adelaide damoah
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Edward Ofosu.
I have known Edward Ofosu for a few years now. I was even privileged enough to exhibit with him once in a group show. I can go as far as to boast that he bought one of my paintings once. Ofosu, born in 1973 told me that he knew from as early as eight years old that one day, he was going to be a painter. Having completed his secondary education in the 90’s, in Ghana, Ofosu found himself still longing to paint worked long hours in a poultry farm doing finance, while at the same time studying under the tutelage of a local artist who encouraged his natural talent.…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Eugene Ankomah
Born in 1978 in the UK, Eugene Ankomah has already had an impressive art career spanning 18 years. Ankomah’s family settled in the UK when he was 13 years old. His love affair with art started at the tender age of five when he was first given the task of copying the image of a monkey at school. Described as a child prodigy even then, Ankomah went on to impress his school teachers enough to make his first sale while at the age of 16 and to win a number of awards and prizes which would later form the basis for his blossoming career. Ankomah kindly took some time out…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Ruud van Empel
I came across Ruud van Empel’s work on Facebook because someone posted one of his stunning images from the eponymous “World” series. I was dumb struck. I instantly fell in love with his work and was astonished that I had not heard of him previously. Born in 1958 in Breda, the Netherlands, Ruud van Empel studied graphic design at the Academie St. Joost, Breda between 1976 and 1981. After some time working in the field of graphic design, film, television and interior design, van Empel purchased his first Apple Mac and began to learn about the wonders of Photoshop. This was a turning point and van Empel went on to…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Wiz Kudowor
Born in 1957 in Takoradi, Ghana, Wiz Kudowor is one of Ghana’s most respected visual artists. Kudowor’s career as a professional artist spans more than 30 years and he has exhibited in more than 50 group shows and 12 solo shows around the world. Kudowor’s unique works are held in public and private collections the world over. Public collections include Ghana’s National Museum, China’s Ministry of Culture, Japan’s Osaka Prefecture Collection, and a public mural at Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Kudowor’s style is unique and instantly recognisable. His abstracted figures, faces scenes and shapes are created using a roller brush and pallet knife, creating bold paintings reminiscent of traditional…
- adelaide damoah, african art, benin art, found objects, gerard quenum, october gallery london, urban detritus
Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Gerard Quenum
Born in Porto Novo, Benin in 1971, Gerard Quenum is a unique sculptural artist who creates his hauntingly beautiful pieces using recycled, found objects. His work grabs and holds the attention and it is as thought provoking as it is beautiful and mysterious. The objects he creates serve as portraits of people and things he observes in his surroundings. Each comes with its own embedded history and serve as a “lens through which we view Africa.” His latest works, to be exhibited at the October Gallery, London in September 2012 are entitled “Dolls never Die.” The works include various parts of dolls which have been recycled twice… As donated hand…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with BP Portrait Award Finalist Toby Mulligan
Born in 1969,Toby Mulligan is a a rising star on the British art scene it seems. A self taught artist, Mulligan was a 2012 finalist for the BP Portrait award and subsequently had his work exhibited at the prestigious National Portrait Gallery in London. Mulligan is unusual in that he not only taught himself how to draw and paint with both hands simultaneously, he also taught himself how to build houses and landscape gardens which he did on a professional basis for a number of years to supplement his practice and to look after his family. A full time artist now, Mulligans career has taken on a new direction following…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Tim Okamura
Tim Okamura is a Canadian artist most well known for his beautiful and realistic depictions of African Americans and other minorities in urban landscapes. His stunning and positive depictions of groups of people who have rarely been treated with such dignity in art history are a powerful testament to his views on racial differences and the problems that focusing on these differences can bring to society. Born in 1968, Okamura obtained a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, Canada. He subsequently moved to New York and obtained his Masters in Fine Art from the eponymous School of Visual Arts. His career…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Adebanji Alade
I was introduced to the the man himself one day in 2009 during an artist meeting. While six artists sat around a table in MacDonald’s, discussing a possible group show, Adebanji Alade shocked us all with a remarkable sketch of one of the artists which he completed while we talked. From that day forward, I have paid close attention to his career and art and have a great respect for his talent and work ethic and his passion for drawing has influenced me in a number of ways. Born in 1972, Adebanji Alade says that his interest in the arts first started at the tender age of six when he…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Romuald Hazoumè
Born in 1962 in Benin, West Africa, Romuald Hazoumè, is considered one of Africa’s leading visual artists. A winner of the prestigious 2007 Arnold-Bode-Prize at Documenta 12 in Germany, Hazoumè first came to the attention of the wider art world in 1992, when his politically astute works were first exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery’s “Out of Africa” show. Already a full-time artist by then, Hazoumè’s works have since been shown in major museums and galleries all over the world and has works in the collections of the likes of David Bowie and Iman. Hazoumè’s works appear to be humorous and witty commentaries on current political issues in his home…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Shiri Achu
Beauty, confidence, exuberance, intelligence and tenacity. These are just a few adjectives I would use to describe this talented artist. Born in the Cameroon, West Africa, Achu came to the Uk at the age of nine. An inquisitive and creative child, Achu used found materials to start to make art. Gaining A grades at both GCSE and A level art, Achu decided not to follow the path of art education that her mother wanted for her and went on to study and qualify in architecture. Achu went on to work in the field of architecture until the economy collapsed in 2008 when she was made redundant. Just before that time,…