b. 1987, Ghana, Africa
Lives and works in Accra, Ghana
Gideon Appah is a mixed media artist who draws from personal experiences of life in the capital of Ghana. In this recent body of work, the artist presents flattened, jewel-like compositions that center around important familial figures, luscious landscapes, prevalent architecture, folklore and daily rituals from his upbringing.
Through nostalgic blues, bold crimsons, deep greens and charcoal, his dreamlike, surrealist subjects of figures and landscapes are abstracted and fragmented. With glimpses of nature and ghostly reflections, Appah focuses on the presence or feeling his representations evoke in order to allude to the organic transformation of memories and recollections over time. Using thick, rough applications of acrylic to build up his compositions, Appah responds directly to his own familial stories and a country's history.
Born in Ghana in 1987, Appah lives and works in Accra. His most recent solo show, Love Letter, was on view at Gallery1957 in 2019. His works have also been exhibited internationally, including at Casa Barragan, Mexico City; Ghana Science Museum, Accra; Goethe Institute, Accra; KNUST Museum, Kumasi and Nubuke Foundation, Accra. His work is included in the collection of the Absa Museum, Johannesburg; Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, Marrakesh and Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto as well as private collections. He was shortlisted for the 2016 Kuenyehia Art Prize.
