Born in Lesotho South Africa in 1959, Koto was raised in Great Britain after his family was forced to flee as political refugees in 1963.

He currently lives in France and works internationally as a highly acclaimed fashion and art photographer. Bolofo has photographed for prestigious magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ. He has created award-winning short films for acclaimed international film festivals, as well as advertising campaigns for brands including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Moncler, Fendi, Jaeger Lecoultre, Dom Pérignon. His books with Steidl include Venus, I Spy with my Little Eye, Something beginning with S, Vroom!, La Maison Hermes and Grande Complications.

Bolofo is the distinguished recipient of the 2022 Lucie Award for Achievement in Advertising in photography.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1987 Koto Bolofo, The Photographers Gallery, London, UK.

1998 Koto Bolofo: AIR, Contrejour, Paris, France.

2002 Koto Bolofo: Sibusiso Mbhele and his Fish Helicopter, Scout Gallery, London, UK

2003 Koto Bolofo: Racing Style, Goodwood Estate, Chichester, UK

2005 Koto Bolofo, Hermes Horse, Studio 24, Sydney, Australia.

2008 Koto Bolofo :Venus Williams, Roland Garros Museum in Paris, France.

2012 Koto Bolofo: Mmmm, Colette, Paris, France.

2013 Koto Bolofo: I Spy with My Little Eye, Something Beginning with S, Circulo De Ante, Barcelona, Spain.

2014 Koto Bolofo: W ork in Progress, Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy.

2016 Koto Bolofo: Construction Sight, W allpaper Magazine, Cork Street galleries takeover, London,UK.

2016 Koto Bolofo: Work in Progress, Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Venice, Italy.

2016 Koto Bolofo: Black Beauties, Via Della Spiga, Milan, Spain.

2016/17 Koto Bolofo: The Making of the Design Museum, The Design Museum, London, UK.

2017 Koto Bolofo: Between Black & White, Kahmann Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

2018 Marie-Agnes Gillot par Koto Bolofo: Earth, Wind and Fire, Studio des Acacias Gallery, Paris, France.

2019 Koto Bolofo, Planche Contact, Deauville, France.Group Exhibitions

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1994/95 Vanities Centre National de Photographie, Rothschild Center, Paris, France

Sponsored by Conde Nast

2000 Chick Clicks, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA.

2007 Les Métamorphoses de Skin, Beaux Artes, Paris, France.

2009 Lasting Impressions: The Fine Art & Craft of the Steidl Book, Photo Elysee, Lausanne, France.

(Featured work from'I Spy with my Little Eye Something Beginning with S')

Toured Exhibition:

Monnaie de Paris (2010);

Daelim Museum, South Korea (2013).

2019 Beyond Fashion, FEP (Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography), ArtisTree, Hong Kong Toured Exhibition:

Shanghai Centre for Photography (2020)

Xie Zilong Photography Museum, Changsha, China (2021)

AL T.1, Hyundai Seoul (2022), Korea

Haus of Fotografie, Olten (2023), IPFO House of Photography, Olten (2023)

2024 Beyond Fashion, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK.

2025 Solo Show at Dover Street Market Paris

PUBLICATIONS

1985'Koto Bolofo: Yohji Yamamoto, Marrakech (catalogue)

1990'Koto Bolofo: Air published by Contrejour plus solo exhibition

2002'Koto Bolofo: Sibusiso Mbhele and his Fish Helicopter , published by Power House Books, NY

2005 'Koto Bolofo: Racing Style , published by Assouline France

2008 'Koto Bolofo: Venus, published by Steidl Germany

2010 `Koto Bolofo: Grosse Komplikation / Grand Complication, published by Steidl Germany

2010 'Koto Bolofo: Vroom! Vroomr, published by Steidl Germany

2010 'Koto Bolofo: I Spy with My Little Eye, Something beginning with S', published by Steidl Germany

2011 ‘Koto Bolofo: Horse Power ', published by Steidl Germany

2011 'Koto Bolofo: La Maison d’Hermes, published by Steidl Germany

2012 'Koto Bolofo: Dreams, published by Steidl Germany

2012 'Koto Bolofo: Lord Snowden, Published by Steidl Germany

2014 Koto Bolofo: Rolls Royce, Published by Steidl Germany

2014 'Koto Bolofo: The Prison, Published by Steidl Germany

2018 'Koto Bolofo : Académie équestre de Versailles, published by Actes Sud

2019 ‘Nathafie Herschdorfer', Body, published by Thames and Hudson. Cover image.

2020 ‘‘Koto Bolofo: One Love, One Book',published by Steidl Germany

2024 Paris Photo In Camera Galery

2025 Solo Show at Paris Photos In Camera Galery

FILMS

All shot on a 16mm Bolex camera and all self-invested

1994 The Land is White, The Seed is Black', 45 mins, b/w (documentary)

Berlin Film Festival (1994); Festival Vue Sur Le Doc Marseille (1996);

Cape T o Film Festival (1997); Goteborg Film Festival. Sweden (1998)

1994 'A Table for Two , 20 mins, b/w Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago (1994)

1998 'African Violet' (Fiction), 45mins, color Berlin International Film Festival (1998); Brisbane International Film

Festival (1998); Edinburgh Film Festival (1998); African Film Festival, Milan (1998)

2000 'Sibusiso Mbhele and his Fish Helicopter, 45 mins, color

Screened at MoMA, NYC (2002)

AWARDS

1994 The Golden Hugo Prize, Chicago for A Table for Two

1994 Prix de Image de la Culture, CNC Film France for The Land is White, The Seed is Black'

1996 1st Prize, Inverso Sud Aversa Film Festival, Naples Italy for The Land is White, The Seed is Black'

2002 Les Rencontres d'Arles Book Award for 'Sibusiso Mbhele and his Fish Helicopter

2022 The Lucie Award

(honouring greatest achievements in photography)