My paintings explore the notion of symbolic portraiture and most of my paintings are self-portraits, and portraits of friends and family. The portraits seek to express the status and the values of the individuals in picture frame as well as expanding the autobiographical narratives that underline their personal qualities. I consider portraits as a monument of an individual’s memory - a realization of a present society and for archival purposes. I was inspired by history of portraiture upon the paintings where the sitters shared cultural, sociological, and political relationships with objects within the picture. I was inspired by the work of the Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who humorously used objects to describe the status of the figures in his paintings. In my work, I incorporate humor as immediate sense of seduction. My portraits investigate the mysteries of identity that are shaped by time, space, and multiple experiences. The paintings explore the interlacing of the genres of still life and portraiture to form a unique system of painting. Understanding that portraiture is held with high importance than still life, I place the two genres in my paintings with equal level of significance. Inspired by the history of art, I am fascinated by how artists such as Brancusi, Duchamp, and Picasso utilized sarcasm, contempt, and dramatic expression of art forms with revolutionary ideas to express their voice. .As a contemporary artist, I employ such inspiration particularly from the surrealist technique - an involvement of juxtaposition to navigate my diasporic experience relating to forms of cultural assimilation.
My sculptures are realized utilizing the common Ghanaian cultural practice of repurposing broken materials into new products. Growing up in a Ghana, there were electronics and appliance shops everywhere, but despite these sources for commodity exchange, there was always a belief that all broken objects still have value. As an artist, I incorporate this viewpoint into my practice. Memories are transformed into a continuous experience with everyday objects and materials, whereby I navigate issues of commodity and utility by weaving and joining materials and objects. My work references the geographical, cultural, psychological, and material space of both Ghana and US with the use of found objects collected from thrift stores and friends. The manipulation of the objects expresses how history contributes to the aesthetics of art forms. I am interested in how objects allow me to investigate cultures and the significance of human histories.