Considering what Kojo Marfo said let’s look closer. He wants his art to help people think. He wants people to reflect on their inner lives. It should relate to the wider world. The Kojo Sculpture may be one of those artworks.
Kojo is a sculpture made of steel by John Clement. It stands as a testament to art’s ability to provoke thought. It encourages introspection. It can connect us to broader human experiences.
Marfo developed his interest in art through traditional Akan artifacts. He was exposed to sculptures and carvings as a child. These artifacts remain a vital source for him. He references traditional Akan art. He uses it to highlight social issues. These issues include inequalities, religion, politics, and spiritualism.
After traveling to New York and London, Marfo developed a unique style. It encompasses his wide range of influences. This is an effort to express his experiences. It comments on society.
Marfo’s work seeks to re-establish the richness lacking in mainstream representations of African people. He hopes to explore a self-referential perspective of the Black image. He creates figurative abstractions. They showcase the beauty woven into Africa’s social fabric.
Kojo Marfo often paints figures with facial skin discoloration. He was painting a friend who has vitiligo. This helped him discover a new way of painting. He liked how the work ended up. He decided to replicate the technique. He made it his signature style. It is like a calling card.
Marfo describes himself as an afro-expressionist. He refers to his work as cultural hybridity. His paintings reference different cultures. They combine European and African themes. The figures in his paintings are based on traditional Akan fertility dolls. They are wooden dolls with no arms and a round head. They are given to women when they reach childbearing age. The dolls are his main inspiration. He took them from his culture. He incorporates them into other cultures. That’s why he calls it cultural hybridity.
One good example is that the figures are dressed in ruffs in many of his paintings. This references 16th- and 17th-century European court paintings. He also incorporates animals and flowers. This gives it universality. Nature connects humans. The flowers also nod to his upbringing. They come to his mind whenever he is painting. Including them makes him feel more connected to his artwork. They allow his mind to travel home.
Marfo wants his work to tell a story. It should connect everyone. It is a time when society is very polarized. Anything you say could spark debate. It could be misinterpreted or upset someone. As an artist, one challenge he faces is being relevant to young people. He still wants to be relevant after he is gone. Young people are challenging everything. They are slowly dismantling prejudices and stereotypes. He thinks the future is bright. He wants future generations to relate to his work.
Kojo Sculpture might be the start of your reflection. It might get you thinking about a broader world. What do you think?