Amoako Boafo (b. 1984; Accra, Ghana) is innovative in his approach to the presentation of Black bodies; reframing and realigning their dispositions despite the larger global context surrounding Black culture. Acclaimed for his enticing finger-painted portraits, Boafo’s work has become landmarked in the pictorial subset of art history.
Through striking, often monotone and direct, portraits Boafo engages in an intimate closeness with his subjects. The figures gaze with unwavering firmness as they look to the viewer with stern dispositions. Typically isolated on single color backgrounds, viewers have nowhere to look but at the subjects, leaving little room for misinterpretation. His tableaux vivants are placed at a high recognition, both physically regarding their size and spiritually in terms of their grandeur.
