Adwoa Amoah & Ato Annan
As well as being at the forefront of the Ghanaian scene, these two artists are the spokespersons for a contemporary history of African art, and its desire for democratisation and externalisation.
Updated on 25/02/2020
2 min
Adwoa Amoah graduated in 2003 from the College of Arts at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi, Ghana). She explores the social construction of identity through painting, as well as through photography and mixed media, using various subjects and techniques at the heart of a single work. Her installations are exhibited on the African continent (National Museum of Ghana, Alliance française in Ethiopia) and in Europe (Sigvardson in Denmark and the Casoria Museum of Contemporary Art in Naples).
Multidisciplinary artist Ato Annan narrates Ghana’s urban space and social realities in his collages, sound performances and videos. His work is exhibited in Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as in the United States and Italy.
Since 2008 Adwoa Amoah and Ato Annan have co-led the Foundation for Contemporary Art-Ghana, dedicated to the presentation and promotion of contemporary art in Ghana and the networking of artists.
Adwoa Amoah and Ato Annan have made strides on the Ghanaian, African and international art scenes by choosing a bold and elaborate artistic expression.
Adwoa Amoah’s work is quasi-sociological. Rather than merely replicating what the Ghanaian community shows her, she prefers to analyse its mechanisms. Thus, through Beyond, Obi or Piloloo III, graphic variations based on the eye, the “window of the soul”, she focuses on her world and exhibits a kind of clairvoyance. She sews, paints, ties, pierces, screws in metal, paper, canvas or plywood, and makes up a diverse and complex mosaic work.
Likewise, Ato Annan chooses a plural narrative. Videos and sound, as well as stacks of papers, advertising posters and writing, are just some of the everyday expressions that he presents mainly at major collective exhibitions such as “Making Africa” in 2009 in Italy and “We are Africa” in 2013 at the Nubuke Foundation.
Together, they have this desire to bring contemporary art to the heart of Ghanaian society and for more than a decade have been the initiators of the main artistic events in their country.
Adwoa Amoah and Ato Annan have travelled beyond Ghana to export their art and are also regularly involved in international projects.
They collaborate with the Bronx Museum of Arts and the New School for Design in New York setting up educational workshops for the public or artists wishing to advance their knowledge and practice of contemporary art.
In 2012, alongside three other major Ghanaian artists – Bernard Akoi-Jackson, Kelvin Haizel and Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh – they formed the Exit Frame collective with the aim of reflecting on contemporary art in Ghana and enabling artistic projects in Africa and far beyond their continent.
In 2014, they, along with six other Ghanaian artists, were the protagonists of the African part of the exhibition "Du Bois In Our Time", shown in both Massachusetts and Accra.
- 2008
2008
Ato Annan and Adwoa Amoah jointly lead the Foundation of Contemporary Art-Ghana.
- 2008
2008
They both represent Ghana individually at AfriCAM, the first major exhibition at the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum (Italy) dedicated to African art.
- 2012
2012
Ato and Adwoa form the Exit Frame collective with three of their peers.
- 2014
2014
They participate in the implementation of the “Du Bois In Our Time” exhibition, a major event marking the anniversary of Ghana’s independence.
The Exit Frame collective, to which Adwoa Amoah & Ato Annan belong, works with la Condition Publique, one of the Africa2020 Season headquarters.
Initiated by Emmanuel Macron, the President of the French Republic, the Africa2020 Season will take place throughout France (mainland and overseas territories) from June 1st to mid-December 2020. It will be dedicated to the 54 states of the African continent. Find out more about the Africa2020 Season