Cutting Edge of the Contemporary: KNUST, Accra, and the Ghanaian Contemporary Art Movement

Ghana’s capital, Accra, has seen an explosion in contemporary art in the last fifteen years. Many individuals, institutions, and foundations have contributed to this activity, with exhibitions, site-specific installations and interventions, accessible programming, critical inquiry and writing, digital networks, and social engagement. The art world beyond the country’s borders has become increasingly aware of these exciting developments, which have roots in both Accra and Kumasi, home to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Many acclaimed artists active in Ghana and internationally were educated at KNUST, among them Ablade Glover, El Anatsui, Atta Kwami, Godfried Donkor, Dorothy Amenuke, and Ibrahim Mahama. The role of KNUST’s Department of Painting and Sculpture in fueling revolutionary changes in Ghana’s contemporary art scene is of particular interest to Nagy as director of an academic art museum, while artists’ networks in Accra—with connections to Kumasi—relate to Jordan’s work in network theory and digital humanities. The authors, together with Susan Cooksey, curator of African art at the University of Florida’s Harn Museum of Art, had witnessed these changes for the first time in August 2016 while visiting Kumasi and Accra to learn about the community of artists, curators, and activists who are changing the dialogue and practice of contemporary art.