to nurturing art as a tool for national dialogue, healing, and innovation.

 Alfie’s works have been showcased at international festivals, galleries, and academic platforms across Europe and Africa. In 20 I6, he was among international artists invited by the London-based Sigergallery for a collective exhibition/performance at the Tate Modern Gallery. There, Alfie showcased his thought-provoking installation piece, “The Italian Communion”, a non-religious exploration of the words “common and union” that fonns communion. Communion therefore explores that which unites a people in a room practice. In Italian Communion, Alfie joined together common elements of the Italian cuisine to produce a Christian cross made from a juxtaposition of tomatoes, nutella and a coffee maker. Earlier the same year, Alfie debuted at the Museum of Cultures in Milan with “Reeducation of an Igbo Mask”, part of the Igbo Communion body of work. Alfie has taken the lgbo Communion on tour to various Italian Cites Like Milan, Turin and Verona. African Arts Foundation invited Alfie to open the Lagos Photo festival in the same 2016.

In 2018, the City of Palermo, together with the Music Department of New York University invited Alfie to stage the opening performance of Resignifications, Black Mediterranean. It was his first time directing and opera and Alfie staged a most innovative pairing of characters from Mozart’s Magic Flute and Soyinka’s Dance of the Forests. The surprising pairing resulted in the opera A Dance in Palermo’s Forest. The show thrilled the audience and earned him an invitation to perform at the prestigious music department.

He has been invited to open significant cultural events, most recently the 2024 National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) in Nigeria. Whether directing a ritual theatre piece, leading a workshop on memory and migration, or presenting at a biennale, his approach remains rooted in participation, reflection, and transformation.

Currently, Alfie is working on Mmuo Nka+Ta(a) multidisciplinary project that fuses lgbo linguistic cosmology, metaphysics and philosophy with digital performance art. With Mmuo Nka+Ta(a), Alfie continues his lifelong quest to decode the invisible codes embedded in the Igbo language to restore collective memory, and awaken the spirit in art.

Mission and Vision

Alfie Nze’s mission is to harness the transformative power of art to provoke thought, preserve memory, and activate healing. 

He believes performance is a portal a means to challenge social norms, revive ancestral wisdom, and invite audiences into deeper spiritual and social consciousness. 

Recurring themes in his work include: 

  • Linguistic archeology and ritual aesthetics
  • Environmental and cultural memory
  • Post colonial identity and migration
  • Performance as resistance and restoration

Career Highlight

  • Devil Comes to Koko (2016): A documentary exposing toxic waste dumping from Italy to Nigeria. Winner of the Lega Ambiente Prize.
  • Granma(2017): A theatre film highlighting the risks of undocumented migration. Commissioned by IOM.
  • A Dance in Palermo Forest (2018): An operatic prose performance merging Mozart's "Queen of the Night" with Wole Soyinka's "Dance of the Forests."
  • Tessy in the Land of Beauty (2020): A theatre workshop in Owerri on sex trafficking, developed for IOM.
  • IbeJiMma (2024): A command performance at NAFEST.
  • Nessun Dorma Tour(2024-25): Anopera/proserendition of Puccini's Turandot across Lagos and Abuja.
  • MmuoNka+Ta(a): A multimedia project blending book, visual art, and live performance based on Igbo cosmology.

Projects

  • A selection of Alfie's major projects includes: award-winningfilms, opera-theatre, fusions, socially engaged performances, and installations.
  • His work has appeared at venues like the VeniceBiennale, cultural festivals across Europe and Africa, and in educational institutions.

Recent/Upcoming Performances and Project

 

 IbeJiMma–NAFEST 2024 and a Nigerian Tour 2025/2026 

– Nessun Dorma–National Opera Tour(2024-2025) 

– MmuoNka+Ta(a)– BookLaunch, Performance Tour and reading’s 

– Red rope (Upcoming feature film on human trafficking) 

– Diaspora(Upcoming TVseries)