From Ghana to Denver, artist Amoako Boafo uplifts Black joy and carves new paths for burgeoning artists

2024-01-19

When Amoako Boafo was growing up in Accra, Ghana in the 1980s and 90s, art wasn’t a realistic or lucrative career path. But he didn’t put his paintbrush down."I kept making my paintings, and from time to time I would get lucky. I would have someone buy one," Boafo said.In those days, he says it was a victory to sell a painting for a hundred dollars. Today, his works go for hundreds of thousands - even millions - of dollars. It’s the kind of sharp rise to fame that could really change a per...

When Amoako Boafo was growing up in Accra, Ghana in the 1980s and 90s, art wasn’t a realistic or lucrative career path. But he didn’t put his paintbrush down.

"I kept making my paintings, and from time to time I would get lucky. I would have someone buy one," Boafo said.

In those days, he says it was a victory to sell a painting for a hundred dollars. Today, his works go for hundreds of thousands - even millions - of dollars. It’s the kind of sharp rise to fame that could really change a person. But Boafo remains close to his roots. He could live anywhere, but he chooses to stay in Ghana.

His exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, Soul of Black Folks, speaks to those roots and how they intertwine and expand upon leaving – and then returning to – your hometown. His portraits are vibrant, textured moments, with an emphasis on Black joy.

Boafo and curator Larry Ossei-Mensah sat down with In The NoCo’s Robyn Vincent to discuss the exhibit – on display at DAM until Feb. 19, 2024.

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