Araba Opoku Ghana, b. 1998

Araba Opoku (b. 1998) is a multi-disciplinary artist who was born and currently resides in Accra, Ghana. Opoku is known for creating dreamy, abstract paintings that explore the texture of life amidst various socio-economic crises persisting in Ghana. Her work is characterised by fluid shapes, flowing lines, and blended hues which produce an aqueous effect that almost resembles richly painted textiles. Opoku’s early work speaks to the water scarcity and rationing that prevails in Accra, as exemplified by her first solo exhibition, Come Hell or High Water, at the ADA\ contemporary art gallery in Accra. The liquid illusion of these paintings speaks to the centrality of water to Accra’s daily rhythms as well as the distortions the water crisis produces in life. From awaking in a dream-like state at midnight to fetch water to the stupor that one continues the rest of the day in, Opoku’s work captures the warped state of life amidst water scarcity. Other works speak to social issues such as mental health crises individuals and families experience, and the silence and stigma that surround them.

Balancing her art practice with her education in Psychology at the University of Ghana, Opoku has exhibited her works at several group exhibitions in Ghana, the UK, and USA. Her work was showcased at Art X Lagos in 2021, and resides in several collections in New York, London, and Ghana. For her artistic talent she was awarded the inaugural Yaa Asantwewaa Art Prize by Gallery 1957 in 2021. Opoku is the creative director and member of the art collective Artemartis, which has done much to highlight and platform emerging artists in Ghana.