ARTIST STATEMENT

Frederick Bamfo

My work investigates into cultural identity, integration and hybridization. It is inspired by Kente cloth –a traditional stripes woven cloth.  The cloth is actually a symbol of mosaic of colours which is a metaphor of our world with diverse cultural origins. I build on the tradition to embrace contemporary conversations by creating colourful architectonic sculptures out of used top-up cards, scraps of mobile phones, ropes and other materials which have similar provenance and narratives. The materials connect our collective values and bind us as humans, hinging on the fact that the materials are being consumed by people of all walks of life, class, race, religion and gender.

I consciously collect the objects from eclectic sources and pass them through myriad processes such as weaving, stapling, sewing and gluing to create multiple architectonic forms and visual narratives. It stresses on countless conversations without boundaries and strain-less interconnectivity of the voices of peoples of the world. This reflects on indelible texts, icons, symbols and images embedded in the materials, edging and helping people to connect to people. 

The work actually expands the frontier of socio-cultural and socio-political lives of people. It also projects the values of cooperation, merger and tolerance. It ultimately tells the story of meshing up. It therefore interrogates marginalization of people and encourages multiplicity and the edge to connect us all. The artistic aspect negotiates between art and life. It also puts under one umbrella craft, painting, sculpture, architecture, fashion and technology.

BIOGRAPHY

Frederick Bamfo

Bamfo (b.1981) is part of a new generation of Ghanaian contemporary artists who is redefining Ghanaian modern art and architecture. He has received many international awards and has been featured in various exhibitions locally and internationally. He served as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant at the Department of Painting and Sculpture in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi where he obtained his BFA and MFA. Notable of his exhibition are: Incubarte 7 Biennale Exhibition in Valencia, Spain, Barclays L’Atelier Competition Exhibition in Johannesburg, South Africa, It's LIQUID International Art Show in Venice, Italy and Mediated: An Urban Projection Event in Indiana State University, USA. He has also featured in many contemporary magazines. The recent of them are the prestigious Art Reveal Magazine and Art International Contemporary Magazine.