Amoako Boafo. Proper Love (English)

The Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafoja is considered one of the most important voices from a new generation of Black artists. Boafo portrays his friends, acquaintances, and people from public life, presenting a contemporary image of Black self-empowerment and self-perception. After graduating from art college in Accra, Boafo began studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 2013, where he developed his signature style characterized by his unusual finger-painting technique. The people portrayed by Boafo embody the idea of Black identity that draws on its own culture, to be understood as an act of resistance against the racist labels of a predominantly white society. The artist’s intensive engagement with Black history is subtly reflected in his paintings that include motifs inspired by literary works by key pioneers of the Black Freedom Movement.

Text: Sergey Harutoonian, Mahret Ifeoma Kupka, Ekow Eshun / Amoako Boafo, Taiye Selasi.