Ghanaian artist Kojo Marfo opens his first solo exhibition in Istanbul

Ghanaian artist Kojo Marfo is opening his first exhibition in Turkey, featuring works inspired by his experiences in the geography where he was born and raised.

Having grown up in a land where matriarchy prevails over the patriarchal order, Kojo Marfo explores Akan culture and the challenges he faced with Western patriarchy in his works; female figures, a hallmark of the matriarchal order, are frequently seen in his pieces.

'I WANT IT TO BE A SYMBOL'

Marfo explained his art with the words, "I am not interested in painting something beautiful that you can hang in your home. I want my art to establish a connection with people, to be a symbol that everyone can relate to.

Regardless of what you are experiencing or where you live, I want my art to help people think about and reflect on their inner worlds."

12 WORKS ON DISPLAY

According to AA's report, the exhibition's curator Zeynep Öztürk, while discussing the exhibition which features 12 works by Marfo, most of which were created specifically for Turkey, said, "The color harmony within the paintings is so vivid, bright, and the dimensions are so large that it feels as if there are not 12, but 24 works in the gallery. When you extract separate windows from within each painting, different paintings emerge."

Regarding the black-and-white balance and harmony in most of Marfo's works, Öztürk stated, "Because a very close friend of his contracted vitiligo, we can find the black-and-white theme in almost all of his works to draw attention to that condition."

'IT IS TIME FOR ME TO VISIT TURKEY'

Marfo noted that he had never been to Turkey before but has many Turkish friends in London, saying, "I am quite an expert on Turkish culture and food. I think it is time for me to visit Turkey, and I am very excited about it. I hope the Turkish public will appreciate the message of understanding and shared humanity in the exhibition."