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Biography

b. 1987, Ghana, Africa
Lives and works in Accra, Ghana

Gideon Appah’s evocative paintings and drawings pull from experiences of intimacy and leisure that speak to recollection, history and mythology. His flattened, jewel-like compositions are centered around stylish figures, both known and imagined, luscious landscapes, prevalent architecture, African folklore and daily rituals from his childhood. These sumptuous scenes are often informed by post-independent Ghana, most readily sourced from film stills, newspaper clippings, journals and family photographs created in the 1960s through 1980s. One of the leading painters of his generation, Appah creates contemporary cosmopolitan worlds with a dreamlike, fauvist application to respond 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 titled The Play of Thought was on view at Pace Gallery in Seoul through April 2024. Another solo show, How to Say Sorry in a Thousand Lights, was on view at Pace Gallery in London until April 2023. His works have also been exhibited internationally, including at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University; Milan Triennale, Milan; Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York; Acquavella Galleries, New York; 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 and 2022 Henrike Grohs Art Award.