I am an artist from Ghana, a country where the field of art is often disregarded, and sculpture is mistakenly perceived as a male-dominated pursuit. The disparity is obvious; of the roughly twenty-five female students in my undergraduate program, I am the only one who is unwaveringly committed to pursuing a career in the arts, specifically in sculpture. Rather than assigning blame, I acknowledge the challenges faced by my peers who opt for more conventional career paths. Having been in a similar position, I understand the difficulties that come with deciding on a career that deviates from social conventions, especially in a society where gender preconceptions about artists are prominent. Choosing a path less traveled means embarking on a career journey without the full support of society, and at times, even from one’s own family and friends.
As a multidisciplinary artist, I communicate ideas through hybridity, performances, sculpture, poems, video, and installation with wood as my central material. Using themes of absurdity, humor, and storytelling, I critique the irrationality of gendered material culture and gender stereotypes. At its core, my practice is a journey of self-discovery, an ongoing navigation between two distinct realms: the world created for me by society and the one I shape for myself blurring the line between the binary gender and their roles.
I explore the tension between these contrasting realms, by manipulating materials traditionally associated with one gender to craft pieces traditionally linked to the opposite gender. Through this, I interrogate how meaning is assigned to materials and forms based on gendered assumptions. What happens when craft, a practice historically tied to domesticity and femininity, enters the space of fine art? Can this shift unravel the gendered and class-based hierarchies embedded within craft itself? My work also addresses the commodification of craft, asking how its value and perception transform when it becomes art.
My art serves as a medium to confront the preconceived notions surrounding the self, identity, material culture and gender stereotypes, aiming to question their prevailing status quo. With each piece I create, I invite viewers to join me in the reflection on various aspects of gender existence and encourage active participation in a dialogue centered around change, growth, self-discovery, and self-realization. My art prompts viewers to question unaware accepted limitations and advocate for a future defined by uniqueness and equality.