Art Worlds in Ghana

I’d figured I’d better meet up with the artist Kofi Dawson when Ato and Adwoa at the FCA and Michael at the Dei Centre all told me I should. I gave him a call. With only a few days’ warning, I managed to see him on my second to last day in Ghana.

His place is nestled in an interesting area. It’s down the block from a number of other artists, around the corner from a former President’s family’s dwelling, and also not too far off from the slums.

He wore a white beret, yellow t-shirt, and large-rimmed glasses. He welcomed me into his home and showed me his work. Kofi’s art is so varied you might not be able to tell that it’s all by the same person. An abstract print of lotto numbers is next to a French-influenced painting of a market lady, next to a multimedia collage of snails made out of seashells and pea pods. I peered into his studio but did not venture inside due to the layers of dust and canvases. Kofi’s nieces and nephews from next door wandered into his living room. I got to chat with them while I looked through his photographs and prints.