"Denim carries the weight of work and wear; clay holds the memory of earth; burnt wood speaks in the language of transformation."
Josh Adjetey Akpor constructs visual dialogues between flesh and memory, tradition and experimentation. His artistic journey began in Greater Accra and matured through formal training at KNUST's painting and sculpture department, where technical precision met conceptual ambition. Association with blaxTarlines KUMASI positioned him within West Africa's experimental vanguard, yet his practice remains deeply rooted in local materiality and narrative.
The artist's Teshie workspace sits where land meets sea—a liminal zone that mirrors his artistic investigations. Here, Akpor has cultivated a radical material vocabulary: earth-sourced pigments meet industrial textiles, creating surfaces that refuse the pristine distance of traditional canvas. Denim becomes ground, its worn surfaces accepting applications of clay, paint, and char. These choices speak to accessibility and authenticity—art built from the detritus of daily existence rather than rarified supplies.
Physical form anchors Akpor's conceptual explorations. Working with models and his own reflection, he investigates how bodies carry stories—personal traumas and triumphs etched in gesture and pose. This corporeal focus extends beyond representation to collaboration, with subjects becoming co-creators in the artistic process. The resulting works oscillate between vulnerability and strength, isolation and community.
His 2024 residency with Arms Around The Child catalyzed new dimensions in his practice. Facilitating creative sessions at educational centers, Akpor discovered pedagogy as artistic practice—young minds engaging with materials and concepts, their uninhibited expressions informing his own evolving vocabulary. This community engagement culminated in his 2025 presentation at the Museum of Science and Technology.
The exhibition examined Homowo—the Ga festival celebrating survival and abundance—through contemporary eyes. Twenty canvases and four environmental installations translated festival dynamics into visual form: ceremonial movements frozen in pigment, communal joy rendered in texture. Rather than documentary representation, Akpor offered interpretive translations, allowing tradition to speak through contemporary artistic language.
Josh Adjetey Akpor's practice demonstrates how innovation can serve preservation, how experimental approaches can deepen rather than dilute cultural narratives. His work occupies the productive tension between honoring inheritance and pushing boundaries—a position that defines contemporary African artistic expression.
Exhibition History
Solo Exhibitions:
- 2025: "When Hunger Was Laughed At," Museum of Science and Technology, Accra
- 2023: "I Am Not the Only One," KNUST End-of-Year Exhibition, Kumasi
Group Exhibitions:
- 2025: "Radiant Horizon," SFUMATO ART CREATIVE
- 2024-2025: "Journey Beyond Maps" (Second Edition), curated by Benard Akoi Jackson
- 2023: "Broaching Alchemy: A Contingency of Emergent Vision," Kumasi
- "The Hidden Narrative," Accra
- "Journey Beyond Maps" (First Edition)
- "#ChangingClimate," ensemble-2 Online Exhibition, Berlin
Education
- BFA, Painting and Sculpture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, 2019-2023
- Saint Thomas Aquinas Senior High School, 2017-2019
Awards & Recognition
- Ghana Indigenous Arts Awards
Professional Experience
- Studio Assistant to Isaac Ato Jackson, Kumasi, 2019-2023
- Arms Around The Child Art Residency, 2024
Professional Affiliations
- blaxTarlines, KNUST Department of Painting and Sculpture
- africartcollective, Paris
- Earth Arts Gallery, Lebanon
- outofafrica.art collective