The Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafoja is considered one of the most important voices from a new
generation of Black artists. Boafo portrays his friends acquaintances and people from public
life presenting a contemporary image of Black self-empowerment and self-perception. After
graduating from art college in Accra Boafo began studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in
Vienna in 2013 where he developed his signature style characterized by his unusual
finger-painting technique. The people portrayed by Boafo embody the idea of Black identity that
draws on its own culture to be understood as an act of resistance against the racist labels of
a predominantly white society. The artist's intensive engagement with Black history is subtly
reflected in his paintings that include motifs inspired by literary works by key pioneers of
the Black Freedom Movement. Text: Sergey Harutoonian Mahret Ifeoma Kupka Ekow Eshun
Amoako Boafo Taiye Selasi.
