The history of art in Ghana is a multifaceted and rich topic, deeply rooted in the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the Ghanaian people. It reflects the remarkable diversity and complexity of their culture. Art in Ghana has been practiced for centuries, with a variety of different styles, movements, and aesthetics emerging in different periods of history.
Adinkra cloth with traditional symbols
Traditional art forms, such as Adinkra cloth, Kente cloth, and pottery making, have been practiced for centuries and are deeply embedded in the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the Ghanaian people.
Visiting The Kente Weaving Workshop In Bonwire, Ghana
Early Influences and the Colonial Era
The inclusion of art in the Ghanaian curriculum back in the days when it was the Gold Coast is due to a few enterprising colonial education officers and teachers, among whom are D. J. Oman, G. A. Stevens, Gabriel Pippet, and H. V. Meyerowitz and Eva L. R. Meyerowitz. Achimota College was the primary center of early arts activity.
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During the colonial era, art in Ghana was heavily influenced by European culture, which introduced new materials, techniques, and styles. Colonial art teachers sought to preserve ancient art forms and discouraged European-style art.
In the case of the Gold Coast (pre-independence Ghana) the history of modernism is mediated by British colonial presence and the dogmatic actualisation of the utilitarian essence of educational systems left over by other European merchants and Protestant Missionaries (Swiss, German, and Scottish). This was based on the false separation between liberal and vocational education.
The Role of George Alexander Stevens
It would take a nativist colonial art teacher, George Alexander Stevens, to initially pose any significant intellectual opposition to such weaknesses in British education in the Gold Coast. In a speech delivered at a staff meeting at Achimota College in 1928 in which he made recommendations for curriculum reforms, Stevens explicitly repudiates the Educational Code of 1887 created by the British colonial government by emphatically stating that “[o]ne cannot trace in the [Educational] Code any real policy of artistic development in the [Gold Coast] by means of the educational system”.
Stevens viewed the latter as “drawn up as if there were no indigenous arts in the country at all, whereas these were then in a much more flourishing condition than they are to-day [sic].” Stevens continues with the insightful remark that “[t]he scientific and mathematical subjects which have been allowed to creep in under the general term ‘drawing’ in the form of geometrical, model and scale drawing, must go back to their proper place”.
Stevens was then a young graduate of the prominent Slade School in London and had been appointed as the first art master of the Government Training College, and later Achimota College, during the period between the World Wars from 1925 to 1929 in colonial Gold Coast. He mentored the sculptor and craftsman Herbert Vladimir Meyerowitz (who became his successor) as well as Margaret Trowell and Kenneth Murray- both becoming influential colonial teachers in Uganda and Nigeria respectively.
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Stevens’s “multiculturalist” art programme which carried nationalist stimulus for the Gold Coast learner was continued by Meyerowitz who introduced the teacher training Art and Crafts Specialist Certificate (ACSC) course in 1937 at Achimota. Among Meyerowitz’s students are Amon Kotei, Ernest Victor Asihene, Kofi Antubam, and John Christopher Osei Okyere- all of whom became prominent Gold Coast artists with some significantly shaping the postcolonial educational agenda of the newly independent Ghana nation state.
Post-Independence Art and National Identity
Artists played an important role in forging Ghanaian national identity in the years following independence (1957). Some of these efforts, e.g., commissioned portraits or murals, still reflected Western academic art principles, even though the themes were Ghanaian. After independence, a new wave of Ghanaian artists emerged, exploring themes of identity, nationhood, and decolonization. Nkrumah had a different Pan-Africanist agenda with its own expectations of what Ghanaian art should look like and how it should serve the state.
Ghanaian painters of the 1970s and 1980s have not abandoned themes taken from rural and traditional Ghana, but there has been a definite move away from the realism that characterized the early painters toward abstraction and expressionistic styles. The other hallmark of modern Ghanaian painters is the choice of urban themes.
Contemporary Ghanaian Art
In recent years, contemporary art in Ghana has been heavily influenced by the digital revolution, with new technologies and media being used to express a range of ideas and experiences. Modern Ghanaian art in the colonial and post-colonial periods has been political in the sense that artists have elected what to portray and how to portray it in the face of opposing expectations.
Many of Ghana’s young artists found their voices in the years leading up to the Covid pandemic. Some used social media to amplify their work, defying traditional attitudes against art as a legitimate profession. A burgeoning upper-middle class emerged to appreciate local talent. New galleries abroad exhibiting Ghanaian works opened Western eyes to artists who’d been germinating for years. Then, in 2019, there came a boost in the form of the Year of Return, a government initiative aimed at encouraging the African diaspora to come to Ghana and helping to increase interest in local art.
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In a city that had previously had no major art museums, Gallery 1957 became a beacon. The gallery is located between the bustling Makola Market and the statuesque arches in Black Star Square, in a compound of pristine buildings and freshly mowed lawns that starkly contrast with gardens elsewhere, tended by roaming goats.
Contemporary Ghanaian artists are also exploring themes of identity, globalization, and social justice. They are using a range of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation art, to express their ideas and experiences. The art of Ghana also reflects its rich cultural heritage, with many artists drawing inspiration from traditional Ghanaian art forms, as well as from the wider African continent. Ghanaian artists have also been influenced by the art of other cultures, such as Europe and the Americas. This cross-cultural exchange has resulted in a diverse and dynamic art scene in Ghana, with artists creating work that is both rooted in their own cultural traditions and responsive to global trends.
The urban landscape has responded to the desire to live creatively around the clock. Accra’s first member’s club, Front/Back, exhibits up-and-comers to an exclusive, deep-pocketed clientele indoors and to the wider public in a dedicated space outside. And in a contemporary tower uptown, there’s Skybar 25, a bacchanalian rooftop terrace with a pool and panoramic views distorted by the dense, humid air.
Kumasi Junction and Street Art
The Kumasi Junction project belongs to Atta Kwami. His work is the centerpiece and the inspiration for this group exhibition in Wales. The other nine are all commercial sign-painters, non-academy artists from Kumasi, Ghana. The main point is that any dividing line between academic artists and "street" artists is artificial, and Kwami for one is trying to obliterate this distinction. It is also in a way his homage to the creativity and spirit of painters like Almighty God and Akwasi Addai. Contrary to conventional wisdom, most of these street artists have undergone considerable training through apprenticeships, sometimes lasting for several years. Their work is purchased by a wide range of Ghanaians as well as foreigners.
In addition to Atta Kwami, Kumasi Junction features the work of Akwasi Addai, Kwame Akoto (Almighty God), Alex Amofa, Isaac Otchere Azey, Asibey Boakye Barbentine, Bless (His Name), Gabriel Oduro, Elvis Presley, and King Samino.
Accra's Thriving Art Scene
Accra is a place where art isn’t just passively taken in-art is lived, celebrated and woven into everyday life, and the city’s art scene is deeply rooted in the prominent cultural influences of major ethnic groups in Ghana, mainly the Akan, Ewe and Ga, each of which has its own craftwork and art forms. Accra’s Artist Alliance Gallery, the city’s first contemporary art space, was founded in 1993 by renowned Ghanaian painter and professor Ablade Glover.
Enhancing those efforts is a thriving community of artists being nurtured by the expansion of art spaces and residency initiatives. “Artist-led residency programs have created some infrastructural support for the city’s blossoming art landscape,’’ Joseph Awuah Darko, curator and founder of the Noldor Artist Residency, told Observer.
Accra is “a dream space for artists,” according to Mohammed Awudu, an international graffiti muralist currently working to bring life to slums in Accra through street art. “I know a lot of international artists who want to come to the city and paint. For Obiri, Accra offered both artistic freedom and community. “I’ve lived in Germany, France, Brazil, and the U.K., and despite the city’s challenges, Accra offers a feeling that is unmatched,” she said. “The creative community here is small; everyone knows each other.
The city is increasingly attracting the attention of foreign creatives and collectors, strengthening the creative ecology.
Inside the Artemartis Gallery in Accra
Traditional Ghanaian Art Forms
Each of Ghana's 10 regions has a distinctive personality. The Ghanaians most familiar to visitors are the Ashanti. ASHANTI REGION has to be visited. Kumasi and the surrounding crafts villages have the largest concentration of indigenous crafts because the Ashanti King and his entourage are their patrons.
In the Akan culture creativity is viewed as having divine qualities and craftsmen are called borebore which means 'God'. The workmanship is exquisite and the gold mine is in nearby Obuasi. Ghana was called the Gold Coast during British occupation and it is said that gold dust flowed in the street when it rained.
Kente Cloth
Bonwire is famous because it was the first Ashanti weaving village. Kente cloth was originally woven for the king, with real gold woven into the cloth. There are many colorful stories about the weavers. It is said that the weavers were willing to die for their king and sometimes did. After finishing a particularly beautiful piece the weaver might be put to death so that the cloth could not be woven for anyone else. There is also a story that says that once in a while the weaver would purposely make a mistake. Since the king couldn't wear a less than perfect cloth, the weaver would be given permission to sell the cloth.
When you touch Kente cloth you can sense that it is special. It is desirable to Ghanaians to wear on special occasions and it is also in demand by collectors from all over the world because of its universal appeal. Ghanaians wear Kente to symbolize connection to their roots and others cherish ownership because they feel the power emanating from the rich color and design. Because of its importance and price, a piece is sometimes presented to an older Ghanaian by his children to show respect and to thank him for their upbringing.
All patterns have names and one of them loosely translates to "my skill is exhausted", reflecting the intricate pattern and skill involved in weaving it.
Adinkra Symbols
Adinkra is unique to Ghana and is believed to have started around 1800. Designs are carved into a small piece of calabash, dipped in a black tar like substance (a dye made by boiling the bark of the badie tree for two days) and stamped onto cotton cloth. The designs are based on African proverbs and have meanings to those who can interpret them.
There was a time when a man could order a cloth with a message depending on what stamps were used, but now most people buy the cloth "as is" taking whatever is available or appeals to them. There are several theories about the origin of Adinkra. Some say it was developed after the 19th C. defeat of the Gyaman King Kofi Adinkra who had dared to replicate the sacred "Golden Stool" of the Ashanti. Another story says that it means the final farewell.
Adinkra was traditionally black designs on black cloth and was worn to funerals. Today Adinkra cloth comes in many bright colors (although the designs are always black) and is also worn on festive occasions. Since it is less expensive than Kente, it is sometimes worn on festive occasions in place of that cloth. The men wear the cloth like a toga over their left shoulder. Sometimes women will wear adinkra and when they do it is usually sewn into a blouse and another piece is wrapped around the waist as a skirt.
Adinkra symbols are on everything nowadays. They are painted on buildings, walls, ceramics, jewelry and almost any art form you can think of. Museum shops have glasses with adinkra symbols etched into them and almost every kindergarten class studying Africa has made a potato print of an adinkra symbol. Machine printed adinkra cloth has flooded the market in Accra and New York.
Wood Carving
Ahwiaa is the main Ashanti wood carving village. Important products here are the stools and Akua'Ba figures. Traditionally the stool is carved from one piece of wood with 3 sections: the crescent shaped seat, the central support column and the rectangular base. The design on the support column tell the meaning and function of the stool.
Ceremonial stools, as with other arts, are the most elaborately decorated. The state stools act as a spiritual and political connection between the royal ancestors, the current ruler, the state, the clan and the individuals. It is the Ashanti belief that the stool is the receptacle of the soul. Chiefs are enstooled and when they die their stools are preserved with great ceremony in shrines.
Akua'Ba figures are another product carved from wood. They are used by Akan women as fertility figures. If the woman has trouble becoming pregnant, she takes the figure to a shrine to be blessed and then carries it with her. They are also used to ensure the birth of a beautiful child and the tall flat forehead of the dolls is considered a sign of beauty.
Brass Weights
Krofrom: Ghana, once known as the Gold Coast, needed weights to measure the gold. Brass weights cleverly embellished with designs were used for this purpose. These weights were made by men using the lost wax technique.
Ewe Kente
The VOLTA REGION is home to the Ewe. There are two ethnic groups in Ghana who weave Kente cloth: the Ashanti and the Ewe, who came first and is more innovative depends on your source of information. Although the Ashanti Kente may be better known, at least to Americans, the Ewe kente is quite beautiful and innovative.
Older pieces of Kente were dyed with vegetable dyes, giving them a muted beauty. In contrast to rayon favored by Ashanti weavers, the Ewe use cotton. Although no longer using vegetable dyes, many of them use hand dyed yarn. Although there is overlap in techniques, one can distinguish the Ewe Kente from the Ashanti because the Ewe weave figures and symbols into their cloth. There is more diversity in the Ewe patterns.
Usually Ewe cloth is woven to order for Ghanaians, but the tourists have become customers also and concessions have been made in color and style in cloth that they buy and seem to prefer. The main cloth market is in Agbozume which is close to the Togo border.
Fantasy Coffins
Teshie/Nungua are two villages side by side about a 30 minute ride from Accra. They are home to the fantasy coffin workshops and are definitely worth a visit. These coffins are in the shape of birds, fish, airplanes, even beer bottles. The most popular seems to be the white Mercedes.
These coffins are fairly expensive by anyone's standards, so only important people are buried in them. The coffin image has some relationship to the life of its recipient. A farmer might be buried in an onion or a fisherman in a tuna. Ever inventive, the carpenters are now making miniature shapes so that tourists can fit them into a suitcase.
This relatively new folk art started in one carpentry workshop around 1960. Now there are several workshops, but they are all within a few miles of each other. Because of articles in many foreign magazines like National Geographic, these sculptures have become collector items in the western world.
Fantasy Coffins in Ghana
Asafo Flags
One of the notable craft items from this region is the Asafo flag. Each Fanti village had a militia unit and when going into battle these appliquéd flags were "danced" at the head of the column. Some villages have several Asafo companies and each has a flag with their own proverb and symbolism.
Krobo Beads
The EASTERN REGION is the ancestral home of the Krobo, who are famous for their beads. Krobo women treasure their collections and it is believed that great disaster will come to one who sold their beads without a very good reason. When you ask Ghanaians where beads come from some will say that they come from the ground. Indeed many have been dug up, but originally the beads came from Nigeria with traders. Now there are many Krobo bead workshops where glass beads are made in ceramic moulds by firing in woodburning kilns.
Krobo Beads
Dipo is a female coming of age ceremony celebrated by the Krobo each April. This gives the families an opportunity to cover the girls with beads to display the family collection. Some families even rent beads to make the display more impressive.
Northern Ghana Crafts
Historically, the UPPER EAST REGION was the crossroads for trans-Saharan trade routes. Here the paths from North Africa split, with one path continuing to Nigeria and the other heading south to Tamale. Today Tamale is still a commercial center, but few tourists make the journey from Tamale to Bolgatanga, the Upper East's capital. It is, however, a region with distinctive crafts and architecture.
Bolgatanga is well known for the large colorful market baskets made by the Frafra women. Elephant grass for the baskets is harvested to the south around Kumasi and purchased in the Bolga market. The dyed grass is woven into large round-bottomed baskets with broad stripes and geometric patterns.
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