Kojo Marfo

Kojo Marfo (b. 1980, Ghana) is a Ghanaian artist based in London. Having grown up around individuals sculpting and carving he grew a keen interest in the arts and ultimately chose to work predominantly in a different medium - painting. Marfo found that he could best contribute to ongoing social conversations through acrylic on canvas. Marfo’s work seeks to investigate and re-establish an immense richness that is lacking in mainstream representations of African people. He hopes to channel a self-referential perspective on the Black image by representing abstracted figurative scenes through layered, polychromatic compositions. These showcase the hidden beauty woven into Africa’s social and geographical fabric. 

 

After travelling to New York and London, Marfo has combined a wide range of influences, traditions and experiences into a unique style and concept he has created called AfroGenesis. Marfo blends the visual language of Cubism for example, with Ghanaian artistic traditions. Marfo’s practice is rooted in traditional Akan artifacts he was exposed to as a child growing up in Ghana. These artifacts still remain a vital source of strength and inspiration to Marfo. He references traditional Akan art to highlight social issues such as inequalities, religion, politics, and spiritualism.