Amoako Boafo (b. 1984) shot to global focus a little under 5 years ago. Since then, the artist has made waves in the art world, taking up space and the world by storm. One of the breakthroughs in contemporary African painting is Amoako Boafo. The artist was born in Accra, Ghana and currently resides and works in Vienna. The Austrian master Egon Schiele has a strong effect on his style. The majority of Boafo’s work comprises large full-length portraits. Now, he is launching a new residency program in his home country, Ghana.
AS: Starting with a question you may not always get: you were an avid tennis player, whilst simultaneously practicing art when you were younger. What was the deciding factor for you that made you choose to focus solely on art?
AB: Yes I started playing tennis and painting at a very young age. I was a ball boy at the Accra Lawn Tennis Club and that was where my passion for tennis developed. Did both for most of my life until a funded art school opportunity presented itself, only then did art become the focus, but I never really stopped playing.
AS: What was your motivation to birth dot.ateliers?
AB: Growing up I longed for a space where I could express myself creatively within my community and have intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogs. I gained exposure and experienced the possibilities; and the moment i could afford to i started to create the space within my community that i wished I had always.
AS: Tell us more about the residency programme and how you hope to amplify creative voices with it.
AB: Create space for artists to create work without the pressures of or financial constraints. This allows them to focus on developing their visual language and narrative without worrying about sales in the space that informs said narrative. dot.ateliers will cater to all disciplines but to start we are focusing on paint and drawing while providing curatorial support from our writers and curators residency. This means that not only will we assist in the development of strong bodies of works but we will also have supporting critical theory about the various artistic practices.
AS: What impact do you aspire for this space to have on its local community?
The residency has a strong community focus with future partnerships with other art initiatives in the Kaajano area to create learning and experiential opportunities for the youth. The residency specifically will have a library promoting a literacy program while the residents will have open studio times where the community can come and engage with the works. Ultimately we want to democratize art and make it accessible.
AS: Back to you: what was it like working with Dior, merging art and fashion?
It was a great experience. I’ve always been conscious of fashion (whether I could afford it or not). Dior’s brand is reputable and art forward. The Dior team were professionals and made the commitment to make this an actual collaboration and not just me submitting images of my paintings for them to paste on and sell. I felt the project had a real spirit to it…It’s a project I’m proud of.
AS: In an interview, you said; “Actually, my pictures are finished before I even start painting. I create them in my head. I know beforehand what they will become”. That is something I’m sure other artists understand or would like to. What is the thread you pull on that builds the whole picture in your mind?
I don’t know about the others but that’s my process maybe? Through my experience and trial and error I think I’ve developed a shorthand for imagining my end results. And to be honest. Sometimes the final result turns out different from what I had imagined it to be.
AS: A lot of your work highlights what is being multifaceted, what does this mean to you and why is it an important conversation for people experiencing your art?
AB: Multifaceted perhaps in materials and in an autobiographical sense. In materials, because I tend to use a variety of applications, finger painting, paper transfers, sometimes opaque flat backgrounds.
Autobiographical, because, once I left home (Accra, Ghana to Vienna, Austria) and I gained more education in art and in life, I noticed there are often very limited notions of what black art and black artists should say, do and represent. I did not agree with that notion. Because black artists whether from ‘The Continent’ or the diaspora are aware of our nuances, and contradictions, and it is important to me that my pieces speak to me and the viewer on multiple levels.
Image courtesy of Artsy
AS: How would you describe the juxtapositional influence that Vienna and Ghana have had on your art form?
AB: Vienna gave me perspective. It gave me a greater understanding of the world. What a career of an artist entails. It also made me very aware of how different and unique my presence was. Instead of blending in back home and almost being anonymous, now in Vienna I felt exposed. It was a vulnerable, humbling experience. I’m grateful for it, because it made me appreciate home even more than I had before? I also became unapologetic for my skin, my nation, my culture. I leaned into it and not away from it.
AS: Texture is a frequent component of your work, when did you introduce this and why?
AB: I think Ghanaians are naturally inclined to textures. Whether it’s physical texture or the appearance of texture. If you go to our markets, see our clothes, our architecture and so it naturally finds its way into my work.
AS: One of your pieces sold for over $500,000. What was that like for you?
AB: It was like, ok let me buckle my seat belt. This is going to be an interesting ride!
Image courtesy of Christie’s
AS: Despite being such a vital part of Africa’s history, art doesn’t hold the same status or global recognition here as it does in other regions, why do you think that is?
AB: I believe Africans are natural artists. In Ghana art is so integrated in our daily lives that the concept of art as investment is foreign. Sometimes the talent is so abundant on our continent that we take art for granted. But I also believe the bigger issue is that the western art world didn’t value our contemporary artistic abilities. But I think now there is an understanding of the value we bring to the table.
AS: What do you believe the future of art is, specifically in the West African context?
AB: I believe there is a shift occurring when it comes to owning and recognition of our narratives. That shift in how we are telling our own stories is critical to the future of art in the West African context and shows a move toward securing our own art historical canon.
Image courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim
AS: It is not unusual to feel burdened by being the voice of a people, how do you deal with it and what has your experience with this been?
AB: I do not feel like the voice of the people and so I do not feel burdened. I only just speak my mind and my truth about what is happening in my community and do my bit to change what I can, it just happens to align with the voice of the people which is a good thing I think.
AS: What’s next for you?
I’m looking forward to the kick off of the artists’ residency, some interesting institutional projects in 2023 and 2024, as well as some exciting collaborations with my galleries. Stay tuned!
You can find more about dot.arts and dot.ateliers here. The team members include, Amoako Boafo, Nina Kukua Gyasi, Enyonam Tetteh-Klu, Aida Esi Hayfron-Benjamin, Naïla Opiangah and El-Yesha Adiki Puplampu.
Five specially chosen artists will participate in the residence program’s inaugural year when it begins in 2023; Zandile Tshabalala, Clotilde Jiménez, M. Florine Démoshthéne, Crystal Yayra Anthony and Dzidefo Amegatsey.
