Kwesi Botchway sitting and smiling with his portraits behind him

Kwesi Botchway

2 collaborations

Kwesi Botchway standing in front of a figurative painting
Kwesi Botchway sitting and smiling with his portraits behind him

Kwesi Botchway

“I always want my figures to be vibrant, full of confidence and happiness because that’s how I want to see Black people.”

Glamorous portraits celebrate the many shades of Black.

Kwesi Botchway’s portraits relish in colour. Flat, brightly coloured backdrops accentuate the dark skin of the figures – which the artist renders in deep, nearly-black shades of purple. Seeking to “elevate Blackness,” the artist sees purple as a symbol of luxury and power, equating his figures with royalty. Highlights are layered in cross-hatching brushstrokes to give the skin an ethereal glow, tying into the expressive painting style Botchway dubs “Afro-impressionism.” In contrast to his earlier realist work, this style draws inspiration from contemporary painters such as Amy Sherald and Kerr...

Bio

Kwesi Botchway (he/him) was born in 1994 in Accra, Ghana. He lives and works in Accra and Brussels, Belgium.

Did you know?

Botchway heads Worldfaze, an Accra-based foundation that works with kids to offer and promote arts education. This community focus brings the artist full circle, as when he was a child he pursued his interest in art by apprenticing for a local street artist.

Education

A fellow graduate of Ghanatta College of Art and Design, Botchway joins close friends Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe and Amoafo Boako in spearheading a young generation of Ghanaian artists making waves internationally.


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