How Accra Became One of Africa’s Most Vibrant Art Destinations

Interest in Ghana’s cultural scene has steadily grown over the years, aligning with a growing international interest in African art that has seen collectors and galleries increasingly focusing on the work of the continent’s artists. The fast-paced beachside metropolis Accra, in particular, has emerged as a significant art hub, with gallery exhibitions showcasing emerging and celebrated talent and the city playing host to an increasing number of artist-led initiatives and art fairs and festivals.

But Accra is a place where art isn’t just passively taken in—art is lived, celebrated and woven into everyday life, and the city’s art scene is deeply rooted in the prominent cultural influences of major ethnic groups in Ghana, mainly the Akan, Ewe and Ga, each of which has its own craftwork and art forms. But as is to be expected, in colonial times, there were many exchanges between colonizers and local artists and artisans, leading to the hybridization and, in some cases, Westernification of styles. Despite this, many Ghanaian artists have found ways to tap into earlier artistic origins, retrieving their cultural identity and revitalizing traditional forms like textile art, carving and pottery or otherwise referencing them in painting and sculpture.

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“Accra has become one of the cities in Ghana that has moved internationally towards the contemporary arts whilst keeping its heritage intact,” Richmond Orlando, a cultural strategist, curator and author of VOICES: Ghana’s Artists in Their Own Words, told Observer.

Accra’s contemporary art scene has deep roots, and its evolution into one of Africa’s most vibrant art destinations has been shaped by key moments in history. Most importantly, when Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence in 1957, the nation’s artists began to explore themes that resonated with Ghanaian experiences, blending indigenous motifs with contemporary techniques taught at institutions like the College of Art at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

The gallery scene in Accra came later, nurtured by a mix of artists and private-sector investors who took matters into their own hands when public funding for the arts never materialized. Accra’s Artist Alliance Gallery, the city’s first contemporary art space, was founded in 1993 by renowned Ghanaian painter and professor Ablade Glover (whose work was recently included in “When We See Us” at Kunstmuseum Basel). Collector and entrepreneur Marwan Zakhem opened Gallery 1957, the city’s first internationally operating gallery for contemporary art. Acclaimed Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, who this year received the inaugural Sam Gilliam Award from the Dia Art Foundation, opened Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art. The opening of Africa’s largest photography library, the Dikan Center, in 2022 further cemented Accra’s status as Africa’s go-to art destination.

But while culture news platforms have been framing the city that way since the mid-2010s, there’s still work to be done. Many people’s first exposure to Accra’s art scene happened in 2021 when Vienna-based Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo (interviewed by Observer in 2020) sent three paintings—Self Portrait with Pink, Tulips, Shormeh’s Gold Earrings and White and Gold Head Wrap—into space on a Blue Origins rocket.

Accra’s nonprofit spaces have been equally instrumental in supporting and promoting the city’s unique cultural development. The newly launched La Foundation for the Arts (which supports individual artists) and the two-decades-old Foundation for Contemporary Art–Ghana (an artist-led group that promotes contemporary art in the country) are vital incubators for Ghana’s growing art scene. Enhancing those efforts is a thriving community of artists being nurtured by the expansion of art spaces and residency initiatives. “Artist-led residency programs have created some infrastructural support for the city’s blossoming art landscape,’’ Joseph Awuah Darko, curator and founder of the Noldor Artist Residency, told Observer. Boafo’s dot Ateliers, Kwesi Botchway’s Worldfaze studio, Artemartis, Nubuke Foundation, Gallery 1957, ADA\ Contemporary Art Gallery and many others are collectively supporting emerging visual artists by providing them with the resources they need to deepen their artistic practices.

“I have been fortunate to be a firsthand observer of the extraordinary development of Accra’s art scene throughout the last three years since moving to Ghana,” says Ghanaian-American artist Rita Mawuena Benissan, who is the founder of the non-profit cultural organization Si Hene (which translates to “Enstoolment” in Akan).

Many independent artists are curating their own exhibitions after exploring new, or new-to-Accra, artistic practices and styles. Portraiture remains popular, but there has been a significant rise in abstract art in Ghana over the last two years. “While we may not yet be at the level of South Africa or Nigeria, the growth in Accra’s art scene is undeniable and deserves to be studied,” Annabelle Obiri, a curator and creative strategist dedicated to uplifting emerging African artists through her Trybe Africa platform, told Observer. “It’s no surprise that National Geographic named us the art capital of Africa.”

The city is increasingly attracting the attention of foreign creatives and collectors, strengthening the creative ecology. Accra is “a dream space for artists,” according to Mohammed Awudu, an international graffiti muralist currently working to bring life to slums in Accra through street art. “I know a lot of international artists who want to come to the city and paint. The city is a haven for artists because the locals always want to give their walls for artists to paint.”

For Obiri, Accra offered both artistic freedom and community. “I’ve lived in Germany, France, Brazil, and the U.K., and despite the city’s challenges, Accra offers a feeling that is unmatched,” she said. “The creative community here is small; everyone knows each other. If you need a photographer, filmmaker, poet or dancer, they’re just a phone call away.”

Looking toward the future, the city’s ongoing cultural renaissance will hopefully continue to attract new talent and inspire creatives to open new art galleries and collectives. “Accra’s art scene is charting a steady course toward global prominence, driven by a synergy among its key institutions and emerging artists,” Selasie Gomado, creative director of Artemartis, told Observer.

Community is at the heart of everything that’s happening here, so it should come as no surprise that there have been recent global collaborations with brands like Gucci, Burberry, Dior, Puma and Mercedes Benz, which worked with local creatives to craft compelling narratives about Ghana. Accra-based festivals like Afrofuture are giving a voice to Africa’s diverse culture and the vibrant work of African creatives and entrepreneurs, while art events like Accra Art Week are attracting audiences from outside the city, from outside Ghana and, slowly but surely, from outside Africa.