Kwesi Botchway Ghana, b. 1994
Botchway is interested in depicting compelling figurative portrait paintings from different generations. His point of focus is the Eyes, Nose and Mouth which is where our emotions are best portrayed, Botchway also believes it helps us better visually experience one another's feelings; an exchange of information without using words.
His Paintings help create an intriguing dialogue between the subject's message and the viewer. Botchway work compels the viewer to become physically and emotionally invested in the subject's story. He aims to capture the spirit, essence and heritage of his subjects and use this as an opportunity to lend the world a glance into the lives and struggles of people whose stories are yet to be fully told.
His paintings are meant to trigger emotions of pride or shame, honor or disgust and sometimes even humor, It's all about the story of his subjects, which words cannot fully explain.
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![[West] African Renaissance](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
[West] African Renaissance
Gallery 1957 in collaboration with Christie's Dubai 14 Nov - 14 Dec 2021These artists have been trailblazers in what is considered to be a Renaissance for modern and contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora, with artists from the continent gaining...Read more -
Homecoming: The Aesthetic of the Cool
Accra, Gallery II 26 Mar - 9 May 2021In celebration of its 5th anniversary, Gallery 1957, proudly presents the contributions of Ghana's compelling voices in contemporary art. Homecoming: The Aesthetic of the Cool, showcases new work of Amoako...Read more -
Kwesi Botchway-Becoming as well as Being
London 28 Oct - 18 Dec 2020Gallery 1957 are pleased to announce a solo exhibition with Ghanaian artist Kwesi Botchway at their London gallery, opening 28 October 2020. Taking its title from an essay by the...Read more -
Kwesi Botchway-Dark Purple is Everything Black
Accra, Gallery II 19 May - 9 Jun 2020In Kwesi Botchway’s vibrant paintings, colour is everything. Colour is language, character, culture, community. In particular, purple is the new black—the new everything black . Botchway’s world of monochromatic backgrounds...Read more
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Born in Accra, Ghana in 1994, Kwesi Botchway studied Art at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design before enrolling at the Academy of Visual Arts in Frankfurt, Germany. Combining realism and impressionism, he refers to his style as Afro-Impressionism. In January 2020, Botchway was invited to take part in the Gallery 1957 residency programme in Ghana resulting in his first solo exhibition titled Dark Purple is Everything Black curated by Katherine Finerty at the Ghana Gallery, followed by Becoming as Well as Being in Gallery 1957 London curated by Ekow Eshun. He had a great number of shows in Ghana and Europe, with three solo shows.
Among his passions, he has also developed a strong interest in photography and graphic designing. Kwesi Botchway is the Founder of WorldFaze Art Studio in Accra, an artist studio and residency space focusing on supporting young artists locally, opened in 2011.
He is currently collaborating with international galleries such as Gallery 1957, in Ghana and London, and Maruani Mercier Gallery in Belgium. He has been nominated for GUBA Awards USA Nominee as Influential Artist in 2019 and appeared in many renowned papers and magazines in 2021: Financial Times, Flash Art, The Art Newspaper, Vogue, Stylist, ArtNews. He has also had been mentioned in publications such as ‘African Artists From 1882 to Now’ (Phaidon, p.60, 2021) and had a featured magazine issue with Elephant (Issue 45, 2021).
His works are today part of important private and public collections locally and internationally.
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Gallery 1957 Presents a Group Exhibition in Collaboration With Christie's Dubai
[West] African Renaissance presents some of the most significant West African artists. 10 Nov 2021On November 14 and for the duration of one month, Gallery 1957 will open [West] African Renaissance, an exhibition in collaboration with Christie’s Dubai. On...Read more -
Artist Talk: Dark Purple Is Everything Black
25 Jun 2021Enjoy a 30 minute virtual Q+A with artist Kwesi Botchway and curator Katherine Finerty, who wrote the exhibition essay for Kwesi's recently opened solo show...Read more -
For Ghanaian Portraitist Kwesi Botchway, Fashion and Power Go Hand in Hand
13 Nov 2020“Kwesi is the right artist for this time...[his] declaration of the Black identity is like a testimony of the contemporary life” says Marwan Zakhem for...Read more -
Kwesi Botchway Revels in the Many Colors of Blackness – for Vogue US
27 Oct 2020'Botchway takes what he knows of the subject and builds on it, recreating their identity to tell a larger story through color, shape, and light,...Read more
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Kwesi Botchway’s Defiant Figures Examine the Black Experience
Aindrea Emelife, Frieze -
Interview with Kwesi Botchway: “I Wanted Viewers to Appreciate All Different Parts of Me”
Holly Black, Elephant, 7 May 2021 -
“The Aesthetic of Cool: Kwesi Botchway, Amoako Boafo, and Otis Kwame Kye” Gallery 1957 / Accra
Ayodeji Rotinwa, Flash Art, 6 May 2021 -
COOL INTENTIONS: Ayodeji Rotinwa at “Homecoming: Aesthetic of the Cool” at 1957 Gallery
Ayodeji Rotinwa , Artforum, 14 Apr 2021 -
Studio Visit: Kwesi Botchway on the Importance of Painting Faces and Celebrating His Fellow Ghanaian Artists
Naomi Rea, ArtNet, 30 Mar 2021 -
Gallery 1957 Heralds a New Era for West African Artists on Their Own Terms
Charlotte Jansen, Artsy, 15 Dec 2020 -
Ghanaian Artist Kwesi Botchway Revels in the Many Colors of Blackness in a New London Show
Grace Edquist, Vogue, 27 Nov 2020 -
For Ghanaian Portraitist Kwesi Botchway, Fashion and Power Go Hand in Hand
Stephanie Sporn, Galerie Magazine, 13 Nov 2020
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Art x Lagos 2021
4 - 7 Nov 2021For our fifth time participating to Art x Lagos, we present an incredible group of contemporary painters hailing from Nigeria, Ghana and the USA.Read more -
Kwesi Botchway, NYC Debut : The Armory Show
9 - 12 Sep 2021Gallery 1957 is pleased to debut new works by Kwesi Botchway . These new works by the mercurial young Ghanaian painter will be on show...Read more