Emmanuel Afriyie Arthur is a multidisciplinary artist, a KNUST a graduate and occasional sculptor.
He is also one of five awardees winning US$2,000 each in the 2024 Africa Prime Initiative (API)/Gallery Soview grant.
API is the philanthropic arm of US-based video streaming platform Africa Prime and Gallery Soview is an Accra-based contemporary art space that will be exhibiting the grant winners' work in September 2024.
In the fifth and last in a series of interviews with the grant award winners, AKADi Magazine speaks to Emmanuel about how his work explores notions around children in economically challenged areas of Ghana by highlighting their skill at turning trash into toys.
How old were you when you created your first painting?
I created my first painting when I was 10 years old.
What did you create and why did you choose that muse?
I distinctly remember that it was a landscape painting. My mother, who has taught general knowledge in art at the senior high school level for almost 13 years now, used to take me with her to school whenever I was on vacation. Watching her students create landscape paintings back then was a significant influence on me.
Name an artist/ sculptor that inspires you? Are they the reason why you got into these media? If not, what was your inspiration?
My latest body of work is deeply inspired by El Anatsui. I admire how he ingeniously repurposes discarded bottle caps into fabric-like structures, transforming them into epic installations.
Tell us more about your style of painting.
My journey as an artist has been highly experimental. I frequently explore new media to challenge myself and see what I can create from a newly discovered art practice, often starting with little to no idea of the final outcome.
Currently, I am working on artworks made from recycled plastic waste, which undergoes various processes to achieve the desired forms. The plastics go through processes like sewing, melting and flattening, hot air bending, ironing, cutting, gluing just to mention a few. I take the plastics through these processes to change the nature of the plastic into one I can work with.
You are known for addressing social issues through your thought-provoking works which are inspired by Ghana’s slum areas. What areas of Ghana’s slums have inspired this work and what issues have you been addressing?
I’ve had the privilege of visiting communities like Tafo Zongo and Ayigya Zongo in Kumasi, with a few friends on several occasions to observe the living conditions of slum children.
In my previous works, (created using bleach and dyes), I addressed how these children are often unfairly perceived as the "bad apples" in society, despite their remarkable ability to craft intriguing objects from seemingly worthless materials, purely for the joy of it.
Being selected as one of the five winners out of countless applicants is incredibly motivating. It reassures me that my work is being recognised and valued in the art world.
Where were you when you learnt that you had won the API/ Gallery Soview grant and how did you feel at that moment?
I was on the KNUST campus, about to continue my daily duties as a service personnel, when I received the email notification. Just as I was about to check if I had been selected, a friend who also applied for the grant called to congratulate me. The news gave me goosebumps and truly made my day!
I have previously exhibited at blaxTARLINES Kumasi, an artists' network, and KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) Museum. But this grant win is the first award I have secured since becoming an artist.
And why are initiatives like theirs so important to artists like yourself?
Being selected as one of the five winners out of countless applicants is incredibly motivating. It reassures me that my work is being recognised and valued in the art world.
The plastic work however was partly inspired by how practical these children are and how they use wasteful materials to make things to play with.
Tell us more about what you plan to do with your grant and what you plan to showcase in September at Gallery Soview.
I plan to use the grant to purchase tools that will assist me in creating my new body of work. I will be showcasing an artwork made entirely from recycled hard plastics.
I plan on including sculptured pieces as part of the complete work for the exhibition at Gallery Soview.
The subjects in my art pieces are done with bleach and dyes, and are my representation of some of the children I encountered when I visited these communities.
For instance the work I titled ‘Both Sides Of A Smile’ is a representation of one of these children who kept talking about owning a Mercedes-Benz in the future.
So the art piece was my representation of him where you can see the subject holding a Mercedes-Benz wheel cover as a steering wheel with hope and a smile on his face.
(This was an imaginary representation since most of the children didn’t want their pictures taken). The plastic work however, was partly inspired by how practical these children are and how they use waste materials to make things to play with.
Where would you like to be in terms of your photography career in the next five years?
In the next five years, I aspire to take my art career to a global level, exhibiting in spaces that would have seemed unimaginable to me just months ago such as the Tate Modern or White Cube would actually be a dream come true.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
To the young artists out there who sometimes doubt the value of their work and are on the verge of giving up, remember that the art world is vast and has room for all of us. Keep creating!
About Emmanuel
Emmanuel holds a Bachelor's degree in Painting and Sculpture from KNUST. Find out more about Emmanuel and his work on his Instagram handle @_a_rthur
About API
Founded in 2022 by Yaya Moussa, API has provided grants to artists in Namibia, in collaboration with the StArt Art Gallery, and in Madagascar, in partnership with Fonds Yavarhoussen. Two years later, the initiative expanded to support emerging artists in Ghana.
About Gallery Soview
Gallery Soview is a contemporary art gallery situated in Accra, Ghana created by founder and director Barbara Kokpavo Janvier. The gallery has a strong focus on emerging artists from Africa and is committed to enhancing their visibility both within and beyond the continent.
The contents of this page are based on questions sent by AKADi Magazine and cannot be reproduced without permission.
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