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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 Kelvin Okafor
Nwanebuni_(Self Portrait II) At only 28 years old, Kelvin Okafor is one of the best draughtsmen of our generation in my opinion. Born in 1985, Okafor’s passion for the pencil started at a very early age. Like many young art world stars, he appears to have come out of nowhere, but Okafor has been quietly perfecting his craft since he was a little boy. When his friends were playing outside, Okafor was inside drawing with his charcoal pencil. His passion for drawing followed him and propelled him to study fine art at Middlesex University from which he graduated in 2009. He has already won awards and had national and international…
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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 Renee Cox
Renee Cox, a Jamaican American mixed media artist is described in her biography as one of the most “Controversial African-American artists working today.” Born in 1960 in Jamaica, Cox often uses her own body to critique what she sees as an inherently sexist and racist society, while simultaneously celebrating what it means to be black and to be female. Completely fearless in her approach to her art, her work could be seen as confrontational social commentary, but it is more than that. Cox sees the work as a response to things which affect her. Not merely to confront or specifically to intentionally cause controversy. One of her most controversial series…
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Metamorphosis by Asher Jay
Metamorphosis: – an original literary work by ©Asher Jay 2013 I have been the wild horse that could not be tamed, the unpredictable storm, the loose cannon, the changing wind, the winding ocean current the meandering river, the vagrant cloud and I have always found the other to be a shackle This maybe why I have never been the sails of a sturdy oak ship never the salt by the pepper shaker the oars to a hand carved canoe, the ornate brass legs to a rosewood table nor the buttons of a bespoke shirt something in you has left me feeling more button than horse, more salt than storm more…
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Adelaide Damoah in Conversation with Jane McAdam Freud
Jane McAdam Freud is an internationally acclaimed, multi award winning British visual artist. Born in 1958, her work includes sculpture, installation, drawing, prints and digital media. McAdam Freud studied at the Wimbledon College of Art, Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art in London. Impressively, her work started to gain recognition from the very early age of 18, after the launch of her first solo show. Following the exhibition, one of her award winning pieces was acquired by the British museum. In 1986, she went on to win the, the British Art Medal Scholarship in Rome. A highly accomplished artist, McAdam Freud has work in private and public…
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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…