Artist Abdur Rahman Muhammad reframes the ‘Ghana Must Go’ bag to consider migratioN
28.05.24 (Wallpaper)
In his first solo show, Ghanaian artist Abdur Rahman Muhammad presents a collection of oil on canvas paintings that delve into the complex theme of migration. The body of work, titled ‘The Allegory of a Seeker’, on display at the ADA contemporary art gallery in Accra, is based on the real-life experiences of people around him and from watching YouTube interviews.
A standout, Out and At Em (2024), features an individual sitting on a couch. In front of them lies a coloured travel bag, commonly known as the ‘Ghana Must Go’ bag, which symbolises the migration journey.
Ask a Local: artist Kwaku Yaro on Accra's unmissable restaurants, galleries and beachside hideouts
24.04.24 (Conde Nast Traveller)
Kwaku Yaro creates mixed-media portraits using cleverly upcycled wax prints, the blue-and-red chequered polypropylene bags ubiquitous across Ghana, and other urban materials. Based in Accra, one of the best places to visit in Africa in 2024, the Ghanaian visual artist namechecks his favourite art markets, beaches and Afrobeat bars in the hometown that inspires his work.
MEET KWAKU YARO
14.08.23 (Canvas Rebel)
“It all started when I wanted a signature, something that will represent me as an artist. I realized that artists like Pablo Picasso, Mark Bradford and Ibrahim Mahama had something that represented them and that’s something I wanted for myself. My mum is a trader and she always comes home with one-use shopping bags and sacks, and she used to throw them out in the bin. This same practice goes for most people in my community.”
Artemartis: The ground-breaking art collective shaping Ghana’s art scene
29.03.23 (GQ South Africa)
I came across an exciting art exhibition halfway through February, 2023 and I was intrigued by the thriving art community called Artemartis that’s shaping the art scene in the country one exhibition at a time.
Artemartis is a Ghanaian based Art Agency & Collective with a diverse group of contemporary artists.
In Ghana, Awanle Ayiboro paints against forced marriages
09.05.23 (TV 5 Monde)
“Around the age of 13, my mother wanted to give me to a man who could have been my father, I refused" : At 26, Ghanaian painter Awanle Ayiboro Hawa Ali made forced child marriage her "fight."
"At that time, I was always with my parents and I obeyed them. They told me that I would have to go to this man, cook for him, clean his house, but I I didn't want that life, I wanted to become a journalist ," says Awanle Ayiboro.
A guide to Accra: the heart of Africa's art scene
30.03.23 (National Geographic)
The road past Makola Market is swarming with hawkers. Pavements are littered with leather goods. Women wrapped in hand-loomed fabrics step into the street, balancing giant tubs of kpakpo shito peppers on their heads. Hip-hop blasts from a distant speaker. A preacher delivers a sermon into a megaphone.
Beside me, in the driver’s seat, Selasie Gomado is inching along to the petrol station. An hour ago, he picked me up for a visit to Artemartis, the artists’ collective he runs west of the city centre, but in that time we’ve progressed barely a mile.