Edson Chagas was born in 1977 in Luanda, Angola, where he lives. He studied documentary photography in Newport at the University of South Wales (2008), London College of Communication (2007), Escola Técnica de Imagem e Comunicação in Portugal (2002) and Centro Comunitário de Arcena in Portugal (1999).

Solo exhibitions have taken place at Stevenson Gallery (2014/2015), Instituto Camões – Centro Cultural Português, Luanda (2014); Belfast Exposed Photography, Northern Ireland (2014); A Palazzo Gallery, Brescia, Italy (2013) and Memorial Agostinho Neto, Luanda (2013).

In 2013 Chagas represented Angola at the 55th Venice Biennale, the Angolan Pavilion winning the Golden Lion for Best National Participation. In 2015 Edson was one of three artists shortlisted for the 11th Novo Banco Photo Award, with an exhibition at Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon.

Notable group exhibitions include, Disguised opened at Seattle Art Museum (2015-2016) and now is present at Brooklyn Museum from April 29 – September 18, (2016); Ocean of images, New Photography at MoMA, New York in (2015-2016), The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists, MMK Frankfurt, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC, and other venues (2014-15), Lagos Photo Festival (2014); Shifting Africa – What the Future Holds, Mediations Biennale, Poznań, Poland, and Kunsthalle Faust, Hannover, Germany (2014); Journal, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2014); NO FLY ZONE, Unlimited Mileage, Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon (2013); Transit, OCA, São Paulo (2013); RAVY Visual Arts Festival, Yaoundé (2012) and the second Luanda Triennial (2010). Edson Chagas works and live in Luanda Angola.