Henrie Dennis
PhD candidate in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna | DEI Consultant | Art Curator | Human Rights Trainer | Public Speaker | Founder Afro Rainbow Austria
About Me
Mag.art. Henrie Dennis is the Founder and Executive Director of Afro Rainbow Austria.
A Nigerian born human rights activist, art curator, and cultural mediator who continuously works on improving the lives and realities of LGBTIQ+ communities in Africa as a continent, Austria and the diaspora.
Henrie wears multiple hats, contributing as a social worker at the street newspaper Augustin while pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Art.
Her works centre on themes of queerness, migration, redistribution of resources, gender, anti-racism, and decolonization.
A advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and representation, she leverages her platform to amplify marginalized voices and build bridges between diverse communities. Through the medium of art and dialogue, she challenges societal norms and promotes understanding and inclusivity.
Languages:
Igbo, Yoruba, Pidgin, English, German
Engagements
A board member of Planet10, a redistribution network that encourages sharing privileges among minority groups.
European Rep. ILGA World Women Committee
I have worked among others, with the Red Cross and with LEFÖ-IBF, Intervention Centre for Trafficked Women in Austria.
A trainer with the NGO Selbstlaut, an organization fighting sexual violence against children and youth.
Artistic director of art and activism festival Wienwoche, 2019-2021.
Just Me
International PhD Workshop in Philosophy: Migration and Justice
International PhD Workshop in Philosophy: Migration and Justice
The “Migration and Justice” conference aims to foster an exchange of knowledge between PhD students, postgraduates, and faculty members from two esteemed institutions: Linköping University, Sweden, and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria. This event will create a dynamic space for discussing critical issues surrounding migration, racism, feminism, LGBTQI rights, labor, and citizenship. The conference will feature presentations from doctoral students and invited speakers, offering diverse perspectives on these urgent topics.
WORKSHOP(Conference):
Doctoral students and invited speakers, offering diverse perspectives on these urgent topics.
Taking part from Vienna:
- Asma Aiad, BA, MA, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, PhD student in Philosophy
Aesthetics of Participation: The Representation of Muslims in Austria through Art and Culture in the Context of Social Justice and Inclusion - Mag. art, Henrie Dennis, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, PhD student in Philosophy
Gendered Language Discourse in Border Policies: Examining the Role of Whiteness and its Impact on Global Migration
- Adis Šerifović, BA, MA, Open Innovation in Science Center from the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) – Inclusion Health Project; Researcher and PhD student (Medical University Vienna)
Vulnerable communities and Medical care in Austria
Supported by the Doctoral Center and the International Department at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
- Workshop
- Organisational Units
- Fine Arts
- Location Description
- Linköping University
REMESO
Division of Migration, Ethnicity and Society
SE-601 74 Norrköping
Swede
Kåkenhus
Kungsgatan 40
Campus Norrköping
Lecture: Flight, Migration and Gender Dynamics
Queerness is African
African and Afro-descendant queer-lesbian perspectives on white dominated migration narratives.
What’s another word for holding together? Eine Gruppenausstellung in drei Kapiteln
What’s another word for holding together?
What's another word for holding together? is an exhibition built upon traces. It reflects on the necessity of „support structures“ and is looking back to the past year’s exhibitions at Exhibit Studio and topics that were unfolding within them.
The crises evolving or becoming visible through the pandemic were already enough reason for thinking about the uncertainties surrounding us and the futures to come. Now, several months and crises later, the urgency to think about what could help or what could become a support structure in the chaos around us, pushed us to think about possible exhibition formats that could react to the reality we live in.
Organized and with spatial interventions by Exhibit Studio coordinators Vik Bayer and Natalia Gurova.
Verschaff mir Recht organised by AAI Afro-Asiatiches Institut Salzburg
Verschaff mir Recht organised by AAI Afro-Asiatiches Institut Salzburg.
International artists unite in solidarity with the Iranian women*
At documenta fifteen with #pcapgrupa




A night with Afro Rainbow Austria at Frameout Open Air Cinema was lit and tight!
A night with Afro Rainbow Austria at Frameout Open Air Cinema was lit and tight!
Team ARA creatives keeping the mind and soul together
Team ARA creatives keeping the mind and soul together
November 18 2021 Event @ Germany
November 18 2021 Event @ Germany
#EndPoliceBrutality protest in Nigeria.✊🏾
We came out in numbers to show #Solidarity to #EndSARS and #EndPoliceBrutality protest currently happening in Nigeria.
#QueerNigerianLivesMatter









Wienwoche festival Opening!
Stop deportation #demonstration at the airport!
Black Lives Matter Protest

Afro Rainbow Austria community building and allyship
Awards and Nominations
2023
Winner Würdigungspreis 2023 of the Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research.
2022
Shortlisted for Austria Personality of the Year Award.
2019 – 2020
Awards and nominations for the bilingual children’s book “Ein bisschen wie du / A little like You”
Authors: Lilly Axster, Henrie Dennis, Jaray Fofana and Christine Aebi, Frederik Marroquín, Zaglossus Publishing
- Joseph Binder Award 2020
- Nomination for the IBBY Honor List 2020
- Nomination for the Biennale of Illustrations 2019
- Viennese Children’s Book Prize 2019
- State Prize 2019 for one of the most beautiful books in Austria
- Austrian Children’s Book Award 2019
2018
Winner of the Black Austrian Award, category Community Empowerment Fresh Magazine